Major League Baseball’s amateur draft came to a close on Tuesday afternoon. Before it concluded, the Boston Red Sox made a notable selection in the 19th round, choosing third baseman D’Angelo Ortiz from Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus.
For those wondering, D’Angelo is, as the headline above indicates, the son of Boston legend and Hall of Famer David Ortiz, who spent parts of 14 seasons with the Red Sox from 2003-2016. D’Angelo, 20, appeared in 48 games this season with the Sharks. He batted .328/.431/.374 with a home run and 38 runs batted in.
Of course, D’Angelo wasn’t the only player selected in this year’s draft who had some kind of big-league bloodlines or another. Indeed, Ortiz’s longtime Red Sox teammate Manny Ramirez saw his son Lucas get selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 17th round.
Some others worth knowing from this year’s class include Clark Candiotti (Tom’s son, drafted by the San Diego Padres), Nick McLain (Matt’s brother, drafted by the Chicago White Sox), Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek (Mark’s son, drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays), and Cade Obermueller (Wes’ son, drafted by the Texas Rangers).
Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo’s son Ryan was also selected — in the 20th round by the Seattle Mariners. (No word on if Dipoto intends to offer Ryan to the Royals as part of a trade for, say, Bobby Witt Jr.
The highest chosen player with MLB bloodlines? That would be left-handed pitcher Cam Caminiti, who went No. 24 to the Atlanta Braves. His late cousin, Ken, was a three-time All-Star who won the National League’s 1996 Most Valuable Player Award.
You can click here to examine this year’s entire draft class.
