Joey Ortiz Bio
Joseph Anthony Ortiz (born July 14, 1998) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023 for the Baltimore Orioles before being traded to Milwaukee before the 2024 season. A versatile middle infielder, Ortiz has split time at second base, third base, and shortstop during his first two major league seasons.
Originally drafted by Baltimore in 2019, Ortiz rose through the Orioles’ farm system and reached the majors as a middle-infield prospect. He was later packaged in a high-profile trade that sent ace pitcher Corbin Burnes to Baltimore, and he has since become a regular in the Brewers’ everyday lineup.
Early Life and Background
Joseph Anthony Ortiz was born on July 14, 1998, and grew up in Southern California. He attended Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, California, where he played varsity baseball. As a senior in 2016, Ortiz hit .417 and added six triples, numbers that hinted at the contact skills and line-drive stroke that would later define his professional profile.
Despite that productive senior season, Ortiz went unselected in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He decided to continue his playing career at the college level and enrolled at New Mexico State University, joining the New Mexico State Aggies baseball program. His family background is not publicly detailed in available sources, but his California upbringing and multi-sport high school experience helped shape his baseball foundation.
Path to Professional Baseball
Ortiz quickly established himself as a steady college hitter at New Mexico State. As a freshman in 2017, he appeared in 55 games and batted .306 with 14 extra-base hits and 35 RBIs. The following year, he played 60 games and hit .289 with seven home runs, 54 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases, then sharpened his game that summer with the Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League.
His junior season in 2019 was his college breakthrough. Ortiz played 55 games and slashed .422/.484/.727 with eight home runs, 84 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, and 25 doubles. That performance made him one of five finalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, given annually to the top college shortstop. The Baltimore Orioles selected him in the fourth round, with the 108th overall pick, in the 2019 MLB draft, and he signed with the organization to begin his professional career.
Joey Ortiz Career
Early Career (2019–2022)
Ortiz made his professional debut in 2019 with the Aberdeen IronBirds, Baltimore’s short-season affiliate. Over 56 games, he hit .241 with one home run and 17 RBIs while adjusting to wooden bats and pro-level pitching. He did not appear in a game in 2020 after the minor league season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ortiz returned in 2021 and split the year between Aberdeen and the Bowie Baysox, but a shoulder injury limited him to 35 total games, in which he hit .265 with four home runs and 17 RBIs. Healthy again in 2022, he played 137 games between Bowie and the Norfolk Tides, batting .284/.349/.477 with 19 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 35 doubles. On November 15, 2022, Baltimore added Ortiz to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, formally placing him on the organization’s major league depth chart.
Baltimore Orioles (2023)
Ortiz began the 2023 season with Triple-A Norfolk and was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on April 27, 2023. In 15 games during his initial big-league stint, he batted .212/.206/.242 with no home runs and 4 RBI, offering a small sample of his contact-oriented approach.
Baltimore shuffled Ortiz between the majors and Triple-A three times that season, and he spent the final three months of the year with Norfolk. Still, his cup of coffee confirmed he was close to a full-time role, and Baltimore continued to view him as a middle-infield option heading into the offseason.
Milwaukee Brewers Era (2024–Present)
On February 1, 2024, the Orioles traded Ortiz and left-handed pitcher DL Hall to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for right-handed starter Corbin Burnes. Ortiz had been part of multiple trade discussions during the winter because Baltimore had a surplus of infield talent. He learned on March 25, 2024, that he had made the Brewers’ Opening Day roster out of spring training.
Ortiz started at second base on Opening Day and briefly shared third base with fellow rookie Oliver Dunn before taking over the starting job there on a more permanent basis when Dunn was optioned to the minors on May 15. He was named National League Rookie of the Month for May 2024, and over 142 games in his rookie season he hit .239 with 11 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 25 doubles. Entering 2025, Ortiz transitioned to shortstop as the Brewers’ new everyday option at the position following Willy Adames’ departure to the San Francisco Giants.
Driving Style and Strengths
Ortiz is valued for his smooth defensive actions, reliable hands, and ability to play multiple infield spots, traits that allowed Milwaukee to plug him in at second, third, and eventually shortstop. Offensively, his profile centers on line-drive contact, gap power, and doubles production rather than over-the-fence thump. His baseball IQ and willingness to move around the diamond have made him a favorite of the Brewers’ coaching staff.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his early career highlights, Ortiz earned a Brooks Wallace Award finalist nod in 2019, was a fourth-round draft pick that same year, reached the majors in 2023, and won National League Rookie of the Month honors in May 2024. His inclusion in the headline Corbin Burnes trade also marks one of the most high-profile transactions of his career to date.
Joey Ortiz Career Wins and Performances
Joey Ortiz is still building his major league resume, but he has already stacked up a series of milestones across the minor and major leagues. His combination of defensive versatility and doubles-driven offense has translated into steady playing time at the highest level.
Minor League and MLB Highlights
Ortiz’s strongest stretch as a prospect came in 2022, when he slashed .284/.349/.477 with 19 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 35 doubles across Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. That production pushed him onto Baltimore’s 40-man roster and ultimately to his 2023 MLB debut. In 2024, he logged 142 games as a rookie with the Brewers, hitting 11 home runs and driving in 60 runs while earning National League Rookie of the Month honors in May.
Other Performances
Outside of his MLB action, Ortiz put together a strong summer in the Northwoods League with the Willmar Stingers in 2018, an experience that helped him refine his game before his breakout New Mexico State junior season. He has continued to be a reliable winter and spring performer, evidenced by his winning an Opening Day roster spot with the Brewers in 2024.
Joey Ortiz Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Joey Ortiz’s immediate family is limited, and detailed records about his parents and siblings are not widely documented. What is known is that he grew up in the Garden Grove area of Southern California and developed his baseball skills in a region rich with amateur talent.
Personal Life
Ortiz keeps his personal life largely out of the public eye, and no widely confirmed information about a spouse or children is available. He is active on social media under the handle @headhunjoe on Instagram, where he shares glimpses of his baseball life and off-field interests.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season represents a new chapter for Joey Ortiz, who shifted to shortstop as the Milwaukee Brewers’ everyday option at the position after Willy Adames signed with the San Francisco Giants. That transition puts him at a premium defensive spot and gives him a chance to anchor the left side of the infield for a club expected to contend in the National League Central.
Ortiz enters the year coming off a 142-game rookie campaign in which he hit 11 home runs and added 25 doubles, numbers he will look to build on with regular at-bats at shortstop. His ability to handle multiple positions gives Milwaukee flexibility, but the club’s clearest path to contention runs through his bat finding more consistency in the middle of the order.
With a full spring training at shortstop behind him and a clearer everyday role, Ortiz’s outlook for 2025 is centered on steady defensive play, growth as a run producer, and helping the Brewers remain in playoff contention. If he can pair his contact skills with more extra-base pop, he has the tools to emerge as one of the more well-rounded young infielders in the National League.