Tennessee second baseman Jorel Ortega has officially been selected in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. With the 174th overall pick in the sixth round, the Minnesota Twins have selected Ortega out of the University of Tennessee.
Ortega is the seventh MLB Draft selection from Tennessee so far in this year’s draft.
According to Baseball America, Ortega’s pick value in the sixth round with the Minnesota Twins is at $301,200.
The Naranjito, Puerto Rico native originally came to Tennessee in 2020 by way of Spanish River High School in Lake Worth, Florida. Ortega spent his first season on the bench while recovering from offseason surgery before bursting onto the scene in 2021. Ortega appeared in 13 games over the course of the season and found four starts among them.
In 2022, Jorel Ortega shined as Tennessee’s everyday second baseman. From an offensive perspective, Ortega finished the season tied for Tennessee’s leader in triples (4) and second on the team in hits (76) and doubles (20). The redshirt sophomore ended the 2022 season hitting .323 with 18 home runs and 61 RBIs. Defensively, Ortega finished the season with a .959 fielding percentage.
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Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, Ortega was named a Second Team All-American by Perfect Game.
As mentioned previously, Ortega is the seventh player to be taken off the board from Tennessee (so far) during the 2022 MLB Draft:
- Drew Gilbert, Round 1 Pick 28, Houston Astros
- Jordan Beck, Compensatory Round A Pick 38, Colorado Rockies
- Blade Tidwell, Round 2 Pick 52, New York Mets
- Trey Lipscomb, Round 3 Pick 84, Washington Nationals
- Ben Joyce, Round 3 Pick 89, Los Angeles Angels
- Will Mabrey, Round 6 Pick 168, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Jorel Ortega, Round 6 Pick 174, Minnesota Twins
From TN to Twins!
With the 174th pick in the 2022 Draft, we’ve selected 2B Jorel Ortega! pic.twitter.com/JwhU2h4LJz
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 18, 2022
