A quality player in the Texas Rangers minor league organisation, Abimelec Ortiz had a standout 2023 campaign. In addition to being named the Rangers Minor League Player of the Year, he was also voted the High-A South Atlantic League MVP. Between two Class A teams, Ortiz’s batting average was.294, his on-base percentage was.371, and his slugging percentage was.619. In addition to finishing fourth in home runs and OPS, he led the Minor Leagues in slugging.

Ortiz appeared to be on the right track when he signed with the Arizona Fall League. In his second game with the Surprise Saguaros, he smashed a home run that was 444 feet long. That was followed by a 31-day streak without a home run, which was surprising given his potent left-handed hitting ability. He hit a home run in each of his first 12 games in the minor league season, but he never missed more than eight games after that.

During a game against the Glendale Desert Dogs on Tuesday night, Ortiz eventually broke through his power drought. He connected on two home runs: one off a fastball from Tyler Thomas and the other off a curveball from Josimar Cousin. The power outage, according to Ortiz, was mentally taxing, but he was able to concentrate and make the necessary progress.

After signing as a nondrafted free agent in 2021, Ortiz had a difficult debut season. But before his second season, he made a few changes. He began wearing contact lenses during games, concentrated on shortening his left-handed swing, and trained with former Puerto Rican All-Star Carlos Delgado.

This summer, Ortiz struck out a lot of batters in spite of these adjustments. One of his objectives in coming to the Fall League was to become more disciplined with his plate and swing choices. With a batting average of.344, on-base percentage of.478, and slugging percentage of.656 with the Surprise Saguaros thus far, he has shown improvement. With 11 walks and only 7 strikeouts in 46 plate appearances, his walk-to-strikeout ratio is quite good.

Ortiz’s progress can be attributed to his diligence and concentration on his positioning and method within the strike zone. He’s determined to keep moving forward and take charge of what he can.

In addition, Ortiz got to see the Texas Rangers win their first-ever World Series championship when he was in Arizona for Game 4. He called it an amazing and unique experience.

Ortiz will now get the chance to defend his own championship. With the best record in the Fall League, the Surprise Saguaros have earned a trip to the title game.

The Saguaros hit five home runs in their most recent game against the Glendale Desert Dogs. Surprise also had deep hits from C.J. Alexander, Cam Cauley, and Austin Callahan in addition to Ortiz’s two home runs. The Glendale team’s Tyler McDonough also scored a home run.

Now that he is back to full strength, Ortiz will be ready to help the Saguaros win a championship.