Position: RHP
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 235 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 01/27/1999
Country: Dominican Republic
How Acquired: International Free Agent, 2018
Bonus: $25,000
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: 2
Overview
Ortiz was a little older than the usual international prospect, 19 when the Pirates signed him and 20 when he started his career. His stuff took a jump after the Pirates signed him, with his fastball reaching 95 mph and sitting at 93. By early 2021 he was sitting at 95-97, then in 2022 he started hitting triple digits frequently. His best secondary pitch is a slider that’s extremely tough on right-handed hitters, and he also throws a change.
2019-21
Ortiz started his career in the rotation at Bristol in the now-defunct Appalachian League, which was an ambitious assignment. He pitched well until he started having control problems in August. The pandemic interrupted his career for a season, then Ortiz had something of a breakout season with Bradenton. He started the season well, then had a shaky stretch in June, mainly due to control problems. From the beginning of July on, he had an ERA of 2.73, along with 78 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 56 innings. Ortiz generated a lot of swings and misses, finishing second in the league to teammate Adrian Florencio in strikeouts, with 113. He was very tough on right-handed batters, holding them to an OPS of .599. Left-handed batters had an OPS against him of .708.
2022
Ortiz flew under the prospect radar until late in the 2022 season, when he suddenly shot up the prospect rankings due to his combination of upper-90s velocity and a very tough slider. He spent most of the year in Altoona. Even though he was skipping a level, he often dominated. For instance, he had two immaculate innings (9 pitches, 3 strikeouts), which doubled the number in Altoona history. He had a good WHIP, but his ERA ended up higher than his other stats would suggest, as whatever went wrong often seem to go wrong all at once. His xFIP was a much better 3.76. Ortiz made two starts for Indianapolis in early September. He struggled a bit in one, then allowed no hits and fanned nine over six innings in the other. The Pirates called him up due to a doubleheader and, in the end, he made four starts for them due to an injury. The first three were outstanding, including a strong one against the Yankees. He failed to survive the first in the last one. He had gopher ball problems, allowing 21 (19 for Altoona), or one every six and two-thirds innings. Left-handed hitters accounted for a dozen of those and put up an .802 OPS, so that’s obviously an issue. Right-handed hitters managed just .578.
2023-24
Ortiz’ performance in 2023 echoed that of the Pirates’ other top pitching prospects. His velocity was down — from 98 to 96 — and his breaking ball didn’t produce the same results. He started the season with Indianapolis, got called up for two months starting in early May, went back for a month and a half, then spent the season’s last five weeks in Pittsburgh. Ortiz’ performance in Pittsburgh wasn’t as bad as Roansy Contreras’ or Quinn Priester’s, but it wasn’t good. Ortiz’ ERA was 4.78 and his walk and K rates were bad — 5.0 BB/9 and 6.1 K/9. He was only a little more effective in AAA.
In 2024, Ortiz bounced back. He started the season in the bullpen, usually pitching in multi-inning roles. In June, the Pirates started using him as the “bulk” reliever in bullpen games, leaving him in for 4-5 innings. In early July, Oritz moved into the rotation and stayed there. He had some rough starts, but mostly pitched very well. In 22 relief appearances, he had a 3.49 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. In 15 starts those numbers were 3.22 and 1.00. On the season, Ortiz improved his control a lot, with his BB/9 dropping to 2.8. His K rate improved, but was still only 7.1. His fastball still sat around 96.
Stats
Transactions
October 2, 2018: Signed as an international free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
September 13, 2022: Contract purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates.