Strong arm, fearless attitude, makes Dennis Ortega defensive weapon for Spikes

Dennis Ortega pounded his catcher’s mitt as he ran off the field after once again wowing the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park crowd in late June.

Ortega had just picked off an Auburn baserunner at second base to end the eighth inning — the second time the State College Spikes catcher pulled off the feat in the game. Ortega’s latest daring pickoff attempt left his teammates in awe, causing pitcher Sam Tewes to excitedly smack the green padding on the railing of the home dugout. The play even excited Ortega, who bolted to the dugout and disappeared down the steps moments after shortstop Caleb Lopes applied the tag for the out.

Ortega has put on a show this season from behind the plate, gunning down baserunners on steal attempts and throwing behind runners at first and second base. The Valencia, Venezuela, native has caught 11 baserunners stealing while allowing 10 stolen bases, good for a 52 percent success rate — well above the New York-Penn League average (35 percent).

“He’s a weapon back there,” Spikes manager Joe Kruzel said. “Even if he’s not hitting or something, he still gives us a chance, an opportunity, to win a game with his defense.”

Though he’s playing at the short-season Class A level — still a long way from St. Louis and the major leagues — Ortega has already received strong reviews within the Cardinals organization. During spring training this year, St. Louis manager Mike Matheny, a former major league catcher, told MLB.com that Ortega “catches older than 19” and added that he has a “high ceiling.” Ortega, who turned 20 on June 11, isn’t ranked among the Cardinals’ top prospects by MLB Pipeline (Top 30) or Baseball America (Top 10) right now, but he’s shown potential in four seasons in the minor leagues.

After Ortega played two years in the Dominican Summer League, he spent last season with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals in Florida — his first year playing in the United States. Jenloy Herrera, who worked as an international operations fellow for the Cardinals last summer, quickly noticed Ortega’s arm. The catcher had a penchant for throwing behind runners at first base and threw out potential base stealers “by a mile.”

“Dennis had a cannon,” Herrera said.

Ortega’s confidence in his arm is evident with each pickoff attempt, but Herrera was most impressed by the catcher’s humility. Herrera made the hour-long drive between the team’s facilities in Jupiter, Fla., and the airport in Miami to pick up and drop off players, and he got to know them better during those trips. Herrera, who also served as a translator for players in meetings, said Ortega was down to earth and receptive to coaching.

That quality mirrored Ortega’s humble upbringing in Venezuela, where he didn’t have access to food items like eggs and beef, diet requirements in the Cardinals’ training program.

“I remember him telling me sometimes that his dinner would be just like a bowl of cereal — a bowl of like Frosted Flakes — with milk,” Herrera said.

Herrera thinks Ortega has the potential to reach the big leagues, partly because of his humble approach. His ability behind the plate landed him on the radar of the current Cardinals manager after spring training this year. Matheny, a four-time Gold Glove winner, told MLB.com that Ortega “showed a lot of moxie” defensively. His “moxie” — and his cannon — has been on display in State College this season.

In the team’s third game on June 21 at Medlar Field, with Batavia runners on first and second, Ortega caught a pitch and rifled a throw to second base from his knees. Spikes shortstop Edwin Figuera was ready to finish the play, putting the tag on J.C. Millan. The next night, Ortega caught two Batavia runners stealing.

“He gunned down two guys today like nothing,” Anthony Shew, who started on the mound that night, said after the game. “It’s awesome to have.”

Seven days later, when the Spikes hosted Auburn, Ortega picked off two more runners at second base and caught another on a steal attempt.

The Spikes’ middle infielders and first basemen know Ortega likes to snap throws their way to attempt to pick off runners. They talk about signs before games, so they know when Ortega’s going to take a shot — like he did against Auburn on June 29.

In the fourth inning of that game, with the teams tied 2-2, Ortega picked off the Doubledays’ Branden Boggetto to erase a scoring threat. In the eighth inning, he did it again, picking off another Doubledays runner at second base for the third out. Both times, shortstop Caleb Lopes received the throw from Ortega after getting the sign before the pitch.

“He’s right on the money pretty much 95 percent of the time,” Lopes said. “It’s fun to watch, and I’m glad to be on the other end of it.”

Though it’s a rare play, Ortega has caught opposing runners off guard with his big arm and fearless approach on the “back-pick” attempts. He’s made it look easy with perfect throws to second base out of his crouch.

It’s part of his game behind the plate, and it’s made him quite the weapon for the Spikes this season.

“He’s been successful with it,” Kruzel said. “He’s got a lot of confidence in it. He’s not afraid to do it, which makes it a lot easier when you have a lot of faith in it.”

This story was originally published July 22, 2017 at 9:50 PM with the headline "Strong arm, fearless attitude, makes Dennis Ortega defensive weapon for Spikes."