Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | LAA | RHP | 23 | 35 |
Grades Update: Jan 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 30 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30/30 |
Jan 2021 Report
Evaluator: James Chipman
Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-0
Weight: 165 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2015 IFA
RuleV: Eligible
Physical Description: Medium frame. Slightly undersized; heavier than listed 165 pounds. Narrow shoulders that slope; modest upper body strength; average core; high waist; strong, thick lower half. Above-average athleticism and foot speed. Minimal physical projection remaining.
Mechanics: Stretch only; drop and drive. High 3/4 arm slot with plus arm speed; high effort delivery. Average stride; below-average extension. Letter high leg kick, arm speed and late exposure create solid deception. Effort level yields inconsistent mechanics: timing and explosion towards plate varies; arm-slot wanders. Foot strike flexed and extremely stiff; inconsistent offline landings: falls hard first base side.
Fastball: Sits 94-96 t98; explodes out of the hand, generating higher perceived velocity. Shows inconsistent but impressive arm-side run. Swing and miss is predominately in the upper third where he shows imposing riding life. Velocity and movement allow him to get away with well below-average command. Grade: 60
Curveball: Power curve; sits 80-83. Inconsistent. Big 11/5 shape; tight rotation with depth and downward bite. Lands it for strikes; can spin it in warmups, but occasionally loses his slot lobbing in the unintended slow rolling cement mixer. Flashes the ability to locate low and take it glove-side; predominantly a spike pitch buried beneath the zone. Legitimate potential big league put-away offering with natural feel; command concerns keep projection far south of its plus potential. Grade: 50
Changeup: Firm off-speed; sits 86-89. Lacks feel; slows arm speed and telegraphs; lots of easy takes and unintentional spikes; thrown almost exclusively to LHB as a wrinkle. Likely scrapped with eventual move to the bullpen. Grade: 30
Control and Command: Raw dart thrower; effectively wild; unpredictability and velo bullies lower level batters; bearish that same production carries over against more patient and advanced big league batters. Well below-average control and near bottom of the scale command. Stuff is powerful enough that he literally just needs to fill the zone more frequently. Misses are abundant: especially glove-side and low, beneath the zone. Control: 30 | Command: 30
Overall: The book on Ortega has always revolved around his ability to miss bats and inability to avoid walks. Should he learn to find the strike zone with more consistency, there's at minimal solid role 40 reliever potential. Ortega is essentially a lottery ticket until the control improves, but his power fastball/curveball combo make him a prospect to monitor next season.
OFP: 35
Role: 30 - Up/Down Emergency Depth
Risk: Moderate
