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MLB experts recognize the elite game of Texas Rangers first base prospect

Ambimelec Ortiz went from another guy in the organization to a top prospect in one season.

By West Jones|
Nov 3, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of Texas Rangers fans outside the ballpark during the World
Nov 3, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of Texas Rangers fans outside the ballpark during the World | Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Most top prospects are players who have been on everyone's radar for some time. That is not the case for Abimelec Ortiz. The soon-to-be 22-year-old took the organization by storm in 2023 and has made quite an impression on the experts at MLB Pipeline. In their latest list of top positional prospects in baseball that came out this past week, Ortiz comes in at number four among the top first base prospects in the game. That's not bad for an undrafted signee, that the Texas Rangers inked for just $20,000 in 2021.

Ortiz drudged in his first season as a professional but did everything but struggle in 2023. He was not only the South Atlantic League MVP for his time with the Hickory Crawdads (80 games) but was also named the minor league player of the year for the entire Texas Rangers organization. Those are two fantastic honors for a very deserving effort.

Last year in 109 minor league games with A and A+, Ortiz slashed .294/.371/.619, scored 78 runs, drove in 101 runs, hit 20 doubles, four triples, and blasted 33 home runs. And as if that wasn't enough, he impressed even more in Surprise during the Arizona Fall League. In 12 games he slashed .314/.460/.600, scored seven runs, drove in nine runs, had a double, and hit three home runs. Those two performances combined, have also earned Ortiz an invite to big league camp during spring training next month.

There is still plenty of room for improvement with Ortiz, but he has made everyone take notice of his hitting abilities. He will want to continue to work on getting the strikeout rate down, but after shortening his swing a bit going into last season, he showed that he is willing to work on his craft to take it to the next level.

Ortiz is also not fleet of foot, as he is listed at 6' 230 lbs. But he has shown that he can play an adequate first base and has also been working some in the outfield. DH could be where he ends up if he continues to advance through the organization. But today, we should not worry about any of that and just celebrate a great season by Ortiz along with him being recognized as one of the top prospects in all of baseball.

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