D’Angelo Ortiz, son of Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz, has grown up with baseball in his blood.
Thus, it should come as no surprise that the 16-year-old is focused on someday following in his father’s footsteps and reaching the majors.
D’Angelo currently plays for Westminster Christian School in South Florida, a program that has produced five big leaguers (Alex Rodriguez, Doug Mientkiewicz, J.P. Arencibia, Dan Perkins and Mickey Lopez). It might not be too long before he, too, enters the professional ranks, however, as D’Angelo, about a year away from graduation, has his sights set on the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.
“That’s my only goal,” D’Angelo recently told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “Basically, it’s something that every morning I wake up, I wake up for that day or for that day that I get to go into pro ball.
“What people don’t understand, too, is that day that you go into pro ball, it’s just the beginning. It’s doesn’t mean you did anything. That’s the beginning — and that’s where people figure out whether you’re really built for this sport. So this is the very, very beginning, and I’ve got a ways to go. But I’m all for it and I want every part of the journey.”
A quick check of D’Angelo’s social media shows both his potential and his passion for the game. It doesn’t hurt, either, that his dad is arguably the greatest designated hitter of all time and can pass along some valuable knowledge.
But what about the pressure of being Big Papi’s kid?
Well, D’Angelo — “Little Papi,” as some Red Sox fans might refer to him after having seen him run around Fenway Park during his father’s career — hardly is shying away from such.
“To have him as a resource is amazing,” D’Angelo told Browne. “I’ll never use that as an excuse. I love pressure and I love … those butterflies in my stomach and I love people not expecting me to follow in his footsteps and me just walking right into them. It’s something that I love.”
There are differences between father and son. D’Angelo, whom Browne says currently stands at 6-foot and about 200 pounds, bats and throws right-handed. He also wears No. 12.
But it sure seems like D’Angelo is a chip off the old block in terms of talent and work ethic, a combination that could open the door for him to reach The Show before you know it.
