National League-leading statistic proves just how incredible Joey Ortiz's season turnaround has been

Six weeks ago, Milwaukee Brewers infielder Joey Ortiz was under a great deal of scrutiny for yet another lackluster offensive season. He entered play on July 4 having surrendered the everyday shortstop job to prospect Cooper Pratt two weeks prior, while maintaining just a .201 batting average and a .540 OPS, and many Brewers fans were screaming for the front office to add an infield bat before the trade deadline.

Remarkably, those numbers were even worse than Ortiz’s 2025 season, when he hit .230 with a .593 OPS while also enduring well-documented struggles with the bases loaded. However, shortly after moving positions, “Third Base Joey” emerged, and entering play on August 18 his overall season numbers have climbed to a .243 batting average and .678 OPS.

Those numbers represent an incredible statistical turnaround, especially this late in the season. In fact, Ortiz’s production since July 4 has ranked among the best in the National League.

Joey Ortiz is among the National League's hottest hitters over the last six weeks

Heading into the Brewers and Dodgers' finale on Sunday, Joey Ortiz, yes Joey Ortiz, had the highest OPS since July 4 among National League batters with a minimum of 90 at-bats. As seen in the graphic below, from SleeperBrewers' X account, Ortiz's 1.005 OPS was better than similarly incredible stretches from Griffin Conine, Ty France, James Wood, and CJ Abrams.

During this stretch, Ortiz has delivered several standout performances. He has recorded nine multi-hit games, including a trio of three-hit outings. One of those three-hit performances came during a July 7 doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, during which Ortiz had five total hits between the two contests.

On July 22 against the Mets, Ortiz came within a home run of hitting for the cycle, but drew a walk in his final at-bat, exemplifying his improved plate discipline and approach during this hot stretch. More recently, Ortiz launched an early two-run home run off Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski on Saturday night, which gave Jacob Misiorowski some early run support.

A few measurable statistics behind Ortiz’s turnaround have been an increase in his bat speed and a greater willingness to swing at pitches in the strike zone. His more aggressive and confident swings at hittable pitches have clearly paid dividends, and it is a testament to how well he is seeing the ball at the plate right now.

For a player who was under so much scrutiny just six weeks ago, Ortiz has completely changed the conversation around his season. Maybe the move to third base helped unlock something offensively, but with his improved bat speed and approach, his turnaround has him as one of the National League’s hottest hitters at the moment.

Whether “Third Base Joey” can sustain this level of production remains to be seen, but for the Brewers, having Ortiz swinging the bat like this heading into the final stretch of the season could be a massive boost.

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