Philadelphia Phillies' Prospect Ortiz to Participate in Arizona Fall League's Home Run Derby
While it's mostly gotten glossed over due to the Philadelphia Phillies' playoff run and participation in the World Series, the club currently has seven representatives in Major League Baseball's Arizona Fall League (AFL), all of which are on the Surprise Saguaros' roster.
With the exception of outfield prospect Johan Rojas, who's batting .310 and has stolen 13 bags, none of the Phillies' players have particularly blown anyone away with their performance in the AFL thus far.
One of those players is another outfield prospect, Jhailyn Ortiz, who is slashed a measly .189 but boasts a .794 OPS. The 23-year-old is also tied for the team lead in home runs with three.
Ortiz spent the 2022 Minor League Baseball season with Double-A Reading, where he hit 17 home runs and collected 61 RBI. Carlos De La Cruz, Ortiz's teammate in the AFL and at Reading, was tied with him in home runs during the regular season.
Ortiz has one more big fly than De La Cruz in the Fall League, and therefore, will represent Surprise in the Home Run Derby on Nov. 5 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Az. at 8:35 p.m. EDT. It will be the AFL's first-ever Home Run Derby.
Ortiz will compete against seven other prospects: Arizona Diamondbacks' Deyvison De Los Santos, Minnesota Twins' Edouard Julien, Baltimore Orioles' Heston Kjerstad, Chicago Cubs' Matt Mervis, Los Angeles Dodgers' Andy Pages, Seattle Mariners' Robert Perez Jr., and Boston Red Sox' Stephen Scott.
More From SI's Inside The Phillies:
- Phillies Star Bryce Harper Doesn't Hold Back on Thoughts About Joe Girardi
- How Mike Trout Will Join the Phillies
- Could Bryce Harper's Favorite MLB Player Join the Philadelphia Phillies Next Season?
- Why You Should Root for the Philadelphia Phillies to Lose a Few Games
- Phillies Release 2023 Regular Season Schedule
- Have the Philadelphia Phillies Found Their Centerfielder of the Future?
- Could The Phillies Soon Be Playing in Wawa Park?
- How did Philadelphia end up with Citizens Bank Park?
- How the Phillie Phanatic Came to be America's Favorite Sports Mascot
- Picking the Phillies' All-Time Single Season Lineup
Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Substack and Twitter!