Hot Stove Scouting Report

Victor Martinez

by Tucker Blair

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Victor Martinez


	Born: 12/23/1978 (Age: 35)
	Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 2"	Weight: 210
	Primary Position: DH
	Secondary Position: 1B

Evaluator	Tucker Blair
Report Date	10/12/2014
Present Role	60; First Division DH
Years expected to perform at current level	2-3
Future Role	Martinez will be one of the best designated hitters in baseball for a few more years; shows ability to hit for power to all fields; consistent contact rates and great barrel skills; bat speed has not slowed down as he progresses in age; shows no signs of slowing down at the plate and has the plate approach to still churn out good AB.

Switch hitter with very similar stances and swings from each side of the plate; crouched stance from both sides; shows easy balance from both sides; smooth swing and minimal noise in his upper half; the lower half is mildly more violent; demonstrates efficient timing due to a slight toe tap from each side; good plate coverage due to strong hands and barrel control; allows him to reach pitches slightly outside of the zone

LHH: uses a slight toe tap and moderate load; keeps back elbow and hands high; moderate hip torque; able to glide hands through zone with minimal noise; shows ability to pull hands inside and get around on pitches with the barrel.

RHH: uses a slightly larger toe tap and load from this side; back elbow and hands are kept slightly lower but still end in same position as when a LHH; stance is also slightly wider; moderate hip torque; hands move quickly through zone with minimal noise; shows similar ability to pull hands inside from this side; hands rocket through the zone and extend outward with force.

Shows an adept knowledge of the overall strike zone; lets most "pitcher" pitches by; consistently has swung at roughly 30% of pitches outside of zone over his career and was actually higher this season at 35%; usually has the eye to recognize spin and any pitches that are likely ending outside of his appropriate swing range; will chase elite spin out of the zone; eye and approach nearly identical from both sides of the plate.

High work ethic; constantly watching film and hitting in the cage; not highly vocal but will voice his thoughts at times; evolved into a team leader and helped guide the Tigers; veteran presence.

Tool	Current Grade	Report
Hit	80	Elite bat skills; barrels everything; has efficient extension at the plate and no real weakness within the zone; swing has minimal noise and maximizes the necessary torque to hit the ball hard; spray hitter that hits a multitude of line drives; high contact bat that hit .337/.380/.547 (297 PA) with two strikes this season; able to foul off close pitches due to long extension and efficient approach at plate; ability to catch up with high-end velocity.
Power	55	Plus raw power from both sides of the plate; slight lift in swing from both sides; plus bat speed and minimal time through zone maximizes his plus raw power; able to pepper the gaps and demonstrate power to all parts of the field; ability to pull hands inside and minimize length of swing; provides power on pitches located inside; 16% HR/FB rate, which is higher than his 10.2% career mark; likely not repeating 30 HR production but could still see 20-25 HR potential with 30+ doubles.
Baserunning/Speed	20	4.80+ digs from home to first; speed is not an asset in his game; lacks a sufficient first or second gear; one of the slowest runners in baseball.
Glove	40	Slow first step; range is well below-average; good hands from catching for years; sets a good target for throws; average at extending and scooping for balls; lacks much athleticism in the field; can hold his own defensively but is better implemented as an emergency or backup first basemen.
Arm	55	Above-average arm strength; had an average arm when he was catching; more than capable of attempting any throws a first basemen would need to make.

vs LHP			vs RHP
Batted Ball Percentages
GB	LD	FB	GB	LD	FB
35.66%	26.36%	36.43%	44.19%	23.74%	26.77%

	vs LHP			vs RHP
Plate Discipline
	FA	SI	CH	FA	CH	CU
Chase %	43.4%	28.95%	27.63%	39.68%	39.91%	26.37%
Swing / Miss %	14.52%	13.04%	4.76%	7.72%	7.33%	10.99%

*Stats are for the 2014 season

Elite ability to barrel pitches; swing is short and quick through the zone; allows him to reach and barrel anything in a hittable area; able to provide sufficient torque and load to hit for power as well; stays very balanced at the plate and helps to play up his contact abilities.

One of the purest hitters in the game currently; not many weaknesses with the bat; slow runner and will occasionally chase a backdoor slider or sinker; best bet is to get him rolling over or hope he swings through it.

Backdoor slider to get him rolling over to second base as a LHH; his speed is a large detriment on his game and he will clog bases or be easy pickings if you can get him to hit it anywhere on the infield.

Martinez is currently one of the best designated hitters in baseball, with an adept approach and an elite hit tool. However, his value is tied entirely to the bat.

His ability to hit for elite contact helps to maximize the plus raw power, which was the largest reason he was able to exceed 60 extra base hits this season. He is a team leading veteran that can currently be slotted in the middle of a lineup and provide extreme production at the plate. However, there is an inherent risk involved with an aging veteran that relies solely on the hit tool for his production. His lack of speed could likely be a detriment moving forward and could potentially alleviate some of the doubles and gap power from his game. The spike in HR's this season is mostly an outlier, but Martinez should still be able to provide enough impact with the bat due to his stable hit tool.

Tucker Blair is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @TuckerBlairON
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