The son of a Boston Red Sox legend is drawing rave reviews in spring training.
Boston is heading into the 2025 season, looking to break a three-year playoff drought. While that dry spell might not sound like a long time for many teams, this is unacceptable for a team with Boston’s payroll.
A player trying to help spark that rise and make the full roster is 20-year-old D’Angelo Ortiz. The son of Red Sox legend David Ortiz knows he has a long way to go before playing in the big leagues, but he is ready to embrace that journey.
According to Red Sox staff writer for The Athletic, Chad Jennings, D’Angelo is impressing coaches with his work ethic and professionalism throughout spring training.
Farm director Brian Abraham recently detailed the youngster’s approach.
“He (D’Angelo) understands that there’s a long way to go to become a successful big leaguer,” Abraham said, per Jennings. “There’s a long way to go to get to the upper levels. But I don’t think he’s not going to get there due to lack of work or lack of wanting to get there.”
Ortiz was picked in the 19th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Red Sox out of Miami Dade Community College. The newcomer’s selection of 567th means he has a long road before he’s ready to contribute to the main roster. However, D’Angelo is taking it one day at a time and attending every optional and mandatory practice available.
One sure thing so far is that teammates of Ortiz have already embraced him. Marcelo Mayer, one of Boston’s top prospects, sang the praises of his new teammate in a recent interview.
“He’s one of the most humble, hard-working kids that I’ve been around,” Mayer said. “You would have no clue that his dad is David Ortiz.”
From the looks of it, D’Angelo is embracing his Hall of Fame father’s words when he asked about his son’s future with the Red Sox.
“I did my thing,” the elder Ortiz said. “He’s got to do his. He knows the hardest-working guy in the room is the one that gets closer and closer and closer to the promised land. There is no shortcut.”
To this point, D’Angelo Ortiz has not appeared in a spring training game. Just based on that fact, the 20-year-old clearly has his work cut out over the next few years. But based on the praise he’s drawn, D’Angelo certainly looks to be on that path.
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