David Ortiz

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #2 prospect in 1998
  Signed by the Mariners when he went by the last name Arias, Ortiz was acquired by the Twins in September 1996 to complete the deal for Dave Hollins. He was Minnesota's minor league player of the year after starting the year in Class A and finishing it in the big leagues. Ortiz is a lefthanded power hitter who should flourish in the Metrodome. He has driven in 223 runs in the last two minor league seasons. Ortiz will catch what he gets to, but to avoid being typecast as a DH, he needs to work on his movement around the first base bag. At the plate, he could also be more selective. The Twins' signing of veteran Orlando Merced should remove the temptation to push Ortiz too fast. He can now be allowed to open the 1998 season at Triple-A Salt Lake.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Florida State League #4 prospect in 1997
  Ortiz went all the way to a September callup for the Twins this season, starting in Fort Myers with stopovers in the Double-A Eastern and Triple-A Pacific Coast leagues. “Obviously, he has good hands the way he swings the bat,” Lakeland manager Mark Meleski said. “He has some work to do defensively, but he’s a very good hitter.” With 31 homers and 124 RBIs this year in the minors, Ortiz’s power is not a problem. “He’s got power coming out of his ears,” Port Charlotte manager Butch Wynegar said. “He’s aggressive, drives the ball real well. I’d get my guys out to watch him take BP. He reminds me of Mo Vaughn.”
• 
  Ranked Eastern League #6 prospect in 1997
  Size and power always bring comparisons. Ortiz, acquired from the Mariners and formerly known as David Arias, has both size and power, and now with New Britain he’s starting to draw the comparisons.  Willie McCovey, Dave Parker and a pre-injury Cliff Floyd. Not bad company. “He fits in that category,” Binghamton manager Rick Sweet said. “He shows tremendous power. He doesn’t swing at a lot of bad pitches. He needs to work on his defense, but as an offensive player, he’s one of the best in the league.”
• 
  Ranked Midwest League #6 prospect in 1996
  Ortiz is similar to Larry Barnes. He’s big, strong and can drive the ball to all fields. He also has made strides with his play at first base while with Wisconsin. “David has tremendous power,” Wisconsin manager Mike Goff said. “Once he starts getting better discipline, I can see him hitting 25-30 homers in the big leagues. He’s a possible 100-RBI man.” The Twins certainly hope so. They traded third baseman Dave Hollins to Seattle for Ortiz in August.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #84 prospect in 1998

• December, 1997 Scouting Report
  Signed by the Mariners when he went by the last name Arias, Ortiz was acquired by the Twins in September 1996 to complete the deal for Dave Hollins. He was Minnesota's minor league player of the year after starting the year in Class A and finishing it in the big leagues. Ortiz is a lefthanded power hitter who should flourish in the Metrodome. He has driven in 223 runs in the last two minor league seasons. Ortiz will catch what he gets to, but to avoid being typecast as a DH, he needs to work on his movement around the first base bag. At the plate, he could also be more selective. The Twins' signing of veteran Orlando Merced should remove the temptation to push Ortiz too fast. He can now be allowed to open the 1998 season at Triple-A Salt Lake.
• December, 1996 Scouting Report
  Ortiz went all the way to a September callup for the Twins this season, starting in Fort Myers with stopovers in the Double-A Eastern and Triple-A Pacific Coast leagues. “Obviously, he has good hands the way he swings the bat,” Lakeland manager Mark Meleski said. “He has some work to do defensively, but he’s a very good hitter.” With 31 homers and 124 RBIs this year in the minors, Ortiz’s power is not a problem. “He’s got power coming out of his ears,” Port Charlotte manager Butch Wynegar said. “He’s aggressive, drives the ball real well. I’d get my guys out to watch him take BP. He reminds me of Mo Vaughn.”
• December, 1996 Scouting Report
  Size and power always bring comparisons. Ortiz, acquired from the Mariners and formerly known as David Arias, has both size and power, and now with New Britain he’s starting to draw the comparisons.  Willie McCovey, Dave Parker and a pre-injury Cliff Floyd. Not bad company. “He fits in that category,” Binghamton manager Rick Sweet said. “He shows tremendous power. He doesn’t swing at a lot of bad pitches. He needs to work on his defense, but as an offensive player, he’s one of the best in the league.”
• December, 1995 Scouting Report
  Ortiz is similar to Larry Barnes. He’s big, strong and can drive the ball to all fields. He also has made strides with his play at first base while with Wisconsin. “David has tremendous power,” Wisconsin manager Mike Goff said. “Once he starts getting better discipline, I can see him hitting 25-30 homers in the big leagues. He’s a possible 100-RBI man.” The Twins certainly hope so. They traded third baseman Dave Hollins to Seattle for Ortiz in August.