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Baseball America lists Cardinals prospect as an underrated hitter with projectable traits

Single-A corner infield prospect may be the next breakout hitter
ByScott Plaza|
The Peoria Chiefs delivered a 5-3 win for their fans in the home opener against Beloit on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at Dozer Park in Peoria.
The Peoria Chiefs delivered a 5-3 win for their fans in the home opener against Beloit on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at Dozer Park in Peoria. | MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

The St. Louis Cardinals wrapped up a disappointing major league season but their minor league teams were successful, especially after the Double-A Springfield Cardinals took home the Texas League Championship in definitive fashion. Along with the team awards, there were plenty of individuals who stood out this year. While JJ Wetherholt and others gained national recognition, the team still has underrated prospects performing well, albeit at the lower levels.

Deniel Ortiz is seen as a prospect with a skillset that will transfer to higher levels

While Springfield won the Texas League title and Memphis finished with a winning record, along with housing some top prospects, Single-A Peoria had a solid season of development for the Cardinals' younger prospects. Besides Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus and Joshua Baez, and a handful of 2025 draft picks, infielder Deniel Ortiz had a nice professional debut after being drafted in the 16th round in 2024. His whole season is worth following, and our own Thomas Gauvain had an interview with Ortiz earlier in the season that should be checked out!

At the time of that interview, Ortiz was having a hot start to his professional career, but the 21-year-old took another step through the rest of the year. Ortiz spent near-equal time at both first and third this season and put together a .300/.416/.462 slash line, good for a 152 WRC+. Along with the average, Ortiz smacked 13 homers and stole 39 bases while showing a patient approach that provided a 13.8% walk rate against a decent 22% strikeout rate. These traits, according to Baseball America, set Ortiz up for success to be the Cardinals' next breakout prospect.

In an article posted by Baseball America, the outlet found nine prospects they thought were underrated but have the skillset that can transfer to the next level. As BA notes, Ortiz's 2025 season translates to a productive major league season that would result in a mid-.200 batting average and a potential for a 20-homer, 20-stolen base campaign. Of course, trying to predict major league success after one season of A-ball is a risky and inaccurate practice, so this was more of trying to explain how his current tools can help him progress along in the minor leagues as he shows the potential of becoming a solid major leaguer.

Ortiz is currently unranked in MLB Pipeline's top 100, but he does barely crack the organization's top 30 list, coming in at #23. Pipeline ranks him as a 40-grade prospect, meaning they view him as a potential bench piece if he does crack the majors at some point. However, he is just 21 years old and is a solid-framed corner infielder who has already shown solid plate discipline that could upgrade those evaluations coming into the 2026 season.

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