Inside the adjustment that helped Orioles infield prospect Joey Ortiz become "a dude" at Bowie

Joey Ortiz was a breakout prospect for the Orioles in 2021, but one simple tweak allowed him to elevate beyond that with an explosive July for Bowie.

Joey Ortiz had a unique 2021. His work during the minor league shutdown made him a buzzy player within the Orioles’ player development department, and his breakout was cut short by a shoulder injury that required surgery to repair a labrum injury in his shoulder a couple months into the season.

But to consider that his breakout would be to discount what he did in the last month, capped by a grand slam Sunday for Bowie in his final at-bat of July that gave him a 1.112 OPS for the month and put him firmly back on the Orioles’ prospect radar.

It’s been a long road back from injury for Ortiz, and the finishing touch was an adjustment in hand placement from the Orioles’ hitting staff that has unlocked an impact offensive profile for a player whose defense at shortstop has never been in question.

“He really has turned it up as far as just being kind of a dude in this lineup,” Bowie hitting coach Branden Becker told me at Prince George’s Stadium this weekend.