Despite growing pains Abimelec Ortiz has a bright future for the Washington Nationals

Just from the eye-test alone, Abimelec Ortiz looks hitterish. He has a beautiful left handed swing and always looks ready to fire. That swing took Ortiz from an undrafted free agent to a big leaguer in just a few years. Ortiz was a dominant power threat in the minors, with 116 career MILB homers. The power he showed in the Rangers system caught the Nats eyes and they made him part of the MacKenzie Gore package.

This season was more of the same for Ortiz, who slugged 18 homers in 85 AAA games. In Rochester, he posted an .845 OPS, though many of his underlying numbers suggested he should have been even better. Ortiz has never been the most highly touted prospect but he has always had power and makes more contact than you would expect.

That was sure the case when he burst on to the scene in the big leagues. With big league pitchers not having a book on him, Ortiz dominated early. He crushed fastballs and made consistent contact on pitches in the zone. That caught the league's attention though, and pitchers adjusted.