Skip to main content

2018 Phillies Prospects Countdown: #6 OF Jhailyn Ortiz

By
Jhailyn Ortiz, image- MiLB.com
The Phillies signed outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz at the age of 16 for a reported $4 million.  Teams don't make that sort of investment or shell out the largest signing bonus for an international player in organization history without a boat load of high hopes.  It seems the talented youngster is well on his way to living up to those expectations.

The powerful Dominican Republic native made his regular season pro debut as a member of the Rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2016.  In 47 games there, Ortiz batted .231 with eight home runs, 27 RBI and eight stolen bases.

In 2017 Ortiz was with the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters.  He sported a .302 batting average with 15 doubles, a triple, eight homers and 30 RBI in 47 contests.  Having turned 19 years old in November, he was among the youngest players in the New York-Penn League last year.  His .961 OPS would have been good enough to lead the league if he has notched enough plate appearances to qualify.

Ortiz, a righty batter, features boast-worthy power with plus potential. He can knock the ball out of any park he plays in and has the ability to hit to all fields.  He took strides toward becoming a more complete hitter, as was evidenced by the 71-point jump in his average from the previous campaign.  He makes excellent contact, barrelling up the ball in all areas of the strike zone.

Last season, working on plate discipline was key for Ortiz, as the Phils want to see him reduce his strike outs. At roughly a 26% strike out rate in the minors, he has a lot of work ahead to improve in that aspect.

On top of all the offensive praise, he also is a quality defender with a strong arm.  He has played strictly right field in the minors to date.

As a base runner, Ortiz likely will not be a regular stolen base threat, but he is quick-footed enough that he won't be a detriment to his club.

Listed at six-feet-three and 215 pounds, Ortiz is a strapping young man and could add even more strength as he progresses in the professional ranks.

Coaches think Ortiz is a special talent with a very bright future.  He'll likely be in the middle of the lineup for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws for much of this coming season.


You can keep track of this year's Phillies prospect countdown at this link.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crawford's Chronicles: JP Crawford talks Spring Training

By
JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd Entering this year as the widely regarded top prospect in the Phillies organization, J.P. Crawford will be taking time each week to provide insight directly from inside spring training in Clearwater, FL, right here on PhilliesNation.com. Crawford, 20, was named the top positional prospect in two leagues (Class A South Atlantic League and Class A Advanced Florida State League) last year, when he combined, in 123 games, to post a .285 average, 11 homers, 48 RBI and 24 stolen bases. He also represented the Phils organization in the MLB All-Star Futures Game last season. As the 2015 campaign approaches, the six-foot-two 180-pound lefty batter is expected to reach the Double-A level and continue to prove why the Phillies selected him in the first round of the 2013 draft. In this initial installment of our weekly check-in with J.P., he shares thoughts on a variety of topics, including his exclusion from big league camp, which member of the big leagu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Heroes- Fight of the Century

By
VS. It's a big day for your boy, Jay Ballz . No work, X-Men Origins: Wolverine premieres, our Phillies face the Metropolitans for the first time this season and tailgating for BOTH doesn't sound all that absurd to me. Anyway, I surveyed some qualified phans and got several opinions on how exactly a fight might go down if the mutant hero Wolverine faced off against Phillies hero Matt Stairs. Well known blogger, Chris, of I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake , kept it real and said the following- "Wolverine has adamantium ( indestructible metal substance) claws, so that's a great advantage. Stairs' Wonder Bat is neutralized there. See, the problem becomes Wolverine's ability to recover (he has a regenerative power) faster. Stairs is merely human. Sure, he has a goatee, and goatees are great, but they're great for saving sauce, not for defeating mutants. I think Wolverine takes it in a fight to the death in about 15 minutes because Stairs simply doesn'...
7 comments
Read more

Phreestyle Battle & Notes

By
Unrelated to baseball, really...but it's fun and our Phils are off today. This new kid on the hip hop scene, Charles Hamilton , whose single Brooklyn Girl is ripping up radio and video count downs, was at PSU for a performance recently. A freestyle battle ensued, and as you'll see, the Penn State student held his own. Stay tuned for the ending. It's the best part. Here are some random Phillies-in-idle baseball thoughts and notes- Colbert Hamels is slated to make his Grapefruit League debut tomorrow vs. Team Canada. Shane Victorino is going to wear #50 on his jersey for Team USA, a nod to Hawaii Five-O. Brad Lidge is likely to not see game action till next week, after he throws some more bullpen sessions and works out the tightness in his forearm. Albert Pujols is declaring "respect for his country" as reasoning for sitting out of the Cardinals' exhibition this week against Team Dominican Republic. He told reporters, "I don’t want to play against them...
2 comments
Read more