MILWAUKEE – How stacked are the Brewers in terms of shortstops? Their top prospect is Jesús Made, who ranked No. 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 as of Tuesday night and has a chance to be baseball’s new overall No. 1 as soon as Wednesday, when Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin would graduate from prospect status with one at-bat.
Made is a shortstop. So is Luis Peña, who ranks 17th on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100. And Jett Williams, who ranks 39th. And Cooper Pratt, who ranks 48th and inked an eight-year, $50.75 million contract last month.
So to say there is pressure on Joey Ortiz to perform in the present for the Brewers, and to quiet the noise about all the future, is putting it mildly.
On Tuesday night, Ortiz entered the chat.
The slick-fielding, light-hitting shortstop hit his first home run of the season and just missed a second on a two-hit, two-RBI night in the Brewers’ 6-4 win over the Padres at American Family Field, a welcome sight for a team hoping to get on a roll offensively now that they have all of their regulars off the injured list.
A five-run fourth-inning rally was the difference for the Brewers, who extended their winning streak to a season-high five games and showered rookie right-hander Brandon Sproat with Miller Lite after he pitched into the sixth inning for his first Major League victory. There was no beer shower for Ortiz, but his teammates were just as happy.
“We all know the reality of what’s in our organization, what’s to come,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said last week when the subject turned to Ortiz. “We all know that. We’re not going to shy away from that. But we’re not trying to create more than what’s there. Joey gives us the best chance to win today. He’s a tremendous defender and this team has averaged 90-some wins the last two years he’s been here, and he’s a big part of that.
“I love the kid. As long as he’s on our roster, I’m going to keep going with him as long as the situation calls for it.”
The Brewers love Ortiz’s defense but he’s been one of baseball’s least productive hitters this season, with a .181/.250/.193 slash line going into this series against San Diego and one extra-base hit -- a double -- in his first 94 plate appearances. By wRC+, a good all-around measure of offense that accounts for ballpark factors, Ortiz’s 30 ranked seventh-lowest of hitters with at least 75 plate appearances and indicated he was 70 percent below MLB average at the plate.
Yes, it’s still a small sample. But that’s after Ortiz posted a 71 wRC+ from the 2024 All-Star break through the end of ‘25, ranking 224th of 232 hitters with at least 500 plate appearances in that span and requiring votes of confidence from Murphy and Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold.
In other words, Ortiz was scuffling.
But he was a different hitter on Tuesday night, belting his first home run of the season with two outs and the bases empty in the third inning for a 1-0 Brewers lead, then nearly hitting a grand slam amid Milwaukee’s 10-batter, five-run rally against Padres right-hander Matt Waldron in the fourth.
Ortiz settled for a sacrifice fly to deep center in that inning and added a single in the sixth for his first multi-hit game of May.
“All I’ve been worried about is getting good pitches to hit and taking good swings on them,” he said. “The results will take care of themselves.”
When he homered, Ortiz’s teammates celebrated like he’d hit a walk-off. They all know Ortiz has been struggling. And they know the pressure he’s under. After Pratt signed his contract extension, which didn’t immediately move him from Triple-A Nashville but did give him a 40-man roster spot, Murphy discussed the implications with Ortiz.
“Murph has always been straightforward with me, and it’s definitely something I appreciate,” Ortiz said. “For Pratt, I mean, it’s such a great thing to happen for his career, and well-deserved. I’m sure he’ll be up soon. At least for me, I just have to take care of my job and good things will happen.”
Does it mess with an incumbent’s head when an organization invests in a prospect?
“No. I believe in divine intervention, so I believe God is going to take care of me,” Ortiz said. “However it’s supposed to happen, it’s going to happen. I’m happy for ‘Coop.’ It’s well-deserved. They don’t just give money to players like that for no reason. I think he’s going to be a great Brewer for a long time.”
For now, however, the job belongs to Ortiz.
The prospects are still prospects.
“It’s a good thing for the Brewers organization," Ortiz said. “It’s a good problem for them to have.”