David Ortiz Sees the Future of Baseball in Latest Collaboration with Topps Trading Cards
May 7, 2025
A Hall of Famer turned tarot card reader, Big Papi is helping to predict baseball’s next generation of stars.
Long before he was a 10-time MLB All-Star, a three-time World Series champion, and a first-ballot Baseball Hall of Famer, David Ortiz was just a kid from the Dominican Republic, dreaming of one day playing in the big leagues.
A native of Santo Domingo, Ortiz described his upbringing—in a country where opportunity was scarce—as “tough”. The oldest of four children and a passionate fan of baseball, he dedicated himself to the sport at a young age and, shortly after turning 17 years old, earned a contract with the Seattle Mariners.
Ortiz was ultimately traded to the Minnesota Twins after four years in Seattle’s system, and quickly rose up their ranks—making his Major League debut the following season. To this day, he still remembers the first time he saw himself on a baseball card:
“Man, the very first baseball card that I saw myself [on], it was this one card that said on the bottom: ‘The wave of the future,'” Ortiz explained in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “I never forgot about that. When I saw that baseball card for the first time, I felt proud of myself. And believe it or not, it kind of motivated me to continue … I want[ed] to see myself on more baseball cards.”