Ernny Ordonez

ERNNY ORDONEZ, FIRST BASEMAN
Born: January 17, 1999
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 210
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Drafted: 33rd Round, 994th Overall, 2019
How Acquired: Draft
College: Central Arizona College
Agent:

WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE
Ordonez was listed as a shortstop, but the Pirates announced him as a third baseman and he’s played first as a pro. He has two seasons in at the JUCO level, hitting .398/.427/.626 as a freshman, followed by a .332/.382/.535 slash line in 65 games this season. Ordonez played in a high offense environment, with his team scoring over 500 runs in 70 games. He stole 17 bases over two seasons, running more often during his freshman year. He saw a slight increase to his walks and strikeouts, while the power/OBP numbers dipped this year. He had a commitment to play at Kansas, but signed quickly.

2019
R+:  230/308/309, 139 AB, 8 2B, 1 HR, 14 BB, 39 K, 2-3 SB

Ordonez was the primary first baseman for Bristol; in fact, he didn’t play anywhere else in the field.  He fit a puzzling pattern with the Pirates, at most of their affiliates, of using utility and other players with low offensive ceilings at first base.  Ordonez didn’t hit much and had trouble making contact.  He didn’t play after mid-August due to a thumb injury.

2020
DNP

2021
A:  252/321/411, 258 AB, 14 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 24 BB, 64 K, 1-1 SB

Ordonez was hurt at the start of the season, but joined Bradenton at the end of May and became the regular first baseman after Will Matthiessen was promoted.  He had a solid season at the plate, mainly by hitting LHPs; he had an .827 OPS against them and .705 against RHPs.  Defensively he struggled, committing 11 errors in 66 games at first.

2022
A+:  212/250/416, 274 AB, 12 2B, 1 3B, 14 HR, 13 BB, 106 K, 4-7 SB

Ordonez divided his time between first, third and left at Greensboro.  He hit for decent power and had the same number of home runs at home and on the road, so it wasn’t the ballpark.  His walk and K rates, on the other hand, were very bad, leading to an extremely low OBP.  He had a big platoon split, with an .852 OPS against LHPs and .609 against RHPs.

Given Ordonez’ struggles with the strike zone, he might not be able to handle AA pitching, and he’s probably not a prospect anyway.

CONTRACT INFORMATION
2023: Minor league contract
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus: $75,000
MiLB Debut: 2019
MLB Debut:
MiLB FA Eligible: 2025
MLB FA Eligible:
Rule 5 Eligible: 2022
Added to 40-Man:
Options Remaining: 3
MLB Service Time: 0.000
TRANSACTIONS
June 5, 2019: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 33rd round, 994th overall pick; signed on June 14.