Reflecting back on my prospect list and thinking about guys, I started thinking that maybe I underrated catcher Jose Ortiz. Last week I talked about just how impressive his power was. Today I wanted to look at his overall game and run down my thoughts on why I may have underrated him on my prospect list.
Scouting Report
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Hit tool | Ortiz can and does utilize the entire field with his approach and he can do so with power. While his plate discipline still needs tightening up and may hold back his hit tool some for the time being, he shows a raw hit tool that is average to slightly-above average.
Power | As noted last week in the article about who has power in the system, Ortiz jumped off of the charts compared to the rest of the system with his power display in 2013 despite being in a park that dampers power some. He is already showing big time in game power as a teenager and he can use it to both fields. I don’t hesitate to put a future 60 grade on his power.
Speed | Here is the place where Ortiz isn’t going to show much. He has below-average speed, though as a catcher with power, it doesn’t come into play much.
Defense | Unlike most other positions, there is more than just catching/throwing/ranging at the position. The catcher has to know how to diagnose pitchers, know when the have one pitch that isn’t working or is working on a given night, how to break down their mechanics for them, how to help find a hitters weakness and be able to process all of this information quickly and be able to relay it to his battery mate. Oh, and then there is the actual physical part of being agile behind the plate, showing good mechanics back there and receiving the pitches. I honestly can’t speak too much into the mental side of the game for Ortiz, not too many can at this point in his career, but from the physical side of things, I have watched him enough to chime in. He is athletic behind the plate, with quick hands and feet. His technique on blocking pitches in the dirt does need some work. When it comes to receiving and catching the ball, Ortiz is quiet behind the plate. He doesn’t reach out for the ball, but rather lets it come to him in most cases which allows him to frame well. One evaluator that I did talk to who saw him play this season noted that his pitch calling improved throughout the season.
Arm Strength | For the career, spanning two seasons, Ortiz has thrown out 21% of attempted base runners. That is a low number. Quite low. However he does show off good arm strength with pop times consistently under 2.0, which is considered the average time for a Major League catcher. Expect his caught stealing rate to rise as he continues up the ladder and pitchers get better with holding runners on and shortening their strides to the plate.
Other Thoughts | Looking back, I probably ranked Ortiz a few spots lower than I should have. A catcher with power and no truly glaring weakness is quite valuable. If there is one thing that probably held me back some from jumping fully onto the “rank him in the top 10” category was that his plate discipline, while not extremely poor was a bit more aggressive than I would have liked and gives an ever so slight pause. Looking forward to the 2014 season, Ortiz is probably the guy that I am most excited to watch from the rookie leagues as he jumps to full season ball. The combination of power and position can be a rare thing.
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