SAN DIEGO — Tirso Ornelas stood on first base in front of another raucous sold out crowd at Petco Park Friday night after lining a clean hit to center field during his first big league game in the cross-border region where he grew up.
Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda, who grew up playing against Ornelas in their native Tijuana, presented him with the ball and wished him luck. Ornelas, 25, then kissed it before it was taken out of play.
When Ornelas first stepped onto the field at Petco Park to play in the Padres’ inaugural On Deck Game at the completion of instructional league play in 2016, it seemed likely that he – and many of his teammates that night – might return quickly.
Instead, the last 8.5 years have been a roller coaster ride that, at times, made him question whether a big league debut was in the cards at all.
Asked what he would tell the 16-year-old who was at Petco that October night, Ornelas chuckled.
Tirso Ornelas drives a ball in spring training, 2018. (MadFriars/David Jay)
“Keep enjoying what you’re doing. It’s going to be a long process,” said Ornelas. “There are going to be some really bad moments and some really great moments. But if you keep going and stay focused on whatever your job is, you’re going to get there.”
The great moments started early, as Ornelas shined in his debut campaign in the Arizona Summer League. He didn’t quite land on the Top 20 after that season, but he certainly had our attention. He continued to post solid results for (then Low-A) Fort Wayne in 2018, getting to a bit more power and posting strong walk and strikeout rates. That earned him a spot among the Padres’ top 20 prospects heading into 2019.
But then, for the first time, the roller coaster took a major dip. At High-A Lake Elsinore, his production cratered as he chased home runs. After hitting .150 for more than a month, things got so bad that Ornelas was sent back to the complex league to try to find his swing. Things improved, but he still finished the year with a .582 OPS.
Tirso Ornelas returned to the Summit City in 2021. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
After the pandemic cancelled the 2020 minor league season, Ornelas spent the winter playing in Mexico, trying to tighten up his swing. While he watched fellow 2016 signees get added to 40-player rosters and make their big league debuts, Ornelas returned to the Midwest League for 2021 and plodded along with production slightly above league average. At the end of the year, there was never any real thought given to needing to protect Ornelas in the Rule 5 draft.
The 2022 season was more of the same. Ornelas had solid production on a weak San Antonio Missions squad, but it wasn’t enough to earn a promotion to Triple-A to open the 2023 campaign. Perhaps unhappy with the decision, Ornelas didn’t get off to a great start.
Manager Luke Montz and hitting coach Pat O’Sullivan – who is now on the big league coaching staff – called Ornelas in to talk.
June, 2023, gave Tirso Ornelas many reasons to celebrate. (Photo: San Antonio Missions).
“I remember the meeting with them,” said Ornelas. “They asked if I was doing everything I could, putting everything I can out there to make myself successful.
“I left the office with a different mentality. Everything came together for me from there. It felt like the progressions weren’t going the way I wanted on the field, but I decided then to do everything I could to put myself out there.”
Ornelas had a monster June following the sit-down, hitting .353/.411/.598 to earn a promotion to Triple-A. But things didn’t go well there and he finished the year back in San Antonio.
While he had the opportunity to leave as a minor league free agent at that point, Ornelas made the choice to return to the only organization he’d known. But he gave himself a bit of insurance by negotiating the right to opt out during the 2024 season if he wasn’t added to the 40-player roster during the year.
After a brutal 2-for-34 start to the year with the Chihuahuas, went on a tear, reaching base in 19 of 20 games. By the end of June, his OPS was up to .872. By mid-July, it sat at .905 and the Padres finally added him to the 40-man roster. While he wasn’t brought up during the year, he was the organizational minor league player of the year and he and the team were clearly on the same page about continuing to build together.
Tirso Ornelas and Jackson Merrill celebrate in the dugout in Peoria. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Ornelas had a strong spring, but once again was edged out for a roster spot. That left him to wait another month before the call finally came.
Ornelas joined the Padres in Houston on their last road trip before finally coming full circle and returning to Petco Park on Friday night.
“I’m so grateful to the organization for giving me this opportunity and sticking with me. I just want the best for this organization,” said Ornelas. “All I want is to wear this uniform proudly and represent the Padres and get to the World Series and bring that championship that everyone wants.”
