Ricky Orta

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #27 prospect in 2010
  Working as a starter in his first three pro seasons, Orta showed strikeout stuff but struggled to prevent runs or work deep into games. A reliever in college at Miami, he thrived when he returned to that role full-time in 2009. He was a key cog in West Tenn's high-octane bullpen, which also featured Phillippe Aumont, Nick Hill, Josh Fields and Anthony Varvaro. Orta has plenty of velocity--he sits at 92-94 mph--but his out pitch is his 83 mph slider. It features late break and tilt, neutralizing lefties and righties. He loves throwing the slider, both early in the count for called strikes and then later as a chase pitch. Orta's delivery features a pause as he separates his hands over the rubber, which adds deception but slows his times to the plate. His breakthrough was interrupted by blisters that necessitated three trips to the disabled list. To make up for lost time, Orta pitched in the Arizona Fall League, where he continued to dominate and secured his place on the 40-man roster. He's poised for a role in the big league bullpen in 2010, though he may put in some Triple-A time first.