Inside The Rangers

Rangers Promote Top Prospect to Single-A and Abimelec Oritz One Step Closer to MLB

Two of the Texas Rangers top prospects have been promoted in the minor leagues.
Kenneth Teape|
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers were busy on Tuesday afternoon shuffling up their minor league system with two players, Abimelec Ortiz and Yolfran Castillo, both being promoted.

According to Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News, Ortiz is on his way to Triple-A Round Rock and Castillo is moving on to Single-A Hickory.

Ortiz, who was an undrafted free agent out of Florida SouthWestern State College in 2021, signed a deal with the Rangers for $20,000.

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Looking overmatched in his first appearances as a professional, he started to turn a corner once he started working with Carlos Delgado, which included shortening his swing and starting to wear contacts while playing.

In 2023, Ortiz was named the High-A South Atlantic League MVP and was named the Minor League Player of the Year for Texas.

He showcased some impressive power with a .619 slugging percentage, which was the highest in the minors, launching 33 home runs with a .990 OPS.

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This year, Ortiz has a .247/.343/.444 slash line with 16 home runs, 19 doubles and 56 RBI with Double-A Frisco that earned him a promotion.

He is currently the No. 13-ranked Rangers prospect, with a Major League ETA of 2025. Ortiz is only 23 years old and has legitimate raw power that can be tapped into with his strong left-handed swing.

Castillo is the No. 5-ranked prospect in the Texas organization who signed for $647,500 out of Venezuela in January 2024.

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He had a remarkable debut in 2024 with a .377/.481/.415 slash line in 162 plate appearances. His plate discipline was incredible, drawing 27 walks compared to only 15 strikeouts.

Possessing elite bat-to-ball skills and contact ability, there is legitimate room to grow into his frame and become, at a minimum, a 15 home runs per year threat to go along with his advanced skills of putting the bat on the ball.

With increasing speed and a great feel for playing shortstop, the skills are there for Castillo to develop into a more than serviceable Major League contributor down the road.

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His combination of tools, makeup and high baseball IQ has the Rangers very excited about what the future holds for him as he heads to Hickory from the Arizona Complex League in Rookie Ball.

For more Rangers news, head over to Rangers On SI.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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