Ortiz attended Montclair School in Van Nuys, California before he continued on to the University of Oklahoma. In 1994, he pitched for a Sooners squad that would win the College World Series. In 38 innings, he had three saves and 30 strikeouts.\n', '

The right-hander was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 4th round of the June 1995 Major League Baseball draft. He was drafted as a closer, but converted to the starting rotation while in the Giants\' farm system. On April 2, 1998, Ortiz made his major league debut in relief, collecting four strikeouts over two innings. The rookie bounced all over the Giants pitching staff and between San Francisco and Triple-A Fresno, working in relief, out of the rotation and in the minors as injuries and inconsistency plagued the Giants rotation.\n', '

In 1999, Ortiz came into his own and held on to his spot in the Giants\' rotation, jumping on the scene as one of the National League\'s premier starters. His 18 wins was good for a tie of 4th in the NL and was in the top 10 in the senior circuit in many other pitching statistics.\n', '

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