Red Sox

Brianna Wakefield writes heartfelt message to D’Angelo Ortiz after he was drafted by the Red Sox

"What a heartwarming full circle moment."

By Khari Thompson

July 17, 2024

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• Email
• 17

Brianna Wakefield, daughter of the late Tim and Stacy Wakefield, sent Red Sox draft pick D’Angelo Ortiz a heartfelt message of congratulations via Instagram on Tuesday.

The Red Sox picked D’Angelo, the son of legendary Sox slugger David Ortiz, in the 19th round of this year’s MLB Draft.

“@dangeloortiz34 all I can say is congratulations! So proud of you and so lucky (to) have grown up with y’all in the family room ❤️ what a heartwarming full circle moment #goredsox.”

Tim Wakefield and David Ortiz were teammates on the Red Sox from Ortiz’s arrival in 2003 until Wakefield’s retirement in 2011. Wakefield still holds the team records for games started and innings pitched. Ortiz was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.

D’Angelo Ortiz is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound third baseman. He’s a sophomore at Miami Dade Community College, where he hit .377 and had 35 RBIs last season. Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson described Ortiz as an athletic, power-hitting third baseman in an interview with MLB.com.

“It means a lot to the organization,” Pearson said. “But I just want to make it clear that D’Angelo is a prospect and the reason we selected him is a result of the relationship that our area scout has had with the player for a long time. And we had him at a workout recently and got to interact with him, just felt like it was a good add to the organization. And it’s a plus that his dad’s David Ortiz, but we drafted him as a prospect.”

D’Angelo Ortiz wasn’t the only son of a former Red Sox legend taken in this year’s draft. Lucas Ramirez, son of Manny Ramirez, was selected by the Angels in the 17th round.