Rafael Ortega (baseball)

Rafael Ángel Ortega García (born May 15, 1991) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder in the Chicago Cubs organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, and Atlanta.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ortega and the second or maternal family name is García.
Rafael Ortega
Ortega with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016
Chicago Cubs
Outfielder
Born: (1991-05-15) May 15, 1991
El Tigre, Venezuela
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 30, 2012, for the Colorado Rockies
MLB statistics
(through 2019 season)
Batting average.229
Home runs3
Runs batted in33
Teams

Career

Colorado Rockies

Ortega was signed as an amateur free agent in 2008 by the Colorado Rockies. He debuted with the Rockies on September 30, 2012.[1] In 2013, Ortega started the season in Double-A and was released after 42 games. He signed with a Venezuelan team for the remainder of the season.

Texas Rangers

Ortega was claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers on November 27, 2013.[2] The Rangers designated Ortega for assignment on December 30.[3][4]

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals claimed Ortega on January 6, 2014.[5] He played in the Cardinals minor league system for the 2014 and 2015 season.

Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signed Ortega to a one-year contract on December 1, 2015.[6] Ortega made the team out of spring training as a fourth outfielder. After injuries to their starting left fielders, Ortega was entrenched as the Angels left fielder. In 36 games, he hit .236 while displaying excellent defense and putting the ball in play, as he struck out just 16 times in 122 at bats. On June 11, Ortega was sent down to Triple-A. He elected free agency in November 2016.[7]

San Diego Padres

On December 13, 2016, Ortega signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres.[8]

Miami Marlins

Ortega signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins on December 15, 2017.[9] He elected free agency on October 17, 2018.

Atlanta Braves

On November 19, 2018, Ortega signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves with an invitation to spring training.[10] On August 13, 2019, the Braves selected his contract.[11][12] Ortega hit his second career home run, a grand slam against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin May, on August 18, 2019.[13] Ortega was non-tendered on December 2, 2019, and became a free agent.[14] On December 10, he re-signed with Atlanta on a minor league contract.[15] He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.

Chicago Cubs

On November 16, 2020, Ortega signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs.

See also

References
  1. "Rockies select contract of outfielder Rafael Ortega". MLB.com. September 30, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  2. Fordin, Spencer (November 27, 2013). "Rangers claim outfielder Ortega off waivers from Rox". MLB.com. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  3. "Texas Rangers trade 1B Chris McGuiness for Pirates P Miles Mikolas | Dallas Morning News". Rangersblog.dallasnews.com. December 30, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  4. "Pro baseball: Rangers drop former Drillers outfielder Rafael Ortega off roster - Tulsa World: Pro Baseball". Tulsa World. December 30, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Angels sign Venezuelan minor league OF Rafael Ortega". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 1, 2015. Archived from the original on December 1, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  7. Eddy, Matt (November 21, 2016). "Minor League Transactions: Nov 12-18". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  8. Todd, Jeff (December 14, 2016). "Minor MLB Transactions: 12/14/16". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  9. "Marlins' Rafael Ortega: Heads to Miami". cbssports.com. December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  10. Adams, Steve (January 28, 2019). "Braves Sign Rafael Ortega To Minor League Deal". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  11. Bowman, Mark (August 13, 2019). "Swanson still hindered by right heel injury". Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  12. Tucker, Tim (August 13, 2019). "Braves promote outfielder Ortega from Gwinnett". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  13. Bowman, Mark (August 18, 2019). "With slam, Braves prevail in postseason preview". MLB.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  14. Mark Bowman (December 2, 2019). "Braves non-tender Culberson, tender 7 contracts". MLB.com. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  15. Hilburn-Trenkle, Chris (January 3, 2020). "Minor League Transactions". Baseball America. Retrieved November 22, 2020.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.