Red Sox Prospect D'Angelo Ortiz Finally Taps Into Hall of Fame Dad's Power

Like father, like son

Brockton Rox's D'Angelo Ortiz, son of Red Sox great David Ortiz, hits a fly ball to Sea Unicorn's Hunter Yaworski, of Brooklyn, for an out Thursday during a game at Dodd Stadium in Norwich. 000 Sea Unicorns | [John Shishmanian/ NorwichBulletin.com] / USA TODAY NETWORK

Boston Red Sox fans are used to seeing someone with the name Ortiz written on the back of their jersey blasting baseballs out of stadiums. But this time around, it was the son of Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz who likely had Boston fans reminiscing about some of the franchise's best years in this century with one swing of the bat in the minors.

Red Sox prospect D'Angelo Ortiz crushed the first home run of his minor league career on Wednesday. Playing for the Single-A Salem RidgeYaks, the 21-year-old turned on a 1-0 pitch and drove it over an elevated wall in left field for his first professional homer. The young infielder even looked a bit like a mirror image of his dad with a high leg kick, except from the right side of the plate.

It took Ortiz 118 games to hit his first homer in the minors, which likely comes as a surprise to most Red Sox fans who watched his dad launch 483 home runs in a Boston uniform and 541 total long balls over the course of his 20-year MLB career. But the 21-year-old is also just in his second minor league season, so his home run on Wednesday could be the first of many more to come.

How has D'Angelo Ortiz played so far in his minor league career?

May 31, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) with his son D'Angelo Ortiz prior to a game against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Ortiz was a 19th-round draft pick by the Red Sox in 2024. He's not currently featured on MLB Pipeline's prospect rankings for Boston, whose farm system is headlined by 20-year-old shortstop Franklin Arias, the No. 10 overall prospect for 2026.

In his first season as a pro last year, Ortiz posted a .269 batting average, a .368 on-base percentage, and a .666 OPS with no home runs, 28 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 79 games across two minor league levels. So far in 2026, the 21-year-old is hitting .250 with one homer, 17 RBIs, and five stolen bases in 39 Single-A games. Defensively, he's mostly played first base and third base in the minors, with only two appearances at the position his dad is best known for, designated hitter.

While Ortiz is still in the early stages of his minor league career, many Boston fans will likely be interested in following his journey, which could eventually lead to him also hitting homers at Fenway Park, just like his father.