The Angels announced tonight that they’ve signed outfielder Rafael Ortega to a one-year, Major League contract (Twitter link).
Ortega, 24, is a left-handed-hitting center fielder that once ranked as one of the Rockies’ top prospects but has had his career slowed by injury. Baseball America rated him 15th among Colorado farmhands prior to the 2013 season, calling him a true center fielder with a plus arm and plus speed. BA noted that he needs to be careful not to fall in love with swinging for the fences after a home run, though he does have surprising pop for someone with a 5’11”, 160-pound frame.
Ortega was once again healthy in 2015 and enjoyed a strong campaign with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate in Memphis, where he batted .286/.367/.378 with a pair of homers and 17 stolen bases in 502 plate appearances. Ortega, it would seem, can compete for the fourth outfielder’s job in Anaheim and serve as either a lefty bench bat and late-inning defensive replacement or valuable depth at the Triple-A level. He received a brief taste of the Majors as a 21-year-old back in 2012 but hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since that time.
Holy Crap!! Forget Heyward or Gordon…we got…wait…who?
Lol
Seems like a good defensive outfielder. Can run a little bit too. Maybe he has a little bit of a bat too
Nice number 4 outfielder. Needed someone who can let Trout rest up and not play the outfield all the time.