Hey Lark

[mackenzie45220]

The youngest player on the Dayton Dragons, just 20 as of last month, had a .262/.321/.494 slash line last season in Billings, with 8 home runs in 48 games, and currently has a .304/.362/.652 slash line through 7 games in Dayton, and plays catcher. His name is Jose Ortiz. Should we be excited about him?

[kinsm]

Not directed at me, but let me say this - baseballprospectus had him ranked as the Red #10 prospect entering the season. Baseball America however didn't have him in the top 30.

[mackenzie45220]

Jul 6, 2014 18:09:26 GMT -5 kinsm said:

Not directed at me, but let me say this - baseballprospectus had him ranked as the Red #10 prospect entering the season. Baseball America however didn't have him in the top 30.

Appreciate the input

[Lark11]

Jose Ortiz is an under-the-radar guy and there's not a ton of info available on him. But, he seems to be one to watch. The most difficult guys for me, and probably everyone else, to get a read on are the young, lower profile prospects from Latin America. Ortiz is from Puerto Rico, but there still isn't a ton out there on him. The RedReporter Community voted him the 13th overall prospect in the system based on....seemingly nothing, but they may have his value pegged properly. After his performance this year, I fully expect him to figure prominently on pundit prospects lists for the Reds next year.


Here's what I've found on Jose Ortiz, who has a thick, stocky type build (5-11, 205 lbs) which probably makes the most sense behind the dish:







The Reds selected Ortiz in the 17th round of the 2012 draft out of Juano Colon High School in Puerto Rico. There are some unconfirmed blurbs that he slipped in the draft because of college plans or signing bonus demands, but that feels like noise more than anything, especially since he signed with the Reds without any fuss. But, it's possible that his ability outpaced his draft position for reasons that aren't clear.


Here's his PerfectGame scouting blurb and link www.perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=302935 :

Jose Ortiz is a 2012 C with a 5-11 205 lb. frame from Comerio, PR who attends Juana Colon School. Thick mature build, very good strength. Right handed hitter, very aggressive swing approach, rotational swing with lift and power, looks to pull, commits early and attacks, ball jumps hard when centered, game home run, crushes mistakes. Very good arm strength behind the plate, quick compact arm stroke, 1.86 best pop time, active feet, will have to work on hands/receiving skills. Has the tools to keep improving. Good student.

Based on his professional stat line, he certainly seems to be living up to the power projection mentioned in the above scouting report. He also gets a real boost for the "age vs. level" advantage that he's had early in his professional career. Based on the stat line, he's got legit power and questionable plate discipline. I'd love to see a spray chart on him to see how much of his power actually IS pull-power. He'll need to make sure that he's swinging at good pitches as he climbs the ladder or else that raw power will never show up in games.



Here's the fun part, an actual look at Jose Ortiz in his MLB draft scouting video, which is definitely worth everyone's time:

m.mlb.com/video/topic/0/v21893747/draft-tracker-jose-ortiz-high-school-catcher



My Thoughts on His Defense

Based on this one look, the PerfectGame scouting report seems more optimistic on his defense than I am. His footwork seems a bit slow and his agility doesn't blow me away. As for throwing, he does seem to have good arm strength and a short arm stroke, but he has kind of a rigid, upright throwing motion and a bit of an over-the-top arm slot. So, to me, he does seem a bit raw defensively and his size makes him a bit clunky behind the plate.


My Thoughts on His Offense

But, the offensive side is a bit of a different story, as his swing looks good. He uses a wide spread stance and a high back elbow. He does a nice job dropping his arms into the slot position to sync up the rotation of his torso with his arm-swing, generating good power in the swing. His bat speed seems good and the ball jumps off his bat in his final swing. On the downside, I can see why they say he is pull-oriented and rotational, as his front shoulder looks like it might open up a bit too early on the swing. That could be a by-product of Ortiz really focusing on pull-power. If so, that might leave him susceptible to pitches on the outer-half, especially offspeed pitches down and away. Spinning out early on the pitch will frequently impact the hitter's plate coverage. More advanced pitching will reveal whether that's a problem. Still, overall, it's a fairly compact swing that allows him to stay balanced and generate very good power, which is a nice package of swing attributes.


Final Thoughts

From just a brief glance, I'd say there is quite a bit to recommend Jose Ortiz. I'd say he's definitely one to watch. His likely career path will be determined by (1) his ability to stay behind the plate, and (2) his ability to control the strike zone and make consistent contact. Put another way, if he can't stick behind the plate, then he'll need to either (1) hit for average or (2) get on-base in order to hold down 1b or LF. You can't just hit homers when you are that low on the defensive spectrum.

Still, given his age and performance level, I'm pretty encouraged by Jose Ortiz. He looks like he could be one of the best bats in the system, but it's still too early to bestow that label on him. More time at low-A ball will help build his resume and his reputation. Almost regardless of how he does over the rest of this year, I fully expect him to get a lot more coverage from the baseball pundits next offseason when he'll likely land prominently on most Reds' prospect lists. As of now, I'd slot Jose Ortiz somewhere in the teens on my prospect list.


Good eye from you, mackenzie, to focus on him.

[The Duke]

Ortiz is slow. Slllllllooooooowwwwwww. A 20 runner. He's got a nice bat and a solid arm though, so he has a shot. I've heard his receiving is shaky, but haven't been able to see him live yet. Going next Sunday, hopefully he's catching and Nick Howard is pitching.

[mackenzie45220]

Jul 7, 2014 0:18:18 GMT -5 The Duke said:

Ortiz is slow. Slllllllooooooowwwwwww. A 20 runner. He's got a nice bat and a solid arm though, so he has a shot. I've heard his receiving is shaky, but haven't been able to see him live yet. Going next Sunday, hopefully he's catching and Nick Howard is pitching.

So I'm hearing Bengie Molina?

[mackenzie45220]

Another question: I don't expect you to have anything on him, but what about Jose Siri? 18 year old center fielder in AZL with .289/.325/.474 slash line and 6 steals in 6 attempts.

[The Duke]

Jul 7, 2014 13:49:06 GMT -5 mackenzie45220 said:

Another question: I don't expect you to have anything on him, but what about Jose Siri? 18 year old center fielder in AZL with .289/.325/.474 slash line and 6 steals in 6 attempts.

Lots of tools, sort of similar to Astrides Aquino with a little less power and a little more speed. Nothing too detailed about him out there that I have found, but he's a legit prospect. Probably won't crack this years top 30, but could be in next years.

[Lark11]

Well, there's someone on YouTube posting Jose Siri videos under the name Jose Siri:

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