FLUSHING, NY — The Washington Nationals are getting strong power from their first base platoon of Puerto Rican Abimelec Ortíz and Venezuelan Andrés Chaparro.
Ortíz, 24, a left-handed hitter, was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, while Chaparro, 27, a right-handed slugger, is from El Vigía, Venezuela.
This past weekend as the Nationals were swept by the Mets at Citi Field, the Latino duo split time with Ortíz facing right-handed pitchers and Chaparro facing left-handers.
Across the three-game set, Ortíz was 2-for-10 with a home run, and Chaparro was 1-for-2, also connecting for a home run. Coming into the weekend vs. the Mets, they were riding hot—with Ortíz going 7-for-15 with three home runs and seven RBI while for Chaparro, he ranked third in MLB with an OPS of 1.056 since the All-Star Break.
Additionally, the Nationals duo has helped D.C. lead all first basemen in fWAR as a team since the All-Star Break with an fWAR of 1.6—combining for 11 home runs in this span with an OPS of .977 and 31 RBI.
For Ortíz, it all started in Philadelphia against the Phillies on August 3rd, which was the second time he was called up by the Nationals this season. He came up briefly before the All-Star Break on July 12th, but was sent right back down after going 0-for-2 vs. the Yankees in his MLB debut.
“I shared it with my wife,” he said of getting sent down and called up again. “We were together and saw a lot of emotions right at the beginning when they told me the news, because it’s all the hard work. All the hard work that I put in, all the sacrifice on me and my family, and for it to pay off, it feels really great.”
In his first at-bat back up in the bigs in Philadelphia, he crushed a ball 390 feet off Aaron Nola for his first career MLB home run.
“I was really excited,” he said of his homer. “I wanna thank God for putting me in this position and also all the work that I put in throughout the years for me to be here and accomplish that—it feels really great, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”
Earlier this month in his first at-bat back in MLB, Abimelec Ortíz went yard against Phillies’ RHP Aaron Nola for his first career MLB home run – Image Credit: MLB
Now as he continues to develop in the Show—in 40 MLB at-bats—Ortíz has five home runs, nine RBI, and an OPS of 1.017.
This past offseason, Ortíz, a product of The Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy in Florida, Puerto Rico, was traded from the Rangers to the Nationals in a deal headlined by MacKenize Gore. This was after him going undrafted out of Florida SouthWestern State College and signing with the Rangers in 2021.
“I mean, surprised right at the beginning for the trade, but when I got here to this organization, I was just really happy for the opportunity,” Ortíz said. “They provided me with the trust and I was just really excited to be part of the Washington Nationals.”
It was all part of the journey that helped shape Ortíz into who he is today, giving credit to Beltrán’s Academy for his success.
“It was great. I was there at the Carlos Beltrán Academy. The coaches, everyone there, they shaped me. They helped me develop new skills: hitting, the infield, and the outfield. It turned me into the player I am today.”
With the home run on Sunday, Ortíz tied a Nationals record with his fifth home run in his first 14 games, which was previously done by Joey Meneses in 2022.
Abimelec Ortíz’s five home runs in his first 14 games puts him with Joey Meneses in 2022 as the only Nationals to ever do so – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
He’s already got opposing pitchers focusing on him and on his own team, Nationals manager Blake Butera is a huge fan, recently weighing in on Ortíz’s game by stating, “He’s doing a really good job of controlling the zone and hunting the pitches that he’s looking for. When he gets them, he’s doing damage to them.”
Ortíz could be carving himself a future role with the Nationals if he continues his strong play. Chaparro may be on the same boat as they could still play together day-to-day if one was in the designated hitting role.
Chaparro, who can also swing it, has compiled seven home runs and 29 RBI with a .830 OPS in 111 MLB at-bats this season.
“This second half has felt really good, it’s not a secret to anybody. The results are there,” he said. “It’s been a good second half for me. I just gotta keep working.”
The Yankees signed Chaparro out of Venezuela as an international free agent in 2015. After the 2023 MiLB season, he elected for free agency, signed with the Diamondbacks and was then traded to the Nationals at the trade deadline on July 30th, 2024.
And how things just ended up working out, he made his MLB debut in 2024 with the Nationals, and his first home run came against his former team, the Yankees.
“My major league debut and my first home run was against the Yankees, against Gerrit Cole. Those memories are the ones that are gonna stick with me for the rest of my life. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine those things are gonna come. But, like, once you live it, once you live through them, it stays with you.”
He went on to say: “I think the Yankees are the best organization that you can go to, and for them to teach you the game, teach you everything, I’m of course kind of sad to leave the organization and leave friendships behind. But also you wanna make the debut with the organization that gives you the opportunity, so I’m really grateful for the Nationals that they gave me the opportunity and that I’m here now.”
It will be great to watch how these two finish out the 2026 season, a Latino duo that could be part of the Nationals’ long-term plan to rebuild.
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