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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: |
Chris Rodriguez |
10/17/2014 |
65; first-division catcher, borderline all-star |
3-4 yrs |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
vs LHP |
vs RHP |
GB |
LD |
FB |
GB |
LD |
FB |
50.91% |
30.91% |
12.73% |
50.20% |
23.32% |
20.55% |
|
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
Fantastic behind the plate; plus hitter with a great approach at the plate; field general; good game-caller. |
Injuries on his record; limited power and speed; career year offensively, could see a natural decline in offensive production. |
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. |
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.
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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.
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Fantasy Team Preview: ... (11/03)
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Hot Stove Scouting Rep... (11/04)
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Minor League Update: F... (11/03)
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Good analysis but expect it will take at least 3 years, $45 million to get or keep him, and more than likely more. Paying for that fourth year is the big question.
I don't think that the market recognizes the framing yet. Catchers are not going to get big money for their contributions to pitching until the market recognizes it, not just a team or two that is using it for advantage OVER the market (e.g. free value).