Ortiz adds Classic invite to surreal 6-month stretch

BRADENTON, Fla. -- A year ago, Luis Ortiz wasn’t thinking about pitching in the Major Leagues. The World Baseball Classic wasn’t on his radar, either. A lot can happen in a short amount of time.

Ortiz, the 24-year-old flamethrower who hadn’t pitched above Single-A at this time last year, will pitch for Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic as a last-minute addition, the latest distinction in what has been a borderline surreal six-month stretch.

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“It’s going to be an honor,” Ortiz said through team interpreter Stephen Morales. “I’m really proud to be part of such a good team and be proud [of] all those good baseball players. I’m going to try to get anything I can from them, pick their brains so I can become a better baseball player overall.”

Ortiz will throw a bullpen session at LECOM Park on Thursday afternoon, then travel to Miami to join the team. He’ll play alongside right-hander Roansy Contreras, part of the first roster that was unveiled. Jarlín García was slated to pitch for the Dominican Republic as well, but the Pirates pulled the left-hander from the tournament due to injury.

Last spring, neither the Majors nor the World Baseball Classic were on the mind of Ortiz, who had yet to pitch higher than Single-A Bradenton. The Pirates elected for Ortiz to begin the 2022 season with Double-A Altoona, skipping High-A Greensboro entirely. Ortiz struggled for a good chunk of the season but put things together in August and earned a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis in September. Still, Ortiz had another rung on the ladder to climb.

Less than two weeks after joining Indianapolis, Ortiz earned his first Major League callup. Following a tantalizing debut in a relatively lax environment -- the right-hander pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts in the second game of a doubleheader in Cincinnati -- he found himself on the mound at Yankee Stadium with Aaron Judge sitting on 59 home runs, teetering on the precipice of history. Ortiz handled the environment with poise, holding Judge homerless and allowing two runs (one earned) over five innings.

Ortiz navigated another challenging environment a week-and-a-half after his soirée in New York, facing the Cardinals in St. Louis during the final homestead of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina’s careers. The right-hander allowed six runs and recorded only two outs, but exposure to that pressure-cooker environment served to help him grow.

“He had some challenging games last year,” said manager Derek Shelton. “We threw him in Yankee Stadium when Judge was chasing 60, and then you go into Busch Stadium and you have the pomp [and] circumstance of what we saw last year. That's only going to make him better.”

Now, six months later, Ortiz finds himself on another grand stage.

“It’s definitely a lot to think about,” Ortiz said. “It took me by surprise last year. At this point last year, I was not thinking about being in the big leagues or pitching in the WBC, but I think it’s a product of my hard work. I’m going to continue to work and continue to add to my toolbox and become a better pitcher every day.”

The next step in Ortiz’s journey is to make it back to the Majors -- and stick. With Contreras, Mitch Keller, Rich Hill, JT Brubaker and Vince Velasquez set to the form the rotation, Ortiz will likely begin this season in Triple-A.