In Cuba, Ortega watched Major League Baseball games on videotapes which had been smuggled out of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Before defecting, he played for Industriales in the Cuban National Series. Ortega defected from Cuba during an international baseball tournament in Mexico in November 1996, leaving a wife and two-year-old son behind in Cuba. He was signed by the Cardinals in 1997 after a tryout.
Ortega was an outfielder in the minor leagues. In his five major league pinch-hitting appearances, Ortega had one hit in five at-bats.

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