The Boston Red Sox have a deep familiarity with their second-to-last pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
After all, he’s family to Red Sox royalty.
But Red Sox scouting director Devin Pearson made sure to voice that’s not the reason the franchise selected D’Angelo Ortiz, the son of the legendary David Ortiz, in the 19th round on Tuesday.
“It means a lot to the organization, but I just want to make it clear that D’Angelo is a prospect and the reason we selected him is a result of our relationship, that our area scout Willie Romay had with the player for a long time,” Pearson told reporters, per The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. “We had him at a workout recently and got to interact with him and just felt like it was a good add to the organization. And it’s a plus that his dad’s David Ortiz. But, we drafted him as a prospect.”
D’Angelo Ortiz might be following in his father’s footsteps, but he isn’t an exact replica of his dad. For one, Ortiz plays third base and outfield while also batting right-handed, which is the opposite of the power-hitting Hall of Famer.
Ortiz, who stands at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, played 51 games this past season for Miami Dade Community College and led the Sharks with a .377 batting average. He hit only one home run and collected 35 RBIs while also drawing 29 walks and striking out just 21 times.
Ortiz also played not far from Fenway Park for two summers with the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. He slashed .325/.426/.350 in 54 games with the Rox and also played alongside Pedro Martinez Jr. and Manny Ramirez Jr. — the sons of fellow Red Sox greats.
But now the next chapter of Ortiz’s career begins as he tries to climb his way up the Red Sox farm system. The Red Sox haven’t announced where Ortiz will be assigned, but it’s likely he’ll head to Fort Myers to play for the Florida Complex League Red Sox.
