Brett Martin

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #18 prospect in 2018
  The Rangers continue to have high hopes for Martin, who has shown his potential in flashes, including seven scoreless, no-hit innings with 15 strikeouts in the high Class A California League playoffs in 2016. Martin is yet to put it all together for a breakout season quite yet, though, some of which has been due to his health. Hip issues in 2015, a sprained elbow ligament in 2016 and an oblique injury that sidelined Martin for most of May and June in 2017 have prevented him from throwing more than 100 innings in a season. His fastball sits at 90-92 mph and can touch 95 with late riding life. His curveball is an above-average pitch with tight spin, good shape and power at 80-82 mph. He mixes a changeup that's still firm and below-average, along with an occasional slider/cutter. Aside from staying healthy, one of the keys for Martin's development will be his ability to sync up his delivery and find a consistent release point. Martin has worked to get the arc out of the back of his motion to try to get his lower half into his mechanics more, but with his long limbs his delivery will always require some maintenance. Double-A Frisco is next for Martin, a potential No. 4 starter.
• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #10 prospect in 2017
  Martin opened 2016 by repeating low Class A Hickory, then spent June and July on the disabled list with a sprained elbow ligament. When healthy in August he jumped to high Class A High Desert. He saved his best start for last, pitching seven scoreless, no-hit innings with 15 strikeouts and one walk on 95 pitches in the California League playoffs. Over the last two years, Martin has bulked up into a strong, physical pitcher. His fastball sits at 90-92 mph and touches 94. His curveball is his putaway pitch when it's on, and it was at its best in the Cal League playoffs. He's still learning how to land it, especially early in the count, but it can be an above-average pitch with good spin, shape and power. Martin throws a firm changeup in the mid-80s, a below-average pitch that could use more separation off his fastball. He's added a short, hard cutter to give him a four-pitch mix. With long arm action and long limbs, Martin has cleaned up his mechanics by lowering his leg kick to help sync his upper and lower halves in his delivery. He's a solid strike-thrower who did a better job last season of maintaining his body control instead of overthrowing. A healthy 2017 will be key for Martin, who also was limited in 2015 by hip issues. He probably is destined for the high Class A rotation in 2017.
• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #18 prospect in 2016
  Martin had an effective first full season with the Rangers in low Class A Hickory, where he showed a solid three-pitch mix while staying around the strike zone. Martin had a tall, thin frame as an amateur, but has added weight to his lanky, broad-shouldered frame. His lively fastball sits in the low-90s and can touch 95 with good downhill plane from his extreme over-the-top delivery, working that pitch to both sides of the plate. Martin complements the fastball with a power curveball that gets into the low-80s, an average pitch with tight spin that has the potential to be a putaway pitch. Martin's changeup is his third pitch. It comes in too firm right now but he showed signs of progress with it in 2015, leaning on it more than his curveball in some outings and generating some swing-and-miss with good depth and movement. Martin had hip issues that bothered him on his leg lift, so his workload stayed less than 100 innings in 2015. Martin's strikeout rate of 6.8 per nine innings was modest, but that could jump with more experience for pitch sequencing and refinement of his secondary pitches, giving him a chance to pitch at the back of the rotation. He heads to high Class A High Desert for 2016.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Martin opened 2016 by repeating low Class A Hickory, then spent June and July on the disabled list with a sprained elbow ligament. When healthy in August he jumped to high Class A High Desert. He saved his best start for last, pitching seven scoreless, no-hit innings with 15 strikeouts and one walk on 95 pitches in the California League playoffs. Scouting Report: Over the last two years, Martin has bulked up into a strong, physical pitcher. His fastball sits at 90-92 mph and touches 94. His curveball is his putaway pitch when it's on, and it was at its best in the Cal League playoffs. He's still learning how to land it, especially early in the count, but it can be an above-average pitch with good spin, shape and power. Martin throws a firm changeup in the mid-80s, a below-average pitch that could use more separation off his fastball. He's added a short, hard cutter to give him a four-pitch mix. With long arm action and long limbs, Martin has cleaned up his mechanics by lowering his leg kick to help sync his upper and lower halves in his delivery. He's a solid strike-thrower who did a better job last season of maintaining his body control instead of overthrowing.
  
  The Future: A healthy 2017 will be key for Martin, who also was limited in 2015 by hip issues. He probably is destined for the high Class A rotation in 2017.