Adrian Ortiz Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Adrian Ortiz
Born 01/14/1987 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 172 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Pepperdine
Drafted in the 5th round (156th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2007 (signed for $149,400).

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A fifth-round pick out of Puerto Rico in 2004 to the Cubs, Ortiz might not go any higher this time around. While he has improved in college, he has yet to have the breakout performance that would catapult his stock. Ortiz is the fastest player in Division I, a top-of-the-scale runner who has turned in 60-yard times in the 6.2-second range consistently--on grass--since coming to Pepperdine. His speed translates in center field, where he has good range, but not on the basepaths, where he has just 33 career stolen bases. Ortiz' baseball instincts lag after 160-plus college games, denting his range in center and often leaving him tentative on the basepaths. He has virtually no power (his 14 extra-base hits as a freshman were his career high) and doesn't control the strike zone (12 walks is his career high). Even with those negatives, Ortiz has rare speed and enough hand-eye coordination to hit for average, and figures to go in the fifth-round range again.

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If Derrick Robinson is the Royals' toolsiest center-field candidate, Ortiz is their fastest. His entire game is built around his 80 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale. Against lefthanders, he sometimes takes a running start at the ball as he tries to slap it onto the ground, though he has the ability to stay back and drive the ball into the gap against righties. He can fly from home to first in 3.8 seconds, turns liners in the gaps into triples and choppers into base hits, which explains why he has batted .308 or better at each of his three pro stops. But to be a leadoff hitter, Ortiz needs to become more patient. He too often swings at the first or second pitch, and he drew only 24 walks last season, a concern for a player who has to be a tablesetter. His utter lack of power is also a problem, as upper-level pitchers won't be afraid to bust him inside. For all his speed, Ortiz must improve at picking his spots to run after getting caught 20 times in 54 steals attempts in 2008. He's an excellent center fielder with very good range and an above-average arm with a quick release and pinpoint accuracy. He led the Midwest League with 18 assists in just 99 games and finished 2008 with a total of 22. Ortiz will return to high Class A to start 2009, where he'll join David Lough, Paulo Orlando and Robinson in an extremely speedy outfield.

The highest unsigned pick from the 2004 draft (fifth round, Cubs) in college baseball this spring, Ortiz (no relation to Jaime) went in the fifth round again, this time to the Royals. He was also the fastest true prospect in this year's college crop, and his speed makes him a weapon on the bases and an asset in center field. However, his game still needs plenty of polish. Ortiz is a good contact hitter, but he has no power and little patience. He walked just nine times in 61 games with Idaho Falls, an unacceptable rate for a player with his speed. His instincts also could use some improvement, particularly on the basepaths.