Jason Martin is Healthy Ready to Compete for a MLB Spot
Of the four players acquirred in the deal that sent Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros, the one fans probably didn't know much about was prospect Jason Martin. He was just a double A outfielder when he came to the Pirates in 2018 and had a lot of room to develop. However, he was the first Pirates prospect called up to the show and he made an immediate impact in his first couple games. He helped the Pirates in a time of need, and now has all the tools he needs for success as he continued to develop in Triple A.
Martin appeared in just 20 games for the Pirates last season, hitting .250 with no home runs and two RBI. The numbers don't jump off the page, but when the Pirates needed someone to step up, Martin did. He came up to the show with a spark hitting .417 in his first five games and was getting on base at the top of the Pirates lineup. However, the initial success would wear off as Martin hit just .137 for the rest of the month of April, and his lack of development at Triple A would shine through.
Martin had two more stints with the Pirates during the 2019 season, one in early August and one in September. However, he would appear in just three games during those two stints and his season was cut short by injury. After being called on as a pinch runner on September 3rd, Martin would dislocate his shoulder during a collision at home plate and would require surgery in mid October. He entered spring training healthy and ready to once again compete for a spot on the Pirates bench.
However, he was competing against the likes of Guillermo Heredia and Kevin Kramer and he didn't make it past the first round of Spring Training cuts. Martin will take the good with the bad as it gives him more time to develop as he prepares for many more successful stints with the Pirates in the future. It will help him continue the development that was started when he was drafted in the 8th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros out of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange County, California.
He started his career with the Florida Gulf Coast League Astros where he performed ok hitting .251 with 17 RBI in 50 games played. His strikeouts were a little high as he struck out 31 times in 179 at bats, but he made up for it with 29 walks over that same timeframe. He did enough to earn the call to Class A Short Season Greenville Astros where he appeared in 42 games and saw his average jump to .274. He still hadn't found a power stroke but brought home a career-high 21 RBI. He used his above average speed to take extra bases, and hit a career-high 11 doubles for Greenville and stole eight bases in 14 opportunities.
He would finish 2014 with the Class A Tri-City Valley Cats where he played the final 21 games of his season. The jump took a toll on his batting average, dropping it to .222, and drove in two RBI. However, he hit a career milestone with his first career professional home run and had five extra base hits in those 21 games played. 2015 once again saw Martin move up the Astros system as he moved to the Class A Quad City Bandits for the 2015 season. His average once again rebounded as he continued to develop as a professional hitter.
With the Bandits, Martin would hit .270 with a career-high eight home runs and 57 RBI in 105 games played. It was nice to see Martin's power come through as his potential as a professional hitter was shining through. To go along with his home run numbers, Martin added 12 doubles and seven triples as he was hitting the gaps and using his speed on the base paths. The 2016 season saw Martin go through the last level of Class A when he played for the Lancaster Jet Hawks. Martin stayed right on pace with his career numbers hitting an identical .270 while his power really showed through. He hit 23 home runs, which still stands as a professional high, with 75 RBI.
He would start the 2017 season at the Advanced A level, playing 46 games, but made the jump to the Corpus Christi Hooks halfway through the season. He kept the double digit home run power hitting 11 with the hooks while driving in 37 runs and hitting .273. He continued to be a threat on the base paths stealing seven bases in 13 attempts causing problems for opposing pitchers. He was developinf into a promising outfield talent and his speed and ability to get on base were two of the things that made Martin and enticing part of the trade that brought Martin, Joe Musgrove, Michael Feliz, and Colin Moran to Pittsburgh.
He was assigned to Double A Altoona where he had his best season of his professional career. He hit .325 in 68 games while hitting nine home runs and driving in 34 RBI with Altoona and it looked like he was flourishing in a new system. He stole seven bases in 15 attempts for the Curve and saw his strikeout rate drop significantly, 61 in 255 at bats. He continued to reach base at a good rate with an on base percentage of .392, also a new career-high, while drawing 28 walks. Halfway through the season, Martin would earn his first call to Triple A.
He finished the year in Indianapolis where his average dropped down to go along with his career numbers, but he was able to keep his on base percentage north of .300. He hit .270 with three home runs and 21 RBI in his 59 games to end the year. He played perfect defense at the Triple A level playing in 482.2 innings of work while not comitting an error. He had 117 put outs and one assist, playing all three outfield spots in the Minor Leagues. He went into the off-season with momentum on his side and he was primed to compete for a spot on the MLB roster for the 2020 season.
It wouldn't take long before Martin's dream came true as he got the call to the Major Leagues on April 5th, 2019 and made his Major League debut one day later. Martin made his presence felt immediately hitting .417 over his first five games and it looked like he was going to find his groove, but as the month went on, Martin's results would drop. He hit just .137 over the final month of the season and was sent down to Triple A by the end of the month. It wasn't all bad for Martin, as he had several positives to build on as he continues his development.
One of his biggest positives was his ability to hit the ball hard when he made contact in his small sample size. He put up a hard hit percentage of 50% last season sitting 16 percentage points above League average while having an average exit velocity of 91 miles per hour. While these number are good, the problem is he hits the ball on the ground way to often. He hit the ball on the ground 53.8% of the time last year, meaning that hard contact was wasted most of the time. If he can work on elevating the ball and getting some air under the ball, he can then use that hard hit percentage to hit for more power at the Big League level.
His other plus was the patience that had followed him throughout his Minor League career. He drew four walks in 36 at bats last season for a 10% walk rate, finishing two percent higher than major League average. His on base percentage sat at .325 as he was getting on base at a healthy rate. When he is on base, he can use that speed to cause havoc for opposing pitchers. He didn't get many stolen base opportunities at the Major League level stealing two bases in two opportunities. When he makes the jump to the big leagues, he can be a valuable asset off the bench as a pinch runner for Manager Derek Shelton.
On the defensive side of the ball, Martin played strong defense appearing in two of the three outfield positions. Most of those appearances came in left field, where he appeared in 67.2 innings of work without comitting an error. He picked up 15 put outs in 15 chances and made seven starts in the spacious left field. His other three games came in center field, where he comitted just one error in 23 innings of work. Martin uses his speed to cover a lot of ground in the spacious PNC Park outfield. Last season, he covered an average of 32.8 feet in the outfield and had a sprint speed of 28.1 feet per second. His sprint speed ranks in the top 20% of the league and the top 50% of left fielders.
The 2020 season is going to be a big one for Martin as he continues to develop and get ready for the challenges of the Major Leagues. If he can continue to hit for average and find a way to channel some of that raw power, he could be a successful fourth outfielder. His speed will also make him a trustworthy pinch runner for Manager Derek Shelton, coming off the bench to score runs when his team needs it. While Martin still has some development to go through, he can use this time to become a better player and make his next round with the Pirates a more successful one.
Prediction: .266, 3 HR, 24 RBI
After spending a few months down at Triple A, I think Martin will be ready to make the jump to the Pirates once again. With his experience from last year in his pocket, I think Martin will find that high average that has followed him throughout his professional career. I don't think he will ever have another 20 home run season at the Major League level, but he could turn into a nice option for Shelton to turn to at the top of the Pirates lineup. Also, look for Martin to be the primary pinch runner for Shelton whenever Martin does get the call to the show.
As of now, the season is expected to begin somewhere around May 25th. Until then, we will continue to look at the men who make up this year's team and their contributions in 2020.
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