Luis Ortiz (third baseman)
| Luis Ortiz | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Rangers – No. 18 | |||
| Third baseman / Coach | |||
| Born: May 25, 1970 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | |||
| |||
| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: August 31, 1993, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| NPB: 1997, for the Yakult Swallows | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: September 28, 1996, for the Texas Rangers | |||
| NPB: 1997, for the Yakult Swallows | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .228 | ||
| Home runs | 2 | ||
| Runs batted in | 26 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .172 | ||
| Home runs | 0 | ||
| Runs batted in | 7 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As coach
| |||
Luis Alberto Ortiz (born May 25, 1970) is a Dominican former professional baseball third baseman and current hitting coach for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Playing career[]
Ortiz played three seasons at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 8th round of the 1991 MLB Draft.[1]
In a four-season MLB career, Ortiz was a .228 hitter (33-for-145) with two home runs and 26 RBI in 60 games, including 14 runs, seven doubles and three triples.[2]
Following his majors career, Ortiz played in Japanese baseball with the 1997 Yakult Swallows. He also played in the Red Sox, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Expos and Cardinals minor league systems. (1991–2004).[2]
Coaching career[]
After retiring from baseball, Ortiz opened a baseball school in Keller, Texas called Swing City.[3] He has published four hitting books (The Natural Hitter Handbook plus three drills books).[4]
Ortiz started his professional coaching career in the Texas Rangers organization as a coach for the Spokane Indians in 2008. He was a roving hitting coordinator in the Texas Rangers system from 2009 through 2011. In 2012, he was promoted to assistant hitting coordinator. Ortiz was let go from the Rangers organization after Tim Purpura was brought in by Nolan Ryan to run the Rangers player development system.[3] He was the Lower Level hitting coordinator and the Cultural Development Coordinator for the Cleveland Indians in 2013. In 2014, Ortiz was promoted to Assistant Field coordinator while performing the role of hitting coordinator. Ortiz joined the San Diego Padres, and from 2015 through 2017, served as their minor league Field and Hitting Coordinator.[3]
San Diego Padres[]
Ortiz was named the interim major league hitting coach of the San Diego Padres for the final month of the 2017 season, after Alan Zinter was fired.[3]
Los Angeles Dodgers[]
On December 1, 2017, Ortiz was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers to share the dual role of assistant major league hitting coach/minor league hitting coordinator with Brant Brown. He spent the 2018 season in that role.[4]
Texas Rangers[]
On November 14, 2018, Ortiz was named the hitting coach of the Texas Rangers, joining new manager Chris Woodward's staff.[5]
Personal life[]
Ortiz went back to school and graduated from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education & Health, with a minor in Management & Marketing.[3] In doing so, he became the first player from the Dominican Republic to play in the major Leagues and graduate from college.[3] Ortiz is married to his wife Susan, whom he met while at Union University, and they have four daughters, Gabriela, Naomi, Samantha, and Moriah.[3]
References[]
- ^ "Luis Ortiz". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Luis Ortiz". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Jamey Newberg (January 7, 2019). "Finishing touch: What Luis Ortiz' return to Texas could mean for Joey Gallo and other young Rangers hitters". The Athletic. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Ken Gurnick (December 1, 2017). "Brown, Ortiz hired as asst. hitting coaches". MLB.com. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ "Rangers hire former player Luis Ortiz as hitting coach, announce 4 more coaching decisions". The Dallas Morning News. November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Nippon Professional Baseball career statistics from JapaneseBaseball.com
- Retrosheet
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- 1970 births
- Living people
- Boston Red Sox players
- Dominican Republic baseball coaches
- Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada
- Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan
- Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico
- Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
- Edmonton Trappers players
- Major League Baseball hitting coaches
- Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
- Major League Baseball third basemen
- Memphis Redbirds players
- Mexican League baseball first basemen
- Mexican League baseball second basemen
- Mexican League baseball third basemen
- Nippon Professional Baseball infielders
- Oklahoma City 89ers players
- Olmecas de Tabasco players
- Omaha Royals players
- Ottawa Lynx players
- Pawtucket Red Sox players
- San Diego Padres coaches
- Sportspeople from Santo Domingo
- Sultanes de Monterrey players
- Texas Rangers coaches
- Texas Rangers players
- Tucson Sidewinders players
- Union Bulldogs baseball players
- Winnipeg Goldeyes players
- Yakult Swallows players