As the old saying goes, offense wins games but defense wins championships.
Y-D is blessed with a meticulously assembled roster of hot bats (Jake Souders, Brock Ketelsen, Tommy Goodin), speedy baserunners (John Beverley, Kevin Takeuchi), and small-ball connoisseurs (Phoenix Call). According to the old phrase, this is only half the battle of assembling a successful team.
On the defensive end, Y-D has Avery Ortiz.
It should not be forgotten that his offense has proven solid from his .286 batting average and .375 on-base percentage, making him a reliable chip in the lineup who can frequently get on base. (He attributes his success at the plate to making an effort to play “like a kid”, meaning that he makes an effort to “smile” and “laugh” often.)
However, Ortiz’s defense capabilities are a large part of what makes him, him.
Ortiz is an infielder and rising senior from Oklahoma State University, and joins Y-D for his second summer. At 5 '11, 190lbs, Ortiz has proven to be a reliable piece of Y-D’s defense. So far, he’s recorded a 1.000 fielding percentage at both second base and shortstop over 25 innings. He’s also made five double-plays.
In Y-D’s 6-2 victory on Tuesday, which missed the last two innings due to weather concerns, Ortiz initiated two 6-4-3 double plays from shortstop. He threw to Ethan Ball (Virginia Tech) covering second, who then threw to first baseman Tommy Goodin (Vanderbilt University).
Although the seamless execution of double plays like these is generally expected from infielders at this level, communication with your middle-infield and first baseman counterparts is key to ensuring that these double plays are smooth and successful, Ortiz said.
He also explained that successful defense requires thinking of hypothetical situations and knowing how to react to each of them before every pitch.
“Knowing the situation beforehand [is important], just kind of being prepared, like ‘if the ball takes me this way, I’m going this way,’” Ortiz said.
Although the sample size is small, Ortiz’s fielding success for Y-D doesn’t appear to be a fluke given his collegiate performance. In 2026, across 17 starts at Oklahoma State, Ortiz ended with a .933 fielding percentage, nine double plays, and only four errors.
He has also proven to excel defensively for Y-D in the past, given that his 2025 summer season earned Ortiz a 1.000 fielding percentage and zero errors over 21 innings.
Y-D fans can watch Ortiz’s solid defense again on Thursday at 5 p.m. EDT, away, against the Brewster Whitecaps.
