David Ortiz and Manny Ramírez both had long and hall of fame careers in the MLB. Yesterday, on the final day of the MLB Draft, they saw their sons get drafted hoping they can recreate that same success.
With pick number 567 in the 2024 MLB draft, the Boston Red Sox selected D’Angelo Ortiz, son of Red Sox legend David “Big Papi” Ortiz. Hailing from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, David Ortiz is second on the Red Sox all-time home run list, hitting 483 moonshots for the organization.
D’Angelo Ortiz grew up in Boston, MA, and will enter the organization with high expectations and anticipation from the Red Sox faithful. Ortiz played college ball at Miami Dade College. In the 2024 season, Ortiz exploded at the plate, batting .377 with 35 runs batted in. Ortiz has an entirely different hitting style from his father.
The 20-year-old third baseman struggles to hit for power, only hitting seven extra-base hits and one homerun. However, the round 19 draft selection is a terrific contact hitter who also draws a ton of walks.
Although Red Sox fans will want to see Ortiz playing on the big league roster immediately, the right-handed contact hitter is a developmental project. However, this is not too different from his father. Big Papi had a terrific career, but his production really took off in year seven of his career when he was released by the Twins and signed by the Red Sox.
Ortiz was not the only player drafted on day three of the MLB draft who came from legendary blood; with pick number 502 in the MLB draft, the Los Angeles Angels selected Lucas Ramírez, son of Hall of Fame outfielder Manny Ramírez.
Just like David Ortiz, Manny Ramírez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and in a similar fashion to D’Angelo Ortiz, Lucas Ramírez grew up stateside.
Lucas Ramírez was a highly touted high school prospect, ranked number 45 out of all Florida high school players in the 2024 graduating class. The 18-year-old outfielder was part of the number 1 recruiting class in the country that the 2024 national champion, Tennessee Volunteers, accumulated.
Like Ortiz, the speedy outfielder enters the MLB with the national spotlight on him due to his father’s legacy. However, the Angels will not rush the round 17 draft selection to the big show because of this and will try to develop Ramírez as a fielder and hitter in their farm system over the next couple of years.
Photo Credit: David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox looks on with his son D’Angelo Ortiz before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 30, 2016 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
