The spirit of Big Papi lives on in Boston.
The Red Sox drafted D’Angelo Ortiz, the son of franchise legend David Ortiz, in the 19th round of the MLB Draft on Tuesday, bringing the 20-year-old back to the team he grew up around.
Unlike his father, D’Angelo bats right-handed and plays third base. The Miami Dade College product is listed at 6-foot-1 and weighs 190 pounds, about 2 inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter than his power-hitting father.
“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,” Red Sox scouting director Devin Pearson said. “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 as a prospect.”
In 51 games with Miami Dade this past season, Ortiz batted .377 and tallied a team-high 66 hits with seven doubles and one home run, while striking out 21 times, fewest among the team’s starters.
Ortiz also played in the Futures Collegiate League in two stints, slashing .325/.426/.350 across 54 games in the independent league for the Brockton Rox. He played alongside Pedro Martinez Jr., Manny Ramirez Jr. and Jaden Sheffield, son of Gary Sheffield, on the team.
Lucas Ramirez, another one of Manny Ramirez’s sons, was drafted in the 17th round by the Los Angeles Angels.
The elder Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 after a 20-year career. He spent 14 of those seasons in Boston, helping the Red Sox win three World Series and making 10 All-Star teams before retiring with 541 career home runs and 1,192 career extra-base hits, the eighth-most in baseball history.
D’Angelo Ortiz was born July 10, 2004, just three months before the Red Sox broke their 86-year World Series drought with David Ortiz as a central figure in the historic postseason run.
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(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
