Former Willmar Stinger Joey Ortiz Debuts with the Orioles

Written by Logan Bourandas

Willmar, MN – Willmar added another alumni onto its list of players to make their MLB debut on Thursday when infielder Joey Ortiz did so for the Baltimore Orioles.

Ortiz hit ninth in the Baltimore lineup against the Detroit Tigers and became the first Orioles player to record 3 RBI in their debut since 1970.

Two of those RBI came in the fifth inning when Ortiz picked up his first MLB hit off of Tigers pitcher Joey Wentz.

Ortiz’s big day would prove to be the difference maker as the Orioles picked up a 7-4 win to advance to 17-8 on the young season.

The New Mexico State product played for the Stingers in the summer of 2018. In 34 games during that season, Ortiz came away with a .282 batting average and 14 RBI as a 19 year old.

Ortiz would then go on to be drafted by the Orioles in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Following the draft, Ortiz reached the Triple-A level as early as 2022 where it only took 16 games in Norfolk this season and a .359 batting average to get the call to the big leagues.

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The Willmar Stingers is a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 30^th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, 300 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.willmarstingers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Stingers as your favorite team.