2019 Mets draft profile: Jake Ortega

Born: Mission Viejo, California

Age: 22 (7/31/96)

Height/Weight: 5’10”/175 lbs.

Position: C

Bats/Throws: L/R

School: California State University Bakersfield (Bakersfield, California)

Jake Ortega is a graduate of Capistrano Valley High School, where he won the 2014 league title and was subsequently named to the 2013-2014 Southern California Top 20 All-Star Team. He was not as successful in 2015, his senior season, hitting .258/.337/.315 in 29 games. He enrolled at California State University at Bakersfield following his graduation from high school and hit .283/.346/.293 in 92 at-bats. He followed that up by hitting .322/.390/.364 in 188 at-bats in his sophomore year. He hit .245/.315/.289 in 2018 and was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference Second Team. He went undrafted in the 2018 MLB Draft and returned to Cal State Bakersfield for his senior season, hitting .333/.421/.410 in 51 games.

At the plate, Ortega has shown enough bat speed and raw power to really drive the ball when he connects. He has a noisy swing with a lot of moving parts, and as such, there is a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, making it harder for him to tap into his power. Behind the plate, Ortega has the tools to excel defensively. He is mobile and moves well and has an accurate arm with above-average strength. Though primarily a catcher, Ortega has experience playing second base, shortstop, and third base. He is not agile enough to play those positions in any more than an occasional fill-in, but has more than enough arm for them.