Red Sox add D'Angelo Ortiz, son of David, to splashy draft class

The Red Sox continued their splashy MLB Draft on Tuesday, selecting D’Angelo Ortiz in the 19th round at pick 567 overall.

Why does Boston’s 19th-round pick have a case to be on the marquee along with outfielder Braden Montgomery (Round 1, Pick 12) and left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle (Round 2, Pick 50)?

His father is none other than Red Sox immortal David Ortiz.

D’Angelo Ortiz is a 20-year-old third baseman/outfielder, who most recently played college baseball at Miami Dade Community College (MDCC). Competing in the NJCAA Region 8’s Southern Conference, MDCC has an impressive MLB alumni network filled with Hall of Famers, All-Stars and World Series champions, including Steve Carlton, Mike Piazza, Raul Ibañez, Placido Polanco, Bucky Dent, Alex Fernandez, and Mickey Rivers.

“Little Papi” (Lil’ Papi?) batted.377 with one home run and 35 RBI over 51 games last season, so he’s a long way from the power prowess of Big Papi. And standing at 6-foot-1, he’s two inches shorter than his dad - listed at 6-foot-3 throughout his 20-year MLB career.

You may remember D’Angelo’s name from headlines during the summer of 2022, when he was teammates with the sons of three other Red Sox legends - Pedro Martinez (son Pedro Martinez Jr.), Manny Ramirez (son Manny Ramirez Jr.) and Keith Foulke (son Kade Foulke). The four Red Sox sons teamed up on the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate League. The younger Ortiz is back in Brockton this summer, where he’s batting .311 with seven RBI and four stolen bases through 11 games.

D’Angelo has a long way to go before suiting up in the big leagues at Fenway Park like his dad, so you can save your Bronny James jokes for later.

Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson told MLB.com , “I just want to make it clear that D’Angelo is a prospect and the reason we selected him is a result of the relationship that our area scout has had with the player for a long time. And we had him at a workout recently and got to interact with him, just felt like it was a good add to the organization.

“And it’s a plus that his dad’s David Ortiz, but we drafted him as a prospect.”