It's unlikely Jason Martin will be among the newly-acquired players to make an impact for the Pirates in 2018. The 22-year-old outfielder has played only 79 games above High-A and is not viewed as a top-tier prospect.
In fact, the Pirates could have chosen Martin during the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings last month, but they didn't think he was ready to make a jump to the major leagues.
However, Martin, acquired in the five-player trade that sent Gerrit Cole to the Astros, has some intriguing raw tools, specifically power that has emerged over the past two seasons, and he could prove to be a valuable addition if he continues to trend upward.
"Jason Martin is a left-handed hitting outfield prospect who can help his team win in multiple ways," said Neal Huntington. "He has been a productive hitter throughout his minor league career with the ability to get on base and hit for extra bases. He also utilizes his speed well on defense."
Martin was viewed as one of the top players available in the Rule 5 Draft after he batted a combined .278/.332/.487 with 35 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs, 66 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 125 games between High-A Buies Creek and Double-A Corpus Christi this past season.
So, why did the Astros choose to not to add Martin to their 40-man roster, thus leaving him available for selection? He was ranked by MLB.com as the organization's No. 15 prospect and has shown steady improvement since he was drafted in the eighth round as a 17-year-old in 2013.
The Astros had a surplus of infielders to protect and Martin needed at least one more full season to contribute in the major leagues. It also was unlikely a team would select Martin, despite his production.
Sure, it costs only $100,000 for a team to buy a player's contract through the draft, but that player must remain either on the team’s 25-man roster or major-league disabled list for the entire next season. If a team wants to remove a Rule 5 player from its active roster, it must put him on waivers. If he’s claimed, the same restrictions apply to the claiming team.
Huntington said the Pirates considered taking Martin, but instead opted for right-handed relief pitcher Jordan Milbrath, who is much closer to the major leagues.
"We talked about taking him in the Rule 5, but we thought another year of development would be much better for him and it would be a lot to ask of the young man to jump from a half season or so in Double-A to the big leagues," Huntington said. "We’re excited to get our coaching staff an opportunity to work with him and develop his skills."
For as productive as Martin was in 2017, he showed some flaws that would make a team hesitant to give him a 25-man roster spot. A left-handed hitter, he batted .169/.229/.308 with 20 strikeouts and five walks against lefties. He also struggled in the second half of the season, batting .248 compared to his .379 first half.
His approach at the plate also needs work, as he struck out 124 times to only 39 walks. That said, his skillset is intriguing for the Pirates.
Martin had a breakthrough in 2015 for Class A Quad Cities, hitting a then-career-high eight home runs with 57 RBI in 105 games. At High-A Lancaster in 2016, he batted .270/.357/.533 with 22 doubles, 23 home runs, 75 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
At only 20 years old, he was one of three players in all of the minors to record a 20-home run, 20-stolen base season. Martin can play all three outfield positions, although he spent most of this past season in left.
He also didn't have much of a dip in production following his promotion to Double-A this past season. In 79 games with Corpus Christi, Martin had an OPS of .819 with 11 home runs, 37 RBI and 24 doubles in 79 games.
Collectively, his season would have made him one of the most productive players in the Pirates' farm system. With three potential major leaguers also acquired in the Cole trade — Joe Musgrove, Colin Moran and Michael Feliz — Martin will be somewhat of an afterthought in the immediate future.
He'll likely start the season at Double-A Altoona and profiles more as a fourth outfielder in the major leagues according to MLB.com, but he has the intangibles that at least make him an intriguing find.
The Pirates were in need of productive outfielders in the minor leagues. Jordan Luplow, the club's Minor League Player of the Year in 2017, made his major league debut in July despite having played only 44 games in Triple-A.
Luplow would probably benefit from more time in Indianapolis, but he could be on the opening day roster with Andrew McCutchen gone. Austin Meadows, ranked by Baseball America as the Pirates' No. 2 prospect, will start the season in Triple-A.
Prior to adding Martin, Meadows was one of only three outfielders among the Pirates' Top 20 prospects, according to MLB.com. The other two — Conner Uselton and Calvin Mitchell — were drafted by the club last summer.
The website now has Martin ranked as the Pirates' No. 19 prospect — four spots ahead of Luplow — but it will take time to determine how valuable he will be for the organization.
Analyzing all six additions:
Monday: Joe Musgrove, starting pitcher
Wednesday: Colin Moran, third baseman
Thursday: Kyle Crick, relief pitcher
Friday: Michael Feliz, outfielder
Saturday: Bryan Reynolds, outfielder
