Cardinals young prospect Deniel Ortiz tearing it up at Palm Beach

For Deniel Ortiz, playing professional baseball was always the dream. A product of Walters State Community College, being drafted was a long shot. Making it on a professional roster was a pipe dream. He's managed to do both at the young age of 20.

Ortiz was drafted in the 16th round of the 2024 draft with the 471st overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals. He had a long way up from there if he ever intended on making it into the sport. "I just felt like I went late in my rounds because I didn't have the grades to go to a Division 1 (school)," said Ortiz. "I had to take what they gave me and go with that, I feel like I'm a good ballplayer, and I feel like I can help this organization do good things. It doesn't matter where you get picked. I feel like my game is going to do the job."

Ortiz has done just that and more in his first professional season with the Palm Beach Cardinals.

Through 45 games, the corner infielder is slashing .279/.403/.429 with five home runs (including home runs in each of his last two games), five doubles, and a triple to his name. He's already drawn 30 walks. Ortiz's calling card is his raw power. He currently leads all players in the Florida State League with a 53.9% sweet-spot rate. Batted balls hit between 8 and 32 degrees are known as balls hit in the sweet spot.

Ortiz's hard-hit rate (48.3%), average exit velocity (90.5 MPH), barrel rate (13.5%), and max exit velocity (105.3) are all above-average, too. He hasn't been able to convert these hard-hit balls into as many long balls as he's wanted to, and he's hit into some bad luck.

When asked about his raw power, Ortiz said, "I worked on getting stronger. Guys that get paid in MLB are guys who hit home runs. I saw that at a young age, but it also came naturally because my family members are strong."

Ortiz's 36% line drive rate is solid for a young player, and he's avoided ground balls with a 28.1% ground ball rate.

Ortiz played for Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League this past winter. While he didn't see as much time on the field as he would've wanted, he was able to use this time as a learning experience for the upcoming 2025 season. "It was my first time playing back in Puerto Rico. It was amazing playing with guys in the big leagues," said Deniel, a native of Puerto Rico. "I had (Adeiny) Hechavarria on third base, and he was teaching me a lot about third base. Bryan Torres helped me a lot, too."

Ortiz primarily plays third base and first base, but he prefers third base. "It doesn't matter where I play. I just want to help the team. I want to make it to MLB and help the Cardinals win a World Series." This type of deference to the team is a quality that will help Ortiz as he moves up in the prospect ranks.

Ortiz is a power-hitting right-handed batter, and he tries to emulate his game most after Ronald Acuna Jr. "I like his style, the way he hits. He just runs. I'm not fast, but I know how to steal bases, and Acuna knows how to do it. He knows how to hit the ball, too."

Deniel is currently playing for the Palm Beach Cardinals. He's a player on the rise, and he's showing his talents at a very young age. Be sure to follow Deniel's career as he develops and grows. He's definitely a player to watch!