CSS Button No Image Css3Menu.com

Baseball Prospectus home
  
  
Click here to log in Click here to subscribe
<< Previous Article
Fantasy Article Fantasy Team Preview: ... (11/03)
<< Previous Column
Hot Stove Scouting Rep... (10/31)
Next Column >>
Hot Stove Scouting Rep... (11/04)
Next Article >>
Premium Article Minor League Update: F... (11/03)

November 3, 2014

Hot Stove Scouting Report

Russell Martin

by Chris Rodriguez

Russell Martin

Born: 02/15/1983 (Age: 31)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 5' 10" Weight: 215
Primary Position: C
Secondary Position:

Evaluator Chris Rodriguez
Report Date 10/17/2014
Present Role 65; first-division catcher, borderline all-star
Years expected to perform at current level 3-4 yrs
Future Role first-division starter; Martin will stick behind home plate for the rest of his career with his skill set, pending health. I see a 3-5 win player until age 35.

Swing Breakdown
Simple, balanced stance; square to the pitcher; slightly crouched; loose hands and wrists before he starts his swing; hands drift back into hitting position on time with a small leg kick; consistently on time getting front foot down; bat comes through the zone on a slightly uppercut plane and with bat speed; two-handed follow through; minimal movement throughout; head stays on the baseball; can sell out for power and jerk his head on occasion but it's rare.
Approach
Very impressive approach; rarely swings at the first pitch; in my sample of 36 at-bats in September, he swung at seven first pitches and all were within the zone; took on the roll of hitting behind Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen, so he tried to become somewhat of a run producer; doesn't give away any at-bats; adjusts to off-speed and breaking balls well; tries to work up the middle most often; doesn't mind a walk in any situation; gears up for a plus fastball; had the green light on a couple 3-0 counts.
Makeup
Good makeup; revitalized his career in Pittsburgh after a strenuous departure from LA and a somewhat disappointing stint in New York; works with the pitching staff very well; plays like he wants to win and he'll do whatever it takes; intense, hard worker; adored by fans in Pittsburgh.
Tool Current Grade Report
Hit 55 Plus hitter; good strength; hand-eye coordination is solid; plenty of bat speed; rarely beat by fastballs in the zone; puts a barrel to any quadrant in the strike zone; always seems to get a pitch to hit in an at-bat; in a 36 at-bat sample, he ended his at-bats with 20 hard hit balls; stays within himself most of the time; battles; definitely has a plan at the plate; you want him up in a big spot.
Power 40 Below-average power; raw power is average; more gap-to-gap type of pop; some leverage; swing isn't made for plus power; line-drive/up-the-middle type of approach keeps some balls in the yard; sells out for power in favorable counts and when facing a pitcher for the second or third time in a game; don't see 20+ home runs again, but 10-15 is still possible.
Baserunning/Speed 40 Clocked 4.4 on most digs; gets down the line well; hampered by hamstring tightness late in the season; no longer a double-digit base stealer like early in his career; can still go first to third; solid baserunner; will likely slow another tick as the years go by.
Glove 70 Well above-average defensive catcher; blocking ability is fantastic; a knack for putting his body in the proper positions to receive the ball; agile and quick on his feet; always on the tips of his toes with runners on base, no matter the speed; can back-pick runners off of first base; framing ability is top notch; consistently gets called strikes on the outer edges of the strike zone to lefties; never takes strikes away from the pitcher; according to Baseball Prospectus, from 2008-2013 he was top four in "framing runs earned" with 91, just behind Jonathan Lucroy, Jose Molina, and Brian McCann; handles the pitching staff well; many attribute the staff's success with Martin; a very good game-caller; doesn't mind heading out to the mound multiple times in an at-bat if it's high leverage; fantastic all-around catcher.
Arm 60 Above-average arm; puts his body in a good position to receive the ball; very quick release helps him deliver the ball to second base with plus accuracy and carry; clocked 1.88, 1.83, and 1.90 pop times respectively; led all of MLB with 37 caught stealing and was fourth with a 38.5 caught stealing percentage.

Batted Ball Percentages
vs LHP vs RHP
GB LD FB GB LD FB
50.91% 30.91% 12.73% 50.20% 23.32% 20.55%
Plate Discipline
vs LHP vs RHP
FA SI SL FA SI CH
Chase % 12% 20.45% 27.91% 23.2% 35.85% 35.16%
Swing / Miss % 15.38% 33.33% 33.33% 8.63% 7.51% 43.44%
*Stats are for the 2014 season

Strengths
Fantastic behind the plate; plus hitter with a great approach at the plate; field general; good game-caller.
Weaknesses
Injuries on his record; limited power and speed; career year offensively, could see a natural decline in offensive production.
Means of Exploitation
Getting ahead with strike one is most important; he's a patient hitter, so forcing him to look to swing is big; vary first pitches; if you go with a fastball first pitch, go changeup or slider with the first pitch in the second at-bat; stay on the outer edges with the fastball as he can turn on one with ease; breaking balls and changeups down in the zone can give him a problem, as well as well located fastballs at the letters and above; be as precise as possible, and if you're going to miss, miss down in the zone with the chance he could ground out.
Overall

Martin put together a career year in his age-31 season, and it's tough to see him get any better. In fact, in all likelihood he'll regress with the bat a little, but still bring extremely valuable defense and invaluable leadership to a team that decides to sign him. If a contending team has a hole behind the plate, and ownership doesn't mind losing a first round pick, I wouldn't hesitate giving Martin three to four years and around $10-12 million a year.


Chris Rodriguez is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
Click here to see Chris's other articles. You can contact Chris by clicking here

6 comments have been left for this article.

<< Previous Article
Fantasy Article Fantasy Team Preview: ... (11/03)
<< Previous Column
Hot Stove Scouting Rep... (10/31)
Next Column >>
Hot Stove Scouting Rep... (11/04)
Next Article >>
Premium Article Minor League Update: F... (11/03)

RECENTLY AT BASEBALL PROSPECTUS
Playoff Prospectus: Come Undone
BP En Espanol: Previa de la NLCS: Cubs vs. D...
Playoff Prospectus: How Did This Team Get Ma...
Playoff Prospectus: Too Slow, Too Late
Premium Article Playoff Prospectus: PECOTA Odds and ALCS Gam...
Premium Article Playoff Prospectus: PECOTA Odds and NLCS Gam...
Playoff Prospectus: NLCS Preview: Cubs vs. D...

MORE FROM NOVEMBER 3, 2014
2015 Prospects: Philadelphia Phillies Top 10...
Prospectus Feature: The Decision that Decide...
Premium Article Minor League Update: Fall Stars Game Recap
Fantasy Article Fantasy Team Preview: Boston Red Sox
The Week in Quotes: October 27th-November 2n...

MORE BY CHRIS RODRIGUEZ
2014-12-19 - Premium Article Transaction Analysis: Catchin' Relief
2014-12-18 - Premium Article Transaction Analysis: What the Rays and Nati...
2014-11-06 - Hot Stove Scouting Report: Michael Cuddyer
2014-11-03 - Hot Stove Scouting Report: Russell Martin
2014-09-02 - Premium Article The Call-Up: Joc Pederson
2014-07-25 - Premium Article Notes from the Field: What's Wrong With Appe...
2014-07-19 - Premium Article Transaction Analysis: Angels are in for a St...
More...

MORE HOT STOVE SCOUTING REPORT
2014-11-06 - Hot Stove Scouting Report: Michael Cuddyer
2014-11-05 - Hot Stove Scouting Report: David Robertson
2014-11-04 - Hot Stove Scouting Report: Jason Hammel
2014-11-03 - Hot Stove Scouting Report: Russell Martin
2014-10-31 - Hot Stove Scouting Report: James Shields
2014-10-30 - Hot Stove Scouting Report: Nelson Cruz
2014-10-30 - Hot Stove Scouting Report: Max Scherzer
More...