Jose Ortiz

Orix Blue Wave's website reported here (in Japanese) on the 13th of December, 2002 that they had signed Jose Ortiz.

Also some bloke called Roosevelt Brown from the Cubs.

That bloke Rosie Brown is going to be a helluva hitter in Japan.

While they all seem to be castoffs from MLB, Orix is really stocking up on players with Major League experience. It looks like they're making a real run for it. Anyone like their chances?

This is probably Ortiz's "last stand" as far as any meaningful baseball career is concerned. This guy has been a toad on many levels; had a golden opp to star @ Coors Field and ran himself out of town. Before that, he was the heir apparent to 2B in Oak-town -- so much so that the A's gave up on a power-hitting middle IF who donged 27 times for the Cubbies last year (Mark Bellhorn).

If you have a list of preseason picks for "Gaikokujin Disaster of the Year" in '03, chances are this guy should be on it. My bet is that Ortiz will be farmin' it by July... if he's even still in-country. (I'll take the chance of being wrong on this, every time. No guts, no glory...)

While not "castoffs" exactly, these guys have demonstrated, for any number of reasons, that they are not major league caliber players. Maybe it's their BB/K ratio and a lack of patience, maybe it's attitude, maybe it's failure to reach potential. In Brown's case, his plate discipline has been dismal. And in Jose Ortiz's case, well, his was a simple failure to perform in any capable way. I'm happy there might be roster spots for these guys in Japan, but I can't imagine either of them playing in the States at the major league level.

I think it is so hard to say one 26 years old guy can't learn about his errors (on and off the field). Ortiz has the talent, so now he needs to learn patience. When you are young, you have a chance to learn. Ortiz can hit and run very well. He only needs a chance.

Agreed, Enrique, but the consensus (here and in MLB, apparently) seems to be that Jose Ortiz has had chances already... and to be a 26-year-old w/his potential having to play in Japan for a shot at playing everyday, well, that may speak volumes for his maturity. Hopefully he will gain the perspective he needs from this experience.