Robinson Ortiz
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Ortiz signed for just $60K in June of 2017, and that looks like a steal given how he pitched this summer in the AZL. A sturdy 6-foot and 180 pounds, he repeats a semi-windup delivery well and throws consistent strikes for a teenager. The fastball worked between 90-to-93 mph in my viewing, showing armside run and signs of advanced command. Ortiz has a good feel for his mid-80s changeup, which he uses as his primary off-speed. He sells it with fastball armspeed, and the pitch flashed above-average drop when thrown in the 82-to-83 mph range. Later in the outing, he mixed a curveball at 78-to-80 mph that showed consistent spin and signs of sharp three-quarter shape. The breaking ball could become at least an average pitch (if not a tick better), and I’d like to see him go to it earlier in outings. Ortiz pitches with feel and changes speeds well for his age, attributes that overwhelmed low-minors hitters (31-percent strikeout rate, .223 average-against). He’s advanced enough that an assignment to Class A isn’t out of the question. Only 18-years-old, his mix of stuff, strikes, and pitchability give the ceiling of a back-rotation starter. |
