Inside The Rangers

This Top 20 Rangers Prospect Is Enjoying Solid Start In Puerto Rican Winter League

After a strong 2025 season, this Rangers prospect is enjoying a great start in Puerto Rico.
Tobey Schulman|
Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

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Like the Arizona Fall League, international winter leagues offer a unique chance for players and minor league prospects to gain more in-game experience after the conclusion of their professional seasons.

One prospect that seems to benefit from this additional in-game experience is Texas Rangers first baseman and outfielder Abimelec Ortiz. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter is currently ranked the Rangers' No. 18 prospect on MLB Pipeline, and is off to a great start in Puerto Rico.

In seven games, Ortiz has recorded seven singles for a .318/.467/.318 slashline with a .785 OPS. He's been an on-base machine to start his winter, walking six times to just two strikeouts. He's managed to score three runs while driving in three as well.

Feb 20, 2024; Surprise, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers infielder Abimelec Ortiz poses for a photo during Media Day.
Feb 20, 2024; Surprise, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers infielder Abimelec Ortiz poses for a photo during Media Day at Surprise Stadium. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Ortiz's .467 on-base percentage ranks fourth in the entire league. His .318 batting average slots him in tied for sixth in the league. When looking at the walks, his six rank third overall. More simply put, Ortiz has been one of the best in the league at getting on base to start.

While the on-base efficiency is encouraging, the lack of power output from the start could be seen as a concern to some. Albeit only seven games, for a bat graded out with above average power, no extra base hits, and a .318 slugging percentage in that stretch is surprising, considering he is hitting.

It's worth noting that while the power output hasn't shown in the small sample size in Puerto Rico, Ortiz hit nine homers with a .565 slugging percentage in 41 games to end the 2025 season in Triple-A. In 89 Double-A games before, Ortiz hit 16 homers with a .444 slugging percentage.

The possibility for Ortiz to make an impact with the Major League squad is a very real one. After excelling in Triple-A this past season, he may force Texas to give him a shot.

For a bat that at one point hit 33 home runs in a single season, it's definitely worth seeing what you have if you're the Rangers.

If Ortiz can continue to keep up this impressive on-base production, he can prove himself to have a much more well-rounded profile offensively. Graded with a below-average hit tool on MLB Pipeline, maintaining more walks than strikeouts would be a huge statement this winter.

For a bat that's hit 18 or more home runs each of the last three seasons, Ortiz can be a very intriguing piece for the Rangers to add in 2026.

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Tobey Schulman
TOBEY SCHULMAN

Tobey Schulman is a freelance writer currently covering baseball in the South Florida area, independently on X and SubStack. Prior to freelancing, Tobey was a writer for The Skippers View, covering both Major and Minor League Baseball. Over the past year, he has grown a following of almost 10,000 on X, while covering all things across the sport, both professional and amateur. In his free time he produces and live streams a podcast ‘Inside The Diamond’, where he co-hosts player interviews, breakdowns, and game watch parties.

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