Brad Mills – USA Today

The Mets have added yet another player with MLB experience to their farm system in the form of outfielder Rafael Ortega, according to Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. He was released from his minor league deal with the Texas Rangers earlier this month, as he wished to pursue a more clear path to the majors.

In spring training, he spent time in the New York Yankees’ camp to try and emerge as an outfield option for them. The journeyman will now seek new opportunities with the Mets, as he reports to Triple-A Syracuse.

Ortega, 32, has appeared for five teams at the major league level throughout a lengthy career that has mostly been spent in the minors. His career started in 2008 when he was signed as an international free agent by the Colorado Rockies. While he made brief major league appearances throughout the first decade of his career, his most extended time at the level came in the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Chicago Cubs.

His best season came in 2021 when he batted .291/.360/.463 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs in 103 games. His 121 OPS+ placed him well above the league average mark of 100 and granted him the opportunity to remain at the MLB level for his 2022 campaign. While he was able to get on base at a 33.1% clip in 2022, his power numbers took a nosedive, as indicated by his 94 OPS+ in 118 games played.

Ortega has played in Triple-A this season for the Round Rock Express, a Texas Rangers affiliate. He batted .226/.333/.381 with five home runs and a .714 OPS. In a similar fashion to his 2022 season, Ortega has been able to consistently reach base despite his declining power numbers. In fact, Ortega was in the 90th percentile for BB% (walk percentage) in the 2022 MLB season, according to his Baseball Savant page.

Defensively, Ortega makes a relatively neutral impact in the outfield. For the 2022 season, he ranked in the 50th percentile for outfielder jump and the 57th percentile for arm strength. In addition, he posted a -2 DRS and -1 OAA in 592 2/3 innings in the outfield in 2022, according to his FanGraphs page. While these numbers are not necessarily bad, he will also not impress you with his defensive ability.

All things considered, it is clear that Ortega is merely an outfield depth piece that could become useful in the event of an injury to one of the MLB players. His ability to reach base combined with an uptick in power could help him to reach the major league level again at the age of 32.