Jose Ortiz

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #1 prospect in 2001
  Almost since the day he joined the Athletics, Ortiz has had a corps of believers who expected him to become something special. He showed remarkable offensive skills at a young age, hitting .330 in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 1996. Then came three years of injuries and moderate production as the A's awaited his maturation. There were lingering questions about whether he could play middle-infield defense or would be forced to third base. His game came together last season. He won the Pacific Coast League MVP and was the best position-player prospect in the Triple-A league. Ortiz has developed into an offensive force. He can hit for unusual average and power for a middle infielder, and if he can translate the numbers at the big league level, it will make him a factor in the lineup. Ortiz made major strides in defining his strike zone and quit swinging at so many pitcher's pitches. "When he stopped being his own worst enemy, he found out how good he was," Sacramento manager Bob Geren said. "He has good balance, good eye-hand coordination, his bat path to the zone is perfect, his swing is short, he's strong. Once he got a feel for the strike zone and started understanding the game, he made remarkable improvement." His glove remains the biggest problem. Ortiz made 32 errors last season, but most were at shortstop before moving to second base. He is far better at second, where he has more time to recover from a mistake. Once he got the call to the majors, Ortiz worked with infield instructor Ron Washington and made great progress in fielding balls hit to his right. His range is only average and he needs more experience at second. He also needs to improve his strike zone discipline and patience at the plate. The A's pulled a surprise in November, trading veteran Randy Velarde to the Rangers and opening a big league job for Ortiz, who otherwise might have been cast in a utility role in 2001. Ortiz will face competition from Frank Menechino and Mark Bellhorn, but if all goes according to plan he will be the A's second baseman of the future, and the future begins now.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #12 prospect in 1999

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #4 prospect in 2000
  The Athletics have been intrigued by Ortiz for a few years, and he really broke through in 2000 thanks to an improvement in plate discipline, an area of emphasis in the Oakland organization. After totaling 15 home runs and 100 RBIs in 1998-99, he easily surpassed those numbers this year while making a run at the PCL batting title with a .351 average. "He’s the top prospect in the whole league," Tucson manager Tom Spencer said. "He’s a middle infielder who hits cleanup. He can steal a base, he can hit a home run, he can bunt for a base hit. There’s nothing this kid can’t do. Plus he’s a hard worker." Ortiz's offense is his ticket, and his defense isn’t bad either. He opened the year at shortstop and most managers thought he could play there in the majors, though he won’t because the A's have Miguel Tejada. Ortiz has good hands and a strong arm, and managers rated him the PCL’s best defensive second baseman. He could take Randy Velarde's second base job in 2001.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #34 prospect in 2001

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  The Athletics have been intrigued by Ortiz for a few years, and he really broke through in 2000 thanks to an improvement in plate discipline, an area of emphasis in the Oakland organization. After totaling 15 home runs and 100 RBIs in 1998-99, he easily surpassed those numbers this year while making a run at the PCL batting title with a .351 average. "He’s the top prospect in the whole league," Tucson manager Tom Spencer said. "He’s a middle infielder who hits cleanup. He can steal a base, he can hit a home run, he can bunt for a base hit. There’s nothing this kid can’t do. Plus he’s a hard worker." Ortiz's offense is his ticket, and his defense isn’t bad either. He opened the year at shortstop and most managers thought he could play there in the majors, though he won’t because the A's have Miguel Tejada. Ortiz has good hands and a strong arm, and managers rated him the PCL’s best defensive second baseman. He could take Randy Velarde's second base job in 2001.