Ortiz, Brown Named High-A East All-Stars

JERSEY SHORE, NJ - BlueClaws outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz and pitcher Blake Brown earned spots on the High-A East All-Star Team, it was announced on Thursday by Minor League Baseball.

Ortiz, the High-A East All-Star designated hitter, hit .262 with 19 home runs and 48 RBIs in 74 games with the BlueClaws before a July 31st promotion to Double-A Reading. At the time of his promotion, he was tied for the High-A East lead with 19 home runs. Ortiz hit 13 home runs in July alone, tying him for second most in all of Minor League Baseball during the month. He hit two home runs in a game three different times, including on back to back days - July 24th and 25th - in Winston-Salem.

The 22 year old Ortiz is the #11 prospect in the Phillies system per Baseball America.

🔥🔥🔥 ANOTHER Jhailyn Ortiz 💣! Make it 19 on the year, 13 in July, six in the last four games! pic.twitter.com/3BAuEyE12h

— Jersey Shore BlueClaws (@BlueClaws) July 27, 2021

Brown, a 23 year old from Dallas, North Carolina, went 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA across 33 appearances and 40 innings with the BlueClaws this year. He saved eight games. In his 40 innings, Brown struck out 58 opposing hitters (13.1 Ks/9). From June 17th through the end of the season, Brown had a 1.84 ERA over 23 games with seven of his eight saves.

He earned his first professional win on August 14th in Hudson Valley. Brown entered a scoreless game in the bottom of the 10th inning and kept the Renegades from scoring, despite the inherited runner at second base, in both the 10th and the 11th innings before the BlueClaws won the game in the top of the 12th inning.

Brown was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of UNC-Asheville in 2020.

LISTEN - Brown joined the Hook, Line & Splitter podcast in August.

Blake Brown strikes out the side in the ninth to close the door on his 7th save of the year and a 6-4 BlueClaws win! pic.twitter.com/fugA1r0oY8

— Jersey Shore BlueClaws (@BlueClaws) August 19, 2021

Ortiz and Brown are the first BlueClaws in the team's High-A era to earn Post-Season All-Star status. Most recently, LHP Will Stewart and IF Jake Scheiner, along with manager Marty Malloy and pitching coach Brad Bergesen were South Atlantic League Post-Season All-Stars in 2018.

-Jersey Shore BlueClaws-.