Atlanta Braves Minor League Spotlight: Rafael Ortega shows why it’s never too late

While he’s not considered an Atlanta Braves prospect, that doesn’t mean it’s too late for Rafael  Ortega to get better.

Rafael Ortega, a 27-year-old outfielder in the Atlanta Braves minor league system, is becoming a great story early this season.

In almost any field of work, whether it be in the private sector or in professional sports, there are jobs and duties that can go unappreciated. You know, the jobs that no one really pays attention to; roles that are part of a bigger picture and are done behind the scenes.

This is also very true in baseball.

For one, organizations like the Atlanta Braves must obviously fill their Minor League teams — that’s a given. But, there’s a little more to it than just warm bodies making up a team.

Here’s where organizational players come into play.

These players not only provide depth for minor and major league rosters, but they also provide all sorts of positive influences to the organization; influences for the actual prospects, as well as competition that can impact the development of the organization’s top-tier talent.

While he has played in 109 big league games, for three different Major League teams, Rafael Ortega has mostly been considered an organizational player.

At the prime age of 27-years-old, this isn’t his first time grinding down in the minors.

A career value of -0.9 fWAR in the Major Leagues may not display much in terms of excitement when it comes to a player like Ortega, but that’s the point: his value comes in a much different way.

Model of consistency

In 2018, Ortega played in the Miami Marlins organization, playing 92 games for the Marlins’ Triple-A squad, as well as 41 games for the cellar-dweller of a Major League roster.

In Triple-A last year he was a solid player on defense and provided solid contact skills (.275 BA) with some decent speed (12 SB).

That’s basically what he’s always been in the minors; a gap hitter with some occasional pop and a guy that can give you 15-20 stolen bases each year.

Ortega has also had some good seasons in his professional career. In 2017, while playing for the San Diego Padres Triple-A team, the Venezuelan posted a 121 wRC+ and batted .317 in 121 games.

He hit 6 home runs and stole 26 bases, while also providing solid walk/strikeout rates of 9.7 BB% and 10.4K%

The season prior to that, once again he performed well with a matching .317 average in the LA Angels system. In 2016 he hit 4 home runs and stole 14 bases.

And you can keep going and going.

Basically, for the past five seasons, Rafael Ortega has logged some substantial playing time with various Triple-A teams and produced very similar results. One thing he is, is very consistent.

A change in approach

Now fast-forward to the present, where he is the centerfielder and leadoff hitter for the Gwinnett Stripers; a pretty stacked Triple-A team at the moment, with several top-tier prospects chomping at the bit to get promoted to the Atlanta Braves.

Ortega’s of course only played two weeks of baseball in 2019, or 11 games (through Tuesday night); but what he’s accomplished in this short span already makes for a career-year — at least by his standards.

• 11 games
• .340/.380/.787
• 1.167 OPS
• 191 wRC+
• 5 home runs
• 2 doubles
• 2 triples
• 2 stolen bases
• 6.0 BB% – 22.0 K%

Small sample size or not, Ortega is doing some things different at the plate, and it’s working very well.

For most of his career, Ortega has mainly approached hitting in a contact-first manner. Prioritizing putting the ball in play before selling out for power.

I’d call him an old-fashioned leadoff hitter for sure. He can make above-average contact, get on base at an above-average rate, and run the bases well.

But so far in 2019, he’s done away with the old-school approach and has obviously bought into the new, more modern way of hitting: pull the heck out of balls and hit them in the air as much as possible.

It’s fairly easy to see by looking at a few of his batted-ball rates (remember this is extreme levels of small sample size, but it’s still fun)

2018: 45.9 GB%

2019: 36.1 GB%

2018: 32.1 FB%

2019: 44.4 FB%

2018: 36.4 Pull%

2019: 50.0 Pull%

The last time Rafael Ortega hit fly balls at this current rate was his first year of pro ball in 2008 with the Rockies rookie team. Hitting fly balls in Grand Junction, Colo. is probably a pretty good idea!