Deniel Ortiz, St. Louis Cardinals, High-A, Rank: 14

Is there anything better than an underdog story? We can’t help ourselves and always tend to gravitate towards them, we are drawn to them like all matter swirling around a black hole. The great thing about sports is that there is an endless supply of them and in baseball it’s one of those romanticized elements popularized by the movie industry. Moneyball, Major League, the list goes on and on. Deniel Ortiz is the underdog of this story, he’s going to be a household name among dynasty players by the end of the 2026 season, if he is not already. His origins frame the plot, while his talents drive it forward. Make no mistake though, he could be a special player one day.

Ortiz was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, stands 6-foot-1, and his frame is filled out at 230 pounds. He wasn’t eligible for the international J15 signing period and would have to go the route of normal high-school players, turn pro or go to college. Heading straight into professional baseball wasn’t an option, he didn’t get drafted, so it would be the develop in college ball route for him. Unfortunately, it would not be at one of the high-end college baseball programs from the SEC or ACC, it wouldn’t even be at a mid-major school. No, he would have to play at a community college, Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee. The level proved no match for him, he laid waste to the pitching there slashing .387/.535/.771, while hitting 34 home runs across 117 games in two seasons. On the basepaths, he wasn’t much of anything really, only stealing 10 bases in 16 attempts. It was more than enough though for the St. Louis Cardinals to snatch him up in the 16th round of the 2024 MLB draft.

In 2025, the Cardinals would start Ortiz’s professional career with an assignment to Single-A Palm Beach, where he would be a little on the older side for the league (20-years-old). The pitching in the Single-A Florida State league proved to be no match for him, as he tore through them to a slash line of .285/.406/.446. He would add 10 doubles, 10 home runs, and 31 stolen bases en route to a 145 wRC+ for the level. His contact rate settled in at 71.3%, while he did have an elevated strikeout rate of 27.5%. The display of power and speed came as a complete shock, compared to what he was doing at the community college ranks. The underlying statcast data were well above average, signaling that his performance might be sustainable. He had an average exit velocity of 91.5 mph (89th percentile), an average launch angle of 18.2°, a hard hit rate of 49.3% (90th percentile), and a barrel rate of 12.5% (90th percentile). His stellar play ultimately led to a late season promotion to High-A Peoria, where his hitting took a substantial jump in a small sample of 30 games there. His slash line was .336/.438/.500, while he added three home runs, nine doubles, and eight more stolen bases. His wRC+ at his final stop for 2025 also took a leap and ended at 168. It was driven by a slight boost in his contact rate (72.8%) and a decent decrease in his strikeout rate (22.3%). According to The Stat Ranch’s Prospect Type algorithm, he finished the season playing like a top 200 prospect.

Looking forward to the 2026 season and beyond, Ortiz is likely to start back at High-A Peoria, but should be in line for a promotion to Double-A Springfield before the start of summer if he starts out hot, just like he finished 2025. There are very few, if any, true power/speed threats at the third base position, so if he can tap into his power a little more moving forward, he could be a top 100 prospect and be in line to see the major leagues in 2027. The future is very bright for him and dynasty players, as he can provide value that no other player can realistically provide. From the island of Puerto Rico, to community college, to the lower minors leagues, Deniel Ortiz is an underdog story ripe for audiences to fall in love with. I for one will be leading the fan club!