Luis Leandro Ortiz (born January 27, 1999) is a Dominican professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

Career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Ortiz was signed by the

as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

out of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

on October 2, 2018, for a $25,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. He made his professional debut 2019 for the rookie–level

Bristol Pirates The Bristol Pirates were a Minor League Baseball team in Bristol, Virginia, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team played home games at DeVault Memorial Stadium. Opened in 1969, Devault Memorial Stadium ...

, logging a 4.09

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

across 11 starts. Ortiz did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Ortiz spent the 2021 season with the Single–A

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

, making 22 appearances (19 starts) and recording a 3.09 ERA with 113 strikeouts in innings of work. By late 2021, his

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

had reached as high as . On July 15 and August 9, 2022, while pitching for the Double–A

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

, Ortiz threw two

immaculate inning The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not defined as a ...

s in a span of just 25 days, four fewer than the shortest known span between such innings by a Major League pitcher. Ortiz made 26 total appearances (25 starts) split between Altoona and the Triple–A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

in 2022. In a career–high innings pitched, he accumulated a 5–9 record and 4.56 ERA with 138 strikeouts. Ortiz was promoted to the majors for the first time on September 11, 2022. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told the press that the club intended to use the remainder of the season to assess the quality of starting pitching in their organization. Ortiz made 4 starts during his rookie campaign, posting an 0–2 record and 4.50 ERA with 17 strikeouts over 16 innings of work. Ortiz was optioned to the Triple-A

to begin the 2023 season. He was recalled to the Pirates on May 9. In 18 games (15 starts) for Pittsburgh, Ortiz compiled a 5–5 record and 4.78 ERA with 59 strikeouts across innings pitched. Ortiz made 37 appearances (15 starts) for the Pirates in 2024, accumulating a 7–6 record and 3.32 ERA with 107 strikeouts and 1 saves across innings pitched.

Cleveland Guardians

On December 10, 2024, Ortiz, alongside Michael Kennedy and

Josh Hartle Joshua Beau Hartle (born March 24, 2003) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization. Amateur career Hartle attended Ronald W. Reagan High School in Pfafftown, North Carolina. As a senior in 2021, he wa ...

, was traded to the

in exchange for

Spencer Horwitz Spencer Elliott Horwitz (born November 14, 1997) is an American professional baseball first baseman and second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz, Luis 1999 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Altoona Curve players Baseball players from San Pedro de Macorís Bradenton Marauders players Bristol Pirates players Cleveland Guardians players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Pittsburgh Pirates players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen 2023 World Baseball Classic players

Career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Cleveland Guardians

See also

References

External links