Jorge Orta
Pesky little Jorge Orta was named an All-Star at two positions: second base and right field. Originally a shortstop in Mexico, the White Sox purchased Orta's contract and made him a second baseman. In eight seasons in the South Side with the ChiSox, Orta put up double-figures in homers six times, and finished second in the American League in batting in 1974. His bat kept Orta in the big leagues for 16 seasons, where he spent the last half of his career as a bat-for-hire, often serving as a designated hitter and pinch-hitter extraordinaire. A good contact hitter, Orta posted a .278 career batting average to go along with 130 home runs.
Played For
Chicago White Sox (1972-1979)
Cleveland Indians (1980-1981)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1982)
Toronto Blue Jays (1983)
Kansas City Royals (1984-1987)
Minor League Experience
In 1971, with Tuneros de San Luis Potosi in the Mexican Center League, Orta hit .423 to pace the league in average by more than 50 points. He led the league in nearly every offensive category (his slugging percentage was over .700). The 20-year old was quickly signed by the Chicago White Sox.
Best Season: 1974
Orta's 1974 and 1975 seasons were nearly identical, in terms of value. In 1974 he finished second to Rod Carew in the AL batting race, though Carew ran away with that race, winning by 48 points.
Born
Jorge (Nunez) Orta was born on November 26, 1950, in Mazatlan
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Primary Position: DH
Primary Team: CHA
Major League Debut
April 15, 1972
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1972
Dwight Evans
Buddy Bell
Mike Schmidt
Bob Boone
Gary Matthews
Davey Lopes
Goose Gossage
Rick Reuschel
Garry Maddox
Similar Players
Hubie Brooks, who also finished his career with the Kansas City Royals, is a decent comparison.
Related Players
Umpire Don Denkinger, who made the call in Game Six of the 1985 World Series... Orta owned pitcher Doug Bird, batting .517 (15-for-29) against him, with five homers and 15 RBI.
Post-Season Appearances
1984 American League Championship Series
1985 American League Championship Series
1985 World Series
Post-Season Notes
Orta hit a little grounder to first base to start the ninth inning of Game Six of the 1985 World Series. Cardinals' first baseman Jack Clark tossed the ball to pitcher Todd Worrell, who covered the bag and beat Orta by a step. But first base umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe. The missed call, along with several miscues by the usually fundamental Cardinals, led to a rally that saw the Royals come from behind to win the game, 2-1, and force Game Seven (which Kansas City won).
Batting Feats
Notes
The left-handed hitting Orta batted .251 with a .315 SLG mark off southpaws, and .286 /.442 against righties.
Hitting Streaks
17 games (1980)
17 games (1976)
Transactions
November 30, 1971: Purchased by the Chicago White Sox from the Mexicali (Mexican Northern).
November 1, 1979: Granted Free Agency.
December 19, 1979: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cleveland Indians.
December 9, 1981: Traded by the Cleveland Indians with Jack Fimple and Larry White to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Rick Sutcliffe and Jack Perconte.
December 28, 1982: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Mets for Pat Zachry.
February 4, 1983: Traded by the New York Mets to the Toronto Blue Jays for Steve Senteney.
December 20, 1983: Traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the Kansas City Royals for Willie Aikens.
December 22, 1986: Released by the Kansas City Royals.
January 12, 1987: Signed as a Free Agent with the Kansas City Royals.
June 17, 1987: Released by the Kansas City Royals.
Home Run Facts
Jorge Orta hit 130 home runs in his career, but just seven of them came against left-handed pitching.
Matchup Data
Orta hit .500 (35-for-50) against Dennis Eckersley, with an .800 slugging percentage, three homers, and 16 RBI... Orta was 0-for-24 in his career against Oakland right-hander Mike Norris...
All-Star Selections
1975 AL
1980 AL
Best Strength as a Player
Making contact and lining the ball all over the field.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Turning the pivot at second base, and his defensive range.
Learn More about Jorge Orta
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