Amaury Cazana

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #30 prospect in 2007
  The day the Cardinals took the Cuban defector in the 18th round, they believed he was 27. Around the time he jumped to Double-A his age leapt, too--up to 32 by the time he was assigned to the Arizona Fall League. At either age, Marti has to move fast to keep the Cardinals interested. His teammates at Palm Beach nicknamed him "God" for his muscular Rickey Henderson-like physique. Marti first came to the Cardinals' attention during spring training, when they thought he was a pitcher. After some research, they found out he was an outfielder signed to an independent league contract (he played in the Can-Am League in 2005), and thus eligible for the draft. Marti displayed his raw power early, launching what some say is the longest home run hit at Palm Beach's home park. He regularly hit light-tower shots during batting practice, but his susceptibility to breaking balls didn't allow his power to fully manifest in games. He has plus bat speed, with an over-aggressive approach at times. He often expands the strike zone early in the count. He hit lefties at a .455 clip with an .848 slugging percentage in Double-A. Defensively, he is athletic enough to play anywhere in the outfield, and he has average arm strength. He doesn't take great routes to the ball. Though he's a good runner under way, his speed doesn't translate to stealing bases and he gets down the line slow because of his big swing. No matter his age, if he doesn't hit, he won't have any value. He'll try to earn a spot in the Memphis outfield in spring training.