Prospect Watch: Mason Martin Becomes primary power threat in the Minor Leagues
When the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted high schooler Mason Martin out of Southridge High School in Kennewick, Washington, they didn't know who they were getting. The first baseman/pitcher was taken as an outfielder in the 17th round of the 2017 MLB draft, and had good numbers but needed time to develop. As he enters his fourth season in the Pirates Minor League system, he currently ranks as the team's #15 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline and is showing up as one of Pittsburgh's best power-hitting prospects. He has stayed as an outfielder so far in his career and has used a combination of good hitting and power to climb the Pirates Minor League ladder.
Last season, Martin split between two levels of the Minor Leagues and, despite a drop in batting average, showed tremendous power numbers as a corner outfielder. He ended the year hitting .254 with 35 home runs and 129 RBI in 131 games played. Not only was he one of the top power hitters in Class-A Baseball, but one of the top power hitters in the entire Pirates system. Only Major League first baseman Josh Bell hit more home runs than Martin did in the entire system, and Martin beat out every single player Major and Minor Leagues for the RBI crown in the organization. As a power hitter, you are going to see a fair number of strikeouts from Martin, who went down on strikes 30.2% of the time last season, but he also exhibits good plate discipline with 46 walks.
When Mason Martin was in high school, he played two totally different positions than he does in the Major Leagues. He was a first baseman and a pitcher for Southridge High School in Kennewick, Washington, and was the star of the team there as well. His power has always been his number one tool as he rated a 65 for raw power on a 20-80 scale, with 50 being the average. Martin helped lead his high school team to the playoffs on a consistent basis and received numerous high school accolades. He had a commitment to Gonzaga to play his college ball, but he always had professional baseball in the back of his mind.
When it came to the MLB draft, Martin knew his name could be called, but wasn't banking on it as a sure-fire thing. A lot of teams passed up Martin throughout the draft, including the Pittsburgh Pirates. 507 names were called before Martin, but he ended up being drafted in the 17th round of that 2017 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Martin took a couple of weeks to weigh his options, as he saw positives to both professional baseball and college ball. In the end, he signed with the Pirates on July 3rd, 2017, and signed for $350,000, way under his slot value. He would be sent to the GCL Pirates to start his professional career in rookie ball while playing both first base and outfield.
Offensively, his career got off to a bang as he hit .307 with 11 home runs and 22 RBI in 39 games played. The power came as advertised for Martin as not only was he getting the ball over the wall, but he was finding the gaps as well he had eight doubles and 19 total extra-base hits that season and ended up slugging .630 that season for the Pirates. His high strikeout rate started to show right from the get-go as he went down 46 times in 166 plate appearances, but high strikeout numbers are to be expected from a power hitter. However, Martin projects more as a first baseman than an outfielder because of his lack of speed that limits his defensive range.
Most of his work on the defensive side came at first base and he performed pretty well posting a .981 fielding percentage in 211 innings played. He committed just four errors that season while picking up 187 putouts and 21 assists. He also played all three outfield positions that year, but his lack of speed ended up proving to be a liability in the outfield. He appeared mostly in the corner outfield positions but did get to start one game as the team's centerfielder. He did not commit an error in the outfield that season but had trouble getting to some of the balls that would normally be an easy out for a professional outfielder. However, despite his defense, he was named a Baseball America Rookie League All-Star and was off and running with his Major League career.
With first base looking like his future position, Martin would earn a promotion to full-season baseball going to the Class Low-A West Virginia Power to start the 2018 season. However, full-season baseball was not as kind to Martin as Rookie ball was as his numbers dropped across the board. He hit just .200 in the South Atlantic League while hitting four home runs and driving in 18 RBI. After coming off of an impressive rookie season, the sophomore slump was a disappointment for the Pirates organization. His strikeout rate shit up that season as he went down 35.8% of the time and he became less and less disciplined at the plate as the season went on.
Because of his struggles at the plate, Martin ended up receiving a demotion that season and was sent to the Bristol Pirates to figure things out. The return to rookie ball helped revive Martin's power numbers, and he was able to slightly raise his batting average to a more respectable level. He appeared in 59 games for the Bristol Pirates during the 2018 season and hit .233 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI. He also saw a return of his ability to hit for extra-bases as he compiled 21 at rookie ball and regained the confidence he lot at Low-A. He was still striking out at a high-rate, with 87 strikeouts in 269 plate appearances, but he did raise his walk rate drawing a career-high 42 in those 59 games played.
With his walk numbers up and his power seeming to have rebounded in Rookie Ball, the Pirates would try Marting at Low-A baseball again, this time in Greensboro. He ended up making the transition that the Pirates wanted him to make the year before as he was a force to be reckoned with at the plate. He ended up hitting .262 with 23 home runs and 83 RBI and was a permanent fixture in the clean-up spot for the Grasshoppers. He ended up setting a new career-high with 19 doubles that season and 45 total extra-base hits. He was named a South Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star that year as well as a Class Low-A All-star representing the best Low-A players across the country.
With all the success he was having, the Pirates were forced to move Martin up to Advanced-A to see what he could do at the next level. He did not disappoint and ended up hitting 12 home runs and driving in 46 RBI in 82 games played. His batting average dropped to .239, but this time it did not come with a loss of power. While he only played less than half a season with the Marauders, Martin's 12 home runs were still good for third on the team behind fellow prospects Dylan Busby and Calvin Mitchell. Martin's strikeout rate continued to rise as he went down over 30% of the time but, on the positive side, he continued to walk at a decent rate as he got on base at a .333 clip.
The awards just kept coming for Martin as he was named a MiLB organizational All-Star and was recognized as one of the best players at all levels of Class-A Baseball. He received the Joe Bauman Home Run Award for Single-A Baseball with his 35 combined home runs that season. Martin continued his success into 2020 as he earned a spot on the Pirates taxi squad and is currently training with the team in Altoona. Martin could turn out to be a good power option for the Major League club if he is needed this season. However, I think it is more likely that we see Martin in 2021 getting a shot at Double-A Altoona. His strikeout rate is a little concerning as he gets to the higher levels of Minor League baseball, but his strong power numbers have fans excited for what the future holds for Mason Martin.
The Major League Baseball season is set to begin on July 23rd and July 24th with teams reporting to Spring Training on July 1st. As the season gets closer, we at Buccos Cove are determined to get you ready for the Coronavirus, shortened season with analysis, predictions, and everything you need to know before the season begins. Be sure to follow us on Facebook at Buccos Cove for all the exciting Pittsburgh Pirates coverage every single day.
Comments
Post a Comment