Texas Rangers Farmhand Abimelec Ortiz Selected to MiLB Prospect Team of the Year
A Texas Rangers prospect continued to rack up awards on Monday, as first baseman/designated hitter Abimelec Ortiz was named to the MiLB Prospect Team of the Year’s second team.
Ortiz, the Rangers’ No. 14 prospect, was the only member of the club's organization prospect selected to either the first team or second team.
Last month, Ortiz was named the organization’s minor league player of the year.
MilB.com's reasoning for selecting Ortiz:
Ortiz didn’t do much in his first two pro seasons after signing as a nondrafted free agent out of Florida Southwestern State JC in 2021, then exploded to lead the Minors in slugging (.619) while placing fourth in homers in (33) and OPS (.990). He paced the High-A South Atlantic League with 26 homers in just 80 games.
The Rangers honored Ortiz in a pregame ceremony at Globe Life Field during their final homestand.
The 21-year-old batted .294/.371/.619/.990 with 33 home runs, 20 doubles, 101 RBI, and 49 walks in 109 games between Down East (A) and Hickory (High-A) this season. He led all Texas farmhands in home runs and RBI.
He finished the campaign ranked among all minor leaguers (min. 300 PA) in slugging percentage (fourth), home runs (tied for fourth), RBI (tied for seventh), and OPS (11th). His 33 home runs were the most by any Rangers minor leaguer since Matt Davidson in 2019 (33).
Following a promotion to Hickory on May 23, the Puerto Rico native went on to earn South Atlantic League Most Valuable Player honors after slashing .290/.363/.624/.988 with a league-high 26 home runs and 81 RBI for Hickory. He was signed by Texas as a non-drafted free agent on July 28, 2021.
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