2025 Player Outlook
After being blocked in Baltimore, Ortiz handled an everyday role for the Brewers in 2024, slashing .239/.329/.398 with 11 home runs 58 runs scored, 60 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. His 11 percent walk rate was a nice boost for fantasy managers in OBP leagues, but a second half slump has taken some of the shine off the young infielder. The departure of Wily Adames opens the door for Ortiz to be the primary shortstop for Milwaukee in 2025, which would give him SS/3B eligibility after a couple of weeks. It’s not a prolific batted ball profile, with the combination of middling hard contact rates and a ton of ground balls (48.8% GB%) not being very lucrative for fantasy purposes, but Ortiz can be a statistical accumulator as the season goes on, and further development at the dish will only help. If Ortiz can hit closer to .250 than .235, while maintaining a double-digit walk rate, he has a chance to get to 15/15 this season at his ceiling.
Player News
Joey Ortiz popped out in all three of his at-bats Saturday against the Cubs.
At least he’s consistent; all three of his balls in play today were hit with 71– to 74-degree launch angles and traveled 67-97 feet. A league-average hitter as a rookie last season, Ortiz has been a big disappointment in coming in at .186/.252/.212 so far. His strikeout rate has dropped from 20% to 15%, but he’s not hitting the ball as hard or pulling it as often as he did last year. Maybe it’s fixable, but in the meantime, the Brewers might have to try someone different at shortstop soon.
Joey Ortiz went 2-for-2 with an RBI on Wednesday, leading the Brewers to a 5-4 win over the White Sox in Cactus League play.
Ortiz will open the season as Milwaukee’s starting shortstop in the wake of Brice Turang’s recent shoulder issues and offers realistic double-digit homer and stolen base potential. The 26-year-old former top prospect is an elite defender and has gotten off to a really encouraging start at the dish this spring, batting .412 (14-for-34) with two homers and four steals. He’s unlikely to make the leap to full-fledged fantasy superstardom, but there’s some untapped power upside lurking, if he adds some extra loft to his swing.
Joey Ortiz went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases against the White Sox on Wednesday.
Ortiz stole second in the second and then second and third after reaching on a force out in the fourth. It’s interesting to see Ortiz being so aggressive after he was 11-for-17 stealing bases as a rookie last year. He’d definitely be more interesting in fantasy leagues if he aimed for 20+ steals this year.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said Tuesday that Joey Ortiz will play shortstop this season.
Attanasio added that the club wants to give prospect Tyler Black a shot at third base along with incumbent Oliver Dunn. His remarks come on the heels of offseason comments from manager Pat Murphy that highlighted Ortiz as the most logical choice to replace Willy Adames. The 26-year-old is a gifted defender and also boasts double-digit homer and steal potential for fantasy purposes. The interesting wrinkle here is Black, who has put up phenomenal numbers at the Triple-A level, but has yet to carve out a permanent role in the big leagues.
DFS Last 5
Date | Opponent | Pts |
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May 3rd | Cubs | |
May 3rd | Cubs | |
May 1st | @White Sox | 3 |
Apr 30th | @White Sox | 5 |
Apr 29th | @White Sox | 18 |