Abimelec Ortiz named Texas League Player of the Week
FRISCO, Texas (September 16, 2024) – On Monday, Minor League Baseball announced that Frisco RoughRiders first baseman Abimelec Ortiz was named Texas League Player of the Week. Over the week, the Texas Rangers' 2021 signee hit .524 (11-for-21) with four homers, a double, eight RBI and eight runs scored while
FRISCO, Texas (September 16, 2024) – On Monday, Minor League Baseball announced that Frisco RoughRiders first baseman Abimelec Ortiz was named Texas League Player of the Week.
Over the week, the Texas Rangers' 2021 signee hit .524 (11-for-21) with four homers, a double, eight RBI and eight runs scored while walking four times and only striking out on three occasions. The left-handed slugger also swiped a base.
Among league players in the month, he finished third in batting average (.524), tied for first in on-base percentage (.600) with teammate Maximo Acosta, first in slugging percentage (1.143), first in OPS (1.743) first in hits (11), first in homers (four), tied for first in RBIs (8) and tied for seventh in walks (11).
Ortiz attended high school at the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy before playing college ball at Florida SouthWestern State JC. The lefty bat from Bayamon, Puerto Rico signed with the Rangers in 2021, collecting High-A South Atlantic League MVP and Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year accolades in his second full season in the organization.
Touted as the Rangers No. 12 prospect entering the 2024 season after leading all of the minors with a .619 slugging percentage and tying for fourth in homers with 33 in 2023, Ortiz picked up right where he left off as he hit .260 with 10 extra-base hits in April before slumping through May and June.
Since July 1st, Ortiz ranks among the Texas League leaders in a multitude of offensive categories including: fifth in batting average (.305), seventh in hits (61), third in total bases (111), tied for first in home runs (13), tied for third in RBI (38), second in slugging (.555), tied for third in walks (32) and second in OPS (.968).
The award marks the third consecutive year that a RoughRiders player has won Texas League Player of the Week for the final week of the season as Thomas Saggese won in 2022 and Wyatt Langford earned the honor last season.
The RoughRiders open up their quest for a Texas League Championship with a three-game playoff series against the Midland RockHounds (Oakland A’s affiliate) at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17th. The Riders and RockHounds have not named starters for the first game of the series in Midland.
For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the 2022 Texas League champions. In 2023, the team celebrated its 20th anniversary and has consistently finished in the top five among all Double-A franchises in attendance yearly. In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, Bullpen Bar, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Lazy River. These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Best Ballpark Renovation" award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). More than 210 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball including current Rangers Josh Jung, Evan Carter and Leody Taveras. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].