On January 22, 2003, the Red Sox signed Ortiz. Gordon Edes in the Boston Globe, wrote about general manager Theo Epstein’s assessment of his new slugger, “We think, all the scouts think, he has a very high ceiling. You’re looking at a player with the potential to be a middle-of-the-lineup bat in the big leagues.” That turned out to be the biggest understatement since Noah said it looks like rain.
