The Atlanta Braves have brought back a valuable organizational player in Rafael Ortega. Ortega has been an offensive force in the Minors and a reliable Major League option.
The Atlanta Braves have re-signed OF, Rafael Ortega. Ortega was a non-tender casualty but has been brought back after proving to be a quality emergency option at the Major League-level and a productive Minor League player.
In 2019 with the Atlanta Braves, Ortega slashed .205/.271/.307. Ortega may have struggled in his small 88 at-bat sample size, but he did contribute one of the sweetest swings of the season for the 97-win Braves.
August 18th, the Dodgers were visiting Atlanta in a litmus test of a series against the mighty Dodgers. Many believed the Braves needed to prove they could take a series against the best the NL had to offer. With the series tied 1-1, Atlanta down 3-1 in the sixth inning of the final game when Ortega stepped to the plate.
Dustin May toed the rubber with the bases loaded. With a 1-2 count, May grooved a 96 mph fastball almost perfectly down the middle of the plate.
Ortega’s eyes lit up as bright as Dustin May’s hair. The ball was on a one-way ticket to the right-field bleachers. The score was now 5-3 and that would end up being the final score. The Braves just went to L.A.
The 28-year-old is not unaccustomed to smashing bombs. Last season in just 111 games in Gwinnett, Ortega pounded out 21 homers, 58 RBIs and 14 stolen bases with a .285 average, .373 on-base, and a whopping .524 slugging percentage.
Ortega is a well-rounded player who has stolen as high as 39 bases in a minor league season (2009). He’s a valuable re-addition back to the Braves roster.
Atlanta brought him back on a Minor League contract and he will serve as depth in the outfield as a powerful and experienced bat in his age-29 season.
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