The Frisco Roughriders first baseman is finishing the 2024 season on a hot streak
Frisco Roughriders first baseman Abi Ortiz has been named the Texas League Player of the Week for the week from September 9 through September 15, it was announced yesterday. Ortiz slashed .524/.600/1.143 with four home runs in 25 plate appearances over five games last week for the Roughriders.
Ortiz, 22, was signed by the Rangers as an undrafted free agent in 2021 out of Florida Southwestern State College. After a disappointing 2022 campaign at Down East, he broke out in 2023, slashing .294/.371/.619 between low-A Down East and high-A Hickory.
Promoted to Frisco to begin the 2024 season, Ortiz appeared early on to be repeating his problems of 2022, slashing .187/.250/.320 in the first three months of the season. That’s bad for a shortstop — for a lefty swinging first baseman/DH like Ortiz, that’s disastrous.
Ortiz has taken strides as the season has gone on, however, and since July 1 he has slashed .305/.403/.555 in 233 plate appearances. For the year as a whole, he has put up a .243/.328/.432 slash line, with 18 home runs.
Ortiz is Rule 5 eligible this offseason, though I do not believe he will be protected, given his middling overall performance this year and lack of defensive utility. He will likely be at AAA to start the 2025 season.