Four Phillies prospects ranked among best in New York-Penn League
By John Town
No. 3: Jhailyn Ortiz
Jhailyn Ortiz had one of the best seasons of any Phillies prospect, but no one really gave it too much attention because the major-league team was finally starting to get good and other prospects in the upper levels were doing very well.
Even though it was in short-season action, Ortiz’s year was no joke. In 47 games, he hit .302 with a .961 OPS. Ortiz matched his home run total from last year while increasing his walk rate and cutting back on his strikeouts. All this came at just 18 years old, much younger than the average player in the league.
BA’s J.J. Cooper wrote up each of the prospects on the list. This is what he had to say about Ortiz:
"At first glance, Ortiz would appear to be a young base clogger with big power and little else. In reality, the massive Ortiz is surprisingly nimble for his size. And while he does have some of the best power in the league (he led the league with a .258 isolated power), he also showed a discerning eye. Right now, while he can be beaten by a pitcher who nibbles and throws a good breaking ball, he’s also proven he can turn on most any fastball, and he also can punish a hanging curve. Most of the power hitters in the NYP rely on pull power, but Ortiz is big enough and strong enough to drive the ball to all fields, showing the ability to clear the right field fence as easily as left field. He’s a right fielder with a plus arm who’s mobile enough to stick in an outfield corner."
Ortiz took a huge step forward in 2017 and looks more than ready to start in full-season action next year.