At the end of last season, after Orelvis Martinez hit 30 home runs as a 20-year-old in double-A, the hard-hitting infielder had reason to feel good about his progress. After all, he’d successfully made the jump to the Eastern League, where he was four years younger than average, and held his own with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. If he chose to be set in his ways, well, you could understand that.
Martinez wasn’t, though, refusing to overlook all the empty at-bats within his .203 average and .286 on-base percentage and just harp on the damage. As he and the Toronto Blue Jays dug into next steps, they made pitch recognition and swing decisions a focal point and after a slow start, a .301/.425/.609 stretch over his last 47 games suggests his new approach at the plate is really starting to take, with a promotion to triple-A Buffalo expected in the coming days.
“Yeah, 30 homers is a good number but I think I can do better than that,” Martinez says during a recent 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 stuck with it even after an .089/.169/.266 start through his first 22 games, when he was making good contact but not getting results. His strikeout percentage of 28.5 per cent a year ago is down to 19.8 per cent while his walk rate went from 8.1 to 14.2 per cent.
If those lock in, especially up a level with Buffalo, the Blue Jays may really have something given Martinez’s prolific natural power.
“There were so many times last year that he just swung at the pitchers’ pitches,” says Cesar Martin, his manager with the Fisher Cats last year 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 would be timely for the Blue Jays, who are facing some significant roster decisions at the big-league level in the coming years.
Near-term is the imminent free agency of third baseman Matt Chapman and the lack of an obvious replacement, either already on the major-league roster or in free agency, creating a potential window for himself or Addison Barger, another hard-hitting shortstop/third baseman currently at Buffalo, should they make enough progress.
What gives Martinez’s emphasis on pitch recognition and selection a chance to really hold is that he doesn’t have to work for his power, a gift he’s come to understand.
“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 year I have the same intent to swing hard, but I’ve been focused more on control, like swing hard, but more under control. That is getting better. …
“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 gains in his discipline haven’t come at 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 in the Blue Jays system:
Triple-A Buffalo Bisons
Reliever Yosver Zulueta hit a batter and gave up a double while striking out two during the Futures Game, coming on in relief of double-A righty Sem Robberse. Zulueta is focused on becoming more consistent with his delivery, something that should help command issues which have led to a troubling walk rate of 7.24 per nine innings. … Infielder Addison Barger rejoined the Bisons on June 21 and in 12 games since has a homer and three doubles with seven walks. Having rehabbed an elbow injury that may require off-season surgery, he’s played eight games in the field, three at short and five at third. … Utilityman Davis Schneider batted .267/.403/.522 in 71 games during a first half that has put him into organizational discussions for a call-up to the majors should an opportunity arise, and his 16 homers matched his entire output from a year ago, when he played at three different levels.
Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Lefty Ricky Tiedemann has been up to 96-97 m.p.h. during live batting practices in his build up after a biceps injury and he’s trending toward a return to New Hampshire in about three weeks. The Blue Jays have been abundantly cautious with their top prospect, not wanting him to rush back and risk him missing even more time. … Sem Robberse allowed two groundball singles before striking out his third and final batter at the Futures Game, the 21-year-old in the process becoming what’s believed to be the first Dutch-born-and-raised player to appear in the annual prospect showcase. He’s posted a 4.19 ERA and 1.151 WHIP in 73 innings over 15 starts but it’s the way he’s getting those numbers that’s really significant. “You can see his velo going up,” said manager 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 damage in 15 outings since being promoted from Vancouver, giving up three homers and nine earned runs in 20 innings, but he continues to rack up eye-popping strikeout numbers, with 36 at the level so far after 19 in 9.1 innings in high-A. … Infielder Leo Jimenez is another candidate for a promotion to Buffalo but a challenge is with Martinez headed there, plus Barger, Schneider, Otto Lopez, Ernie Clement returning from the majors and Spencer Horwitz, there may not be enough reps to go around.
High-A Vancouver Canadians
Outfielder Alan Roden played a key role in helping the Canadians clinch a playoff berth during the first half, batting .316/.434/.457 in 66 games, but he likely won’t get a chance to play in them as he’s expected to soon join New Hampshire. … How much runway reliever turned starter Devereaux Harrison, owner of a 2.50 ERA and 1.185 WHIP through 54 innings, bears watching. The right-hander is already at a career-high workload but has been a revelation since joining the Canadians rotation. He’d made only two starts before his eight this season, both in college as an injury replacement. “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 said. “I never really thought about starting. I like to compete. We didn’t have a lot of guys in high school to pitch so I stepped in and was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go, I want to win games. Give me the ball when it matters. That’s how it started.”
Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Brandon Barriera, like Ricky Tiedemann, continues to build up, sitting 92-94 m.p.h. during live batting practices. The first-rounder from a year ago is on pace for a possible return in a couple of weeks. … Peyton Williams, a hard-hitting left-handed first baseman, slugged his way to seven homers and 10 doubles in 41 games before getting a bump to Vancouver just before the break.
