Blue Jays Farm Report: Better pitch selection helps Martinez hit for more than just power

Baseball

Published 12.07.2023

Blue Jays Farm Report: Better pitch selection helps Martinez hit for more than just power

At the tip of final season, after Orelvis Martinez hit 30 house runs as a 20-year-old in double-A, the hard-hitting infielder had motive to be ok with his progress. After all, he’d efficiently made the bounce to the Eastern League, the place he was 4 years youthful than common, and held his personal with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. If he selected to be set in his methods, effectively, you would perceive that.

Martinez wasn’t, although, refusing to miss all of the empty at-bats inside his .203 common and .286 on-base proportion and simply harp on the harm. As he and the Toronto Blue Jays dug into subsequent steps, they made pitch recognition and swing choices a focus and after a sluggish begin, a .301/.425/.609 stretch over his final 47 video games suggests his new strategy on the plate is absolutely beginning to take, with a promotion to triple-A Buffalo anticipated within the coming days.

“Yeah, 30 homers is a good number but I think I can do better than that,” Martinez says throughout a latest interview in Manchester, N.H., interpreted by teammate Steward Berroa. “I can hit 30 homers with a decent average and be in more situations to hit the ball more, than just having 30 homers with a really low average. I’m always open to receiving feedback and getting better.”

Encouraging for the Blue Jays is that the now 21-year-old caught with it even after an .089/.169/.266 begin by way of his first 22 video games, when he was making good contact however not getting outcomes. His strikeout proportion of 28.5 per cent a yr in the past is all the way down to 19.8 per cent whereas his stroll price went from 8.1 to 14.2 per cent.

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If these lock in, particularly up a degree with Buffalo, the Blue Jays could actually have one thing given Martinez’s prolific pure energy.

“There were so many times last year that he just swung at the pitchers’ pitches,” says Cesar Martin, his supervisor with the Fisher Cats final yr and this one. “He said, ‘That’s on me, I was chasing, trying to hit everything out.’ Now he has a better idea what the pitcher is trying to do to him. And it’s not a secret. The guys have a lot of info on him and everybody knows what type of power he has, so they’re not going to give him a cookie. The patience that he’s showing right now, the discipline is (leading to) a lot of improvements.”

A continued emergence for Martinez could be well timed for the Blue Jays, who’re going through some vital roster choices on the big-league degree within the coming years.

Near-term is the upcoming free company of third baseman Matt Chapman and the dearth of an apparent alternative, both already on the major-league roster or in free company, creating a possible window for himself or Addison Barger, one other hard-hitting shortstop/third baseman presently at Buffalo, ought to they make sufficient progress.

What offers Martinez’s emphasis on pitch recognition and choice an opportunity to essentially maintain is that he doesn’t need to work for his energy, a present he’s come to grasp.

“Basically the difference is last season, I was going up there to swing hard and sometimes I got out of control,” says Martinez. “So this yr I’ve the identical intent to swing onerous, however I’ve been targeted extra on management, like swing onerous, however extra underneath management. That is getting higher. …

“I’m not going to focus on hitting the ball really far because I know I have that already. I’m just trying to improve myself in a contact way. The swing decisions come with the approach that I have right now.”

Martin likes that the positive factors in his self-discipline haven’t come on the expense of “his aggressiveness at the plate.”

“He’s just like, ‘I cannot cover everything,’ you know what I mean?” Martin continues. “It’s ‘I’m going to look for my pitch, if it’s in this location, I’m going to swing.’”

Elsewhere within the Blue Jays system:

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons

Reliever Yosver Zulueta hit a batter and gave up a double whereas placing out two through the Futures Game, approaching in aid of double-A righty Sem Robberse. Zulueta is concentrated on turning into extra constant together with his supply, one thing that ought to assist command points which have led to a troubling stroll price of seven.24 per 9 innings. … Infielder Addison Barger rejoined the Bisons on June 21 and in 12 video games since has a homer and three doubles with seven walks. Having rehabbed an elbow damage which will require low season surgical procedure, he’s performed eight video games within the subject, three at brief and 5 at third. … Utilityman Davis Schneider batted .267/.403/.522 in 71 video games throughout a primary half that has put him into organizational discussions for a call-up to the majors ought to a chance come up, and his 16 homers matched his total output from a yr in the past, when he performed at three totally different ranges.

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Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Lefty Ricky Tiedemann has been as much as 96-97 m.p.h. throughout stay batting practices in his construct up after a biceps damage and he’s trending towards a return to New Hampshire in about three weeks. The Blue Jays have been abundantly cautious with their prime prospect, not wanting him to hurry again and threat him lacking much more time. … Sem Robberse allowed two groundball singles earlier than placing out his third and closing batter on the Futures Game, the 21-year-old within the course of turning into what’s believed to be the primary Dutch-born-and-raised participant to seem within the annual prospect showcase. He’s posted a 4.19 ERA and 1.151 WHIP in 73 innings over 15 begins however it’s the best way he’s getting these numbers that’s actually vital. “You can see his velo going up,” stated supervisor Cesar Martin, “but one of the things that really impresses me is he can throw three pitches for strikes with conviction in any count. Not everybody can do that and I think that can make him special.” … Reliever Connor Cooke has taken some harm in 15 outings since being promoted from Vancouver, giving up three homers and 9 earned runs in 20 innings, however he continues to rack up eye-popping strikeout numbers, with 36 on the degree up to now after 19 in 9.1 innings in high-A. … Infielder Leo Jimenez is one other candidate for a promotion to Buffalo however a problem is with Martinez headed there, plus Barger, Schneider, Otto Lopez, Ernie Clement coming back from the majors and Spencer Horwitz, there might not be sufficient reps to go round.

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High-A Vancouver Canadians

Outfielder Alan Roden performed a key function in serving to the Canadians clinch a playoff berth through the first half, batting .316/.434/.457 in 66 video games, however he seemingly received’t get an opportunity to play in them as he’s anticipated to quickly be part of New Hampshire. … How a lot runway reliever turned starter Devereaux Harrison, proprietor of a 2.50 ERA and 1.185 WHIP by way of 54 innings, bears watching. The right-hander is already at a career-high workload however has been a revelation since becoming a member of the Canadians rotation. He’d made solely two begins earlier than his eight this season, each in school as an damage alternative. “Was a shortstop forever growing up, I went to centre in my last two years of high school once I started pitching (as a closer),” he stated. “I by no means actually considered beginning. I prefer to compete. We didn’t have a number of guys in highschool to pitch so I stepped in and was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go, I need to win video games. Give me the ball when it issues. That’s the way it began.”

Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays

Brandon Barriera, like Ricky Tiedemann, continues to construct up, sitting 92-94 m.p.h. throughout stay batting practices. The first-rounder from a yr in the past is on tempo for a attainable return in a few weeks. … Peyton Williams, a hard-hitting left-handed first baseman, slugged his option to seven homers and 10 doubles in 41 video games earlier than getting a bump to Vancouver simply earlier than the break.