Former Texas Rangers coach Hector Ortiz passes away after lengthy battle with cancer

It has been a difficult day for the MLB as former catcher and Texas Rangers coach Hector Ortiz passed away following a lengthy battle with cancer. According to multiple reports, the 54-year-old passed away at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona following his three-year battle with the deadly illness.

"Some sad news to pass along in the middle of this game as the Rangers have announced the passing of former coach Hector Ortiz who passed this morning at 54 years old after a battle with cancer. Ortiz was on the Rangers big league coaching staff from 2015-2020 #WentAndTookit" - @Kane_McCutchen6

The Texas Rangers and their organization is mourning the passing of Hector Ortiz, who spent 18 years with the club. The native of Río Piedras, Puerto Rico served in several different coaching roles with the Rangers across both the minor and major leagues.

Ortiz spent nearly two decades in the Texas Rangers organization. Throughout the 2000s, Ortiz served as a hitting coach for the Spokane Indians, both manager and hitting coach of the Hickory Crawdads, as well as the manager of the Arizona Rangers. He later became the Texas Rangers catching coordinator in the minors.

From 2015-2020, Hector earned his promotion to the MLB, serving as the first base coach, catching coach, and bullpen coach with the Texas Rangers.

"@rangers Catchers Hoodie Shirts are now available at the Grand Slam Team Store in centerfield @globelifefield All proceeds will go to @rangersfoundation and to help Hector Ortiz and family as he battles cancer. #hectorstrong #biggerthanbaseball #baseball #mlb #texasrangers" - @bobbywilson_88

Once Ortiz received his cancer diagnosis, Rangers coach Bobby Wilson designed a blue "Hector Strong" hoodie with the proceeds supporting families dealing with cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ortiz's family during this difficult time.

Hector Ortiz played four seasons in the MLB as a catcher

Ortiz's life in baseball extended beyond the realm of coaching, in fact, he began his professional baseball career as a catcher. Hector was originally selected in the 35th round of the 1988 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, although he never appeared in a game for the big league club.

Instead, Ortiz made his MLB debut in 1998 with the Kansas City Royals. The catcher spent parts of three seasons with the Kansas City Royals and seven games with the Texas Rangers during his playing career. By the time he retired, he finished with a career .288 batting average with 18 RBIs and a home run.