Rafael Ortega

33-Year-Old OutfielderOF

Chicago White Sox AAA

2024 Stats

AVG

.071

RBI

Rest-of-Season Projections

AVG

RBI

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2024 Fantasy Outlook

There was no outlook written for Rafael Ortega in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.

RANKS

Rest of Season

From Preseason

#361

ADP

League AAA

Bats L

Throws R

40 Man No

Height 5'11"

Weight 180

DOB 5/15/1991

Born El Tigre, Venezuela

College None

Drafted 2008 COL

Outrighted to Charlotte

OFChicago White Sox AAA

May 17, 2024

Ortega cleared waivers Friday and was sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

ANALYSIS
Ortega held the right to decline his outright assignment and elect free agency, but he will instead remain within the White Sox organization and look to turn things around in the minors. The 33-year-old went 1-for-14 during his stint with the Sox, but he has slashed .241/.378/.431 with 14 RBI through 75 plate appearances with Charlotte.

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Batting Stats

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2024

2023

2022

2021

2019

2018

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2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2021 MLB Game Log

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2019 MLB Game Log

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2018 MLB Game Log

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Minor League Game Log

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Batting Order Slot Breakdown

vs Right-Handed Pitchers

vs RHP

vs Left-Handed Pitchers

vs LHP

Left/Right Batting Splits

Since 2022

+8%

OPS vs RHP

2024

+140%

OPS vs LHP

2023

+20%

OPS vs LHP

2022

+32%

OPS vs RHP

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2022vs Left	.611	61	10	0	2	4	.259	.333	.278
Since 2022vs Right	.661	462	45	8	42	16	.226	.328	.333
2024vs Left	.400	5	1	0	0	1	.200	.200	.200
2024vs Right	.167	12	3	0	1	1	.000	.167	.000
2023vs Left	.697	34	3	0	2	1	.300	.364	.333
2023vs Right	.583	102	13	1	6	5	.190	.333	.250
2022vs Left	.529	22	6	0	0	2	.211	.318	.211
2022vs Right	.698	348	29	7	35	10	.242	.331	.367
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Home/Away Batting Splits

Since 2022

+1%

OPS at Home

2024

-100%

OPS at Home

2023

+45%

OPS at Home

2022

+11%

OPS on Road

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2022Home	.656	283	32	3	22	14	.227	.343	.313
Since 2022Away	.652	240	23	5	22	6	.232	.311	.341
2024Home	.361	12	3	0	1	2	.111	.250	.111
2024Away	.000	5	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
2023Home	.703	80	9	0	6	6	.273	.400	.303
2023Away	.484	56	7	1	2	0	.146	.255	.229
2022Home	.654	191	20	3	15	6	.215	.325	.329
2022Away	.723	179	15	4	20	6	.266	.337	.386
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Stat Review

How does Rafael Ortega compare to other hitters?

This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

BB/K
Walk to strikeout ratio
BB Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
K Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
BABIP
Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
ISO
Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
AVG
Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
OBP
On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
SLG
Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
OPS
On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
wOBA
Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
Exit Velocity
The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
Hard Hit Rate
A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
Barrels/PA
The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
Expected BA
Expected Batting Average.
Expected SLG
Expected Slugging Percentage.
Sprint Speed
The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
Ground Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
Line Drive %
The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
Fly Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.

BB/K

0.50

BB Rate

11.8%

K Rate

23.5%

BABIP

.091

ISO

.000

AVG

.071

OBP

.176

SLG

.071

OPS

.248

wOBA

.134

Exit Velocity

85.1 mph

Hard Hit Rate

36.4%

Barrels/PA

0.0%

Expected BA

.212

Expected SLG

.254

Sprint Speed

24.9 ft/sec

Ground Ball %

50.0%

Line Drive %

0.0%

Fly Ball %

50.0%

Advanced Batting Stats

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Additional Stats

Games By Position

Defensive Stats

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Batted Ball Stats

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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers

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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Rafael Ortega See More

Lineup Lowdown: National League

September 19, 2023

Ryan Boyer presents Lineup Lowdown, an in-depth look at the National League's lineups, including the ascension of Michael Harris occasionally to the leadoff for the NL East-champion Atlanta Braves.

NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

August 20, 2023

Jan Levine offers up a few NL options, including a top prospect in St. Louis projected to play for the remainder of the season.

Lineup Lowdown: National League

August 8, 2023

Ryan Boyer steps up to the plate with Lineup Lowdown, a look at National League lineup trends, including Alec Bohm's hot hitting seeing him rise up the lineup for the Phillies.

NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

August 6, 2023

Jan Levine reviews the fallout from the Trade Deadline along with a couple prominent NLers ready to return soon.

NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

September 18, 2022

The regular season is winding down and Jan Levine is here with a few players who could provide a late fantasy boost.

Past Fantasy Outlooks

2023

2022

2020

2018

2017

2013

2012

2011

If every pitcher in the majors was right-handed, Ortega would be a pretty enticing fantasy asset. Unfortunately, there are plenty of southpaws around, and Ortega hasn't had a ton of success against them. Since 2020, his OPS against righties is .790, but his OPS against lefties is just .452. Not surprisingly, the Cubs limited Ortega's exposure against lefties during his time with the club. Last year, the outfielder appeared in 118 games and recorded 316 at-bats. His .241/.331/.358 slash line was ultimately disappointing, as it was down across the board from a promising 2021. Ortega also tallied seven home runs and, for the second straight season, stole 12 bases. The Cubs decided not to tender Ortega a contract after the season, and he joined the Yankees as a non-roster invitee. New York's depth in center field isn't great behind Harrison Bader, but Ortega is still likely an injury away from seeing a roster spot, let alone regular playing time.

Ortega earned his most consistent run in the majors in 2021, racking up a career-high 330 plate appearances. The vast majority of that playing time came in the second half of the season after the Cubs dismantled their core and were attempting to extract value from players within their organization. Ortega provided just that by posting a .306/.378/.491 line with a .185 ISO - good for a 133 wRC+. While it was an impressive display, Ortega will be entering his age-31 season and has just a .255/.318/.363 career line across 777 plate appearances. Given the combination of age and skill, Ortega is exceedingly unlikely to be a building block in the Cubs' organization moving forward. That leaves his role in 2022 uncertain, and that uncertainty is only likely to grow as the season progresses thanks to the offseason additions of Harold Ramirez and Clint Frazier as well as the impending call-up of top prospect Brennen Davis.

Ortega found his way onto the Braves' playoff roster, though that was more due to a lack of alternatives than his own particular talents. The 28-year-old played 34 games for the Braves late in the year but did very little at the plate, hitting .205/.271/.307, good for a 51 wRC+. He now owns a 59 wRC+ (.229/.287/.290) in 143 games over parts of four seasons in the majors. His 17 steals over that stretch are a respectable amount, hinting at a bit of deep-league fantasy value should he find his way into a larger role, but that seems unlikely after he settled for a minor-league deal to return to Atlanta. His ability to cover all three outfield positions could earn him a roster spot at some point, but his bat is a poor fit as even a fifth outfielder. Even owners in deep leagues need not show much interest unless he works his way into a temporary starting role.

After a year with the Padres, Ortega join the Marlins on a minor-league deal this offseason -- the 26-year-old's fifth different organization. He turned in a great campaign with Triple-A El Paso in 2017, hitting .317 with six homers, 26 stolen bases (33 attempts) and a 46:49 BB:K. Ortega enjoyed a similar amount of success at that level in 2016, but that did not translate in his first extended opportunity in the majors. While he continued to put bat to ball with consistency in his 66-game stint with the Angels, his walk rate fell to just 6.4 percent and the power was virtually non-existent. Indeed his career numbers at Triple-A may be mostly a byproduct of the Pacific Coast League, but with Miami's outfield stripped down, Ortega should get another chance to prove himself against top-level competition.

Prior to the 2016 season, Ortega had logged a mere four at-bats at the major league level. Thanks to a myriad of injuries to the Angels outfield, the journeyman got his first shot at consistent big league playing time. The results were middling at best, as he only managed to produce a .232/.283/.292 slash line in 185 at-bats. That being said, his BABIP was a lowly .261, meaning that his meager batting line could've been affected by bad luck. The 25-year-old could be in line for better numbers if some extra hits fall while he maintains his strong 88 percent contact rate. That being said, Ortega's inability to hit for power and his weak 6.5 percent walk rate limits his upside as a big league player. He'll provide organizational depth for the Padres to begin 2017 after signing a minor league deal in December.

Ortega showed some improvement at High-A Modesto in his age-21 season, increasing his walk rate (8.3 percent) while cutting his strikeout rate (16.7 percent) without sacrificing much of his marginal power. He even earned a brief cup of coffee in the last two games of the season with the Rockies devoid of healthy outfielders. Though speedy, Ortega's 66.7 percent success rate on the basepaths does not portend well for his major league success, but it should not immediately prove problematic as he advances to the upper minors. Fortunately for Ortega, he has youth and solid contact skills on his side, which should grant him the opportunity to iron out the deficiencies in his game.

Ortega adapted well to full season ball with Low-A Asheville after turning 20 in May. Although his instincts on the basepaths still need refinement, 32 stolen bases along with eight triples serve as an indication of his plus-speed. While his walk rate (5.4 percent) was low, he makes contact regularly (82.7 percent) and should be able to get on base enough to utilize his speed. Ortega is listed at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, so he may not add a ton of pop as he continues to develop into that frame. Look for him to advance to the hitter-friendly California League, where improved power numbers would hardly surprise and likely vault him up prospect lists.

At 19 years old, Ortega spent 2010 tearing up the Pioneer League in his first North American baseball action. The Venezuelan hit .358/.416/.510 for Casper with 23 steals in 288 at-bats. While somewhat short on power, he has plus speed and a quick bat and profiles as someone who can play center field. It's not crazy to think that in a few years he could be the top prospect in the Rockies system. For now, consider him someone to keep tabs on as he progresses through his minor league development.

More Fantasy News

Removed from 40-man roster

OFChicago White Sox AAA

May 15, 2024

The White Sox designated Ortega for assignment Wednesday.