Casey Martin

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #30 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Martin’s excellent freshman season helped propel Arkansas to the 2018 College World Series finals, but he regressed over the next two seasons and questions about his hit tool led him to fall to the third round in the 2020 draft. Martin continued to struggle in his first pro season. He had ankle surgery in October, but should be ready for spring training.
  
  Scouting Report: Martin has a pull-heavy approach, a high chase rate and struggles to hit offspeed pitches away. Martin needs to improve his bat speed, as well as do a better job of barreling the ball. He has plus raw power, but tends to sell out for home runs and frequently expands the zone. He’s an impressive athlete, a plus runner and has a plus arm, but needs to improve his consistency defensively at shortstop. He can play second base in a pinch, and his speed and arm would profile well in center field as well.
  
  The Future: Time is running out for Martin to prove he can hit enough to progress up the minor league ladder. He’ll return to Jersey Shore in 2022, where he’ll look to have a breakthrough year.
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #11 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Martin broke onto the scene with 13 home runs and a .974 OPS his freshman year to help Arkansas come within a few outs of winning the College World Series. He regressed each successive season, however, and concerns about his aggressiveness caused him to fall to the third round of the 2020 draft. The Phillies stopped his slide at No. 87 overall and signed him for $1.3 million, nearly double slot value.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Martin has excellent tools, including plus raw power, plus speed, plus arm strength and defense that flashes plus, but he struggles to utilize those tools in games. He struck out 165 times in 148 collegiate games and is a below-average hitter with his overly aggressive approach. Martin does damage when he connects, but he needs to cut down on his swings and misses and improve his pitch recognition greatly. He has been pull-happy at times, and the Phillies have encouraged him to use the whole field. Martin has good range at shortstop and a strong arm, but he lacks polish and needs to improve his consistency and reliability. Otherwise, he could end up at third base, second or center field.
  
  THE FUTURE: Martin is one of the toolsiest players in the system. He's somewhat boom or bust, but the right adjustments could help him move quickly.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #38 prospect in 2020 draft
  Martin is perhaps the most toolsy college infielder in the 2020 class, with plus speed, arm strength, raw power and a chance for plus defense at shortstop as well. Typically, a college shortstop with that tool set goes among the top 10 picks. What holds Martin back is his ability to make the most of those tools, with an overly aggressive approach at the plate and less consistency than teams would like in the field. There are significant questions about the quality of Martin’s hit tool and his approach. After a loud freshman campaign in which he hit .345/.418/.556 with 13 home runs, Martin regressed a bit in his sophomore season, thanks mostly to less BABIP luck (.418 in 2018 compared to .344 in 2019). He still managed to hit 15 home runs, but scouts worry about how often he’ll get to that power at the next level with a career strikeout rate over 22 percent. He has always had a tendency to swing and miss frequently, both in the zone and outside of the zone, and those issues continued in his brief play in the shortened 2020 season. Scouts have also wondered why a runner with his speed and quick-twitch actions hasn’t had more success stealing bases (just 18 over his first two seasons), though he was off to a 6-for-6 start in 13 games as a junior. Defensively, Martin has a penchant for making highlight-reel plays, but he lacks the polish needed for an everyday player at the position. Some scouts believe he would be a better fit for center field or second base because of that, while others think he simply needs more reps. Martin could have significantly changed his draft stock—in either direction, depending on how he hit in SEC play—with a full season. Now teams will have to decide if they want to buy into his high-upside tools or avoid the risk he presents.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Martin’s excellent freshman season helped propel Arkansas to the 2018 College World Series finals, but he regressed over the next two seasons and questions about his hit tool led him to fall to the third round in the 2020 draft. Martin continued to struggle in his first pro season. He had ankle surgery in October, but should be ready for spring training.
  
  Scouting Report: Martin has a pull-heavy approach, a high chase rate and struggles to hit offspeed pitches away. Martin needs to improve his bat speed, as well as do a better job of barreling the ball. He has plus raw power, but tends to sell out for home runs and frequently expands the zone. He’s an impressive athlete, a plus runner and has a plus arm, but needs to improve his consistency defensively at shortstop. He can play second base in a pinch, and his speed and arm would profile well in center field as well.
  
  The Future: Time is running out for Martin to prove he can hit enough to progress up the minor league ladder. He’ll return to Jersey Shore in 2022, where he’ll look to have a breakthrough year.
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Martin broke onto the scene with 13 home runs and a .974 OPS his freshman year to help Arkansas come within a few outs of winning the College World Series. He regressed each successive season, however, and concerns about his aggressiveness caused him to fall to the third round of the 2020 draft. The Phillies stopped his slide at No. 87 overall and signed him for $1.3 million, nearly double slot value.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Martin has excellent tools, including plus raw power, plus speed, plus arm strength and defense that flashes plus, but he struggles to utilize those tools in games. He struck out 165 times in 148 collegiate games and is a below-average hitter with his overly aggressive approach. Martin does damage when he connects, but he needs to cut down on his swings and misses and improve his pitch recognition greatly. He has been pull-happy at times, and the Phillies have encouraged him to use the whole field. Martin has good range at shortstop and a strong arm, but he lacks polish and needs to improve his consistency and reliability. Otherwise, he could end up at third base, second or center field.
  
  THE FUTURE: Martin is one of the toolsiest players in the system. He's somewhat boom or bust, but the right adjustments could help him move quickly.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Martin broke onto the scene with 13 home runs and a .974 OPS his freshman year to help Arkansas come within a few outs of winning the College World Series. He regressed each successive season, however, and concerns about his aggressiveness caused him to fall to the third round of the 2020 draft. The Phillies stopped his slide at No. 87 overall and signed him for $1.3 million, nearly double slot value.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Martin has excellent tools, including plus raw power, plus speed, plus arm strength and defense that flashes plus, but he struggles to utilize those tools in games. He struck out 165 times in 148 collegiate games and is a below-average hitter with his overly aggressive approach. Martin does damage when he connects, but he needs to cut down on his swings and misses and improve his pitch recognition greatly. He has been pull-happy at times, and the Phillies have encouraged him to use the whole field. Martin has good range at shortstop and a strong arm, but he lacks polish and needs to improve his consistency and reliability. Otherwise, he could end up at third base, second or center field.
  
  THE FUTURE: Martin is one of the toolsiest players in the system. He's somewhat boom or bust, but the right adjustments could help him move quickly.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Martin broke onto the scene with 13 home runs and a .974 OPS his freshman year to help Arkansas come within a few outs of winning the College World Series. He regressed each successive season, however, and concerns about his aggressiveness caused him to fall to the third round of the 2020 draft. The Phillies stopped his slide at No. 87 overall and signed him for $1.3 million, nearly double slot value.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Martin has excellent tools, including plus raw power, plus speed, plus arm strength and defense that flashes plus, but he struggles to utilize those tools in games. He struck out 165 times in 148 collegiate games and is a below-average hitter with his overly aggressive approach. Martin does damage when he connects, but he needs to cut down on his swings and misses and improve his pitch recognition greatly. He has been pull-happy at times, and the Phillies have encouraged him to use the whole field. Martin has good range at shortstop and a strong arm, but he lacks polish and needs to improve his consistency and reliability. Otherwise, he could end up at third base, second or center field.
  
  THE FUTURE: Martin is one of the toolsiest players in the system. He's somewhat boom or bust, but the right adjustments could help him move quickly.