FORT MYERS, Fla.- Florida SouthWestern State freshman Abimelec Ortiz signed a free agent contract with the Texas Rangers on Monday night, bringing the number of pros from the Bucs 2021 squad to five. 

Ortiz led the Bucs with a .349 average as a rookie in 2021 while slugging .596 and putting up an impressive 1.025 OPS during his freshman campaign.  He clubbed 12 doubles and cracked nine home runs while driving in 47 on the year which all ranked second on the club.  He put together a number of hot streaks during his only season in Fort Myers including one in early February in which he blasted homers in three straight games against #3 Chipola, #15 Miami Dade, and Indian River. Ortiz's big freshman year was one for the record books as his .349 average, 9 home runs, and 47 RBIs are all second best in a single season in program history while his 12 doubles, 39 runs scored, and 58 hits on the year all rank in the top 10. 

Ortiz marks the fifth player off the Bucs 2021 roster to be picked up by a Major League Baseball organization after Carlos Rodriguez(6^th-Brewers), Alex Ayala (9^th- Rays), Marc Davis (11^th- Nationals), and Antonio Knowles (13^th- Dodgers) were all selected in the Draft Monday and Tuesday.  In comparison, that number puts the Bucs behind only Florida and Florida State and ahead of programs like Miami, Florida Atlantic, South Florida, and FGCU in the state of Florida for signees from their 2021 squads.