Name: Harold Martinez
Position: 3B
Bats: RH
Throws: RH
DOB: 05/03/90 (21 as of April 1, 2011)
Height: 6’3
Weight: 210 lbs
Drafted: 2nd round, 2011 $387,000

Pre Draft Report: Martinez, a probable first round pick heading in to the 2008 draft, struggled before the draft and fell to the Texas Rangers. After spurning their bonus offer, he attended the University of Miami for 3 years and experienced an up and down college career. He put up big time power numbers his sophomore year before his season ended with a leg injury, and he never got on track during his junior year, losing almost all of his power production. From Ketch’s baseball source, after he was selected by the Phillies

If he was eligible last year he probably would have been a first round type of talent after leading Miami in homers with 21. This year, he hit just three and didn’t even reach double digits in doubles. Could it have been the bats? Possibly. You really have to square it up now to make the ball go. It doesn’t make sense when you watch his swing and that everything about his load step, balance, and weight transition is very good. This was a guy that competed in the Cape Cod League home run derby in 2009 and has some pop in his bat. The one area of concern is that he hasn’t mastered squaring the ball up perfectly yet because his bat doesn’t stay in the hitting zone quite long enough, and it almost looks like he’s trying to make his swing too perfect, which could be why he gets stiff at times with his arms. The stiffness in the arms might give up problems with top velocity. When he does square the ball up and get those arms extended, it jumps off his bat. Bat speed isn’t an issue. The power is still in there, and he has a great looking, extremely athletic 6-3 frame that is very athletic/muscular. A professional hitting coach could make a huge difference for Martinez. This is a very good value in the third round, plus his 2009 Cape Cod League manager raves about him.

Scouting Report: Below is an assessment of the player’s raw tools. The grades are based on the 20-80 scouting scale. To understand more about this, check out this page. In addition to the individual grades, I’ve included an Overall Future Projection grade which is a summary that gives an idea of what the player’s role is likely to be in the majors, if he gets there.

Hit For Average: 45
Hit For Power: 55
Fielding: 55
Throwing Arm: 55
Speed: 45

OFP: 50

[updated 1-Feb-2012]

Summary: Martinez is a good athlete and a good defender at 3B, and a 55 for his fielding/arm might be underselling him slightly. He also has above average raw power and isn’t a base clogger, though he also won’t be a base stealing threat. Martinez’s biggest problem is consistency. He was a first round talent out of high school and showed flashes of brilliance at Miami, but he hasn’t been able to put things together. If everything works out as expected, he should be an average regular, but if he develops more consistency and makes more contact, he might be more than that.

Videos:

Articles

University of Miami bio
College Baseball Daily Top 100 countdown
Phillies take Miami Hurricanes’ third baseman Harold Martinez

Profile updated: 2-July-2011