2025 Fantasy Baseball: Joey Ortiz Profile, Preview, Predictions
In this story:
In his rookie season with the Milwaukee Brewers, Joey Ortiz spent most of his time at the bottom of their lineup. His batting average and approach should be better in year two.
Joey Ortiz continues the home run derby at AmFam Field! pic.twitter.com/YSSrbonYAK
— 97.3 The Game (@TheGameMKE) May 15, 2024
3B – Joey Ortiz, MIL (ADP – 297.0)
Over his first four seasons in the minors, Ortiz hit .286 with 205 runs, 33 home runs, 177 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases over 1,219 at-bats. His bat has improved at AAA (.327/88/13/72/17 over 453 at-bats) in 2022 and 2023. He graded well in his walk rate (9.3) and strikeout rate (17.2).
Baltimore gave Ortiz 33 at-bats of experience in 2023, but he only hit .212 with no home runs and four RBIs. The Orioles drafted him in the fourth round in the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft.
In his rookie season with the Brewers, Ortiz had the better side of a platoon role while landing on the injured list in early July for 10 days with a neck issue. His only fantasy month of value was in May (.307/16/4/12/1) despite only having 75 at-bats. After the All-Star break, he hit .211 with 25 runs, four home runs, 31 RBIs, and six steals over 213 at-bats.
Ortiz had a groundball swing path (48.8%) with a lower HR/FB rate (8.8) than in his minor league career. His exit velocity (87.8 mph) had more life in 2023 at AAA (90.1). He barreled only 4.6% of his balls in plays, with weakness in his hard-hit rate (38.2). Ortiz has a slightly favorable strikeout rate (20.2) while taking above-average walks (11.0%).
Fantasy Outlook: Ortiz upgrades the Brewers’ defense, but his bat still needs more major-league experience before helping fantasy teams. Next step: a .260 batting average with about 30 combined home runs and stolen bases. I don’t see a clear path to 500 at-bats, so be careful and do not overpay for his questionable fantasy skill set.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
Follow Shawn__Childs