A conversion project named Martin. Haven’t I heard this story before?

Background

Ethan Cash Martin was born on June 6th, 1989 in Toccoa, Georgia. He attended Stephens County High School, where he was seen primarily as a power-hitting third base prospect. He made the usual stops that many top prep players do and was seen as a first round talent at the hot corner. But a spring matchup against fellow 2007 first rounder Eric Hosmer changed the course of Martin’s baseball career forever.

March 7th, 2008: Martin’s Stephen County team is playing Hosmer’s American Heritage team in a Florida high school tournament. It didn’t take long for the two to meet, as Martin retired the first batter he faced on two pitches and Hosmer entered the batter’s box. Martin started him with a 94mph fastball, then touched 96. A breaking ball missed the strike zone, as did a 94mph fastball. Two more fastballs at 94 were fouled off by Hosmer until Martin froze him with a breaking ball for strike 3. The next batter was fellow AFLAC All American Adrien Nieto, who struck out swinging on a changeup. On that day, Ethan Martin was reborn as a pitching prospect.

So when he was on the board at #15, the Dodgers gladly selected him and sent him to a postdraft workout. During a drill in which he was covering first, Martin tore the meniscus in his right knee and missed the regular season. So it was a welcomed sight when he debuted for the Loons in 2009. He was enigmatic in his debut, sometimes dominating the competition with his power fastball and curve combination, other times looking ordinary and getting hit around. Overall, he struck out 120 and walked 61 in 100 innings, posting a 3.87 ERA.

Strengths

Power was Ethan’s game as a hitter and it’s his game as a pitcher, His fastball regularly clocks in at 93-95 and he’s touched 97. His nose to toes curveball has hard, late break when it’s on and is a true swing and miss pitch. He’s a very good athlete, has clean mechanics and a simple delivery.

Weaknesses

Martin is still very raw in most phases. He issues far too many walks to be effective, a result of his lack of command of his pitches. He has yet to develop a reliable changeup, which could limit him to relief eventually.

The Future

This year hasn’t been much of a success thus far. Martin’s ERA is nearing 7 and he’s walked 21 batters in 30.1 innings. Lefties are hitting him especially hard, posting a .339 OBA But it’s not all bad news, as Martin’s continuing to strikeout a ton of batters and be stingy with the home runs. But he’s going to have to do a lot of work with his command in order to prove he’s a starter long term.

The Top 10 - In No Particular Order

I have no clue where this “Debacle in the Ravine will take us, but I’d say Jamie does not have the upper hand.   No, I’m not going to speculate on who we will sign and who we won’t or who we should trade.  Today, I just want to do some “farming.”  Let’s take a look at the Dodgers top prospects. Read the full story

Stirring the pot?  Me?  I resemble that statement!  However, this I believe:

Hanley Ramirez - Emerging Superstar

1. Manny Ramirez has become a liability – he’ll get better, but he’s still a liability;
2. Russ Martin will regain his post-2009 form (maybe this month, maybe next year);
3. I like Orlando Hudson, but he will probably be too expensive.  I think the Dodgers would offer him a deal like 3 years/$16 million, but that’s probably not enough (someone else will give more and he’s not worth that);
4. We won’t trade for DanUggla – too one-dimensional, and not enough defense;
5. Who’s on 2B?  It won’t be Tony Abreu unless the D-Backs void his deal (not likely).  It could be Blake DeWitt (his bad year doesn’t faze me) or Ivan DeJesus, Jr.  I see Ivan as a 2B, not a SS (not quite enough range).  After missing most of this season, he could be another year away, but you never know.
6. I have suggested trading Martin and Loney, but I like both of them too much to do that yet!
7. If this were my team, I would figure out how to void Manny’s deal and put Pierre in LF. 
8.  Then I’d trade Raffy for whoever would take him if we paid half his salary. 
9. Next, I’d trade Dee Gordon, Andrew Lambo, Scott Elbert, Chris Withrow, James Adkins, Ethan Martin and James McDonald (I’d overwhelm the Marlins) to Florida for Hanley Ramirez.  All the Dodgers have to do is rename Mannywood to Hanleywood!
10. I still believe that Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw will be the Dynamic Duo!
11. I would choose one of the following:  Randy Wolf, Vicente Padilla or Jon Garland (we’ll see how they do the rest of the way).

Starting Lineup: Read the full story

Great Lakes Loons – Low A

The Loons lost 6-4 without much fanfare, but it is worth noting that since May 1, Ethan Martin’s ERA is near 7.00.  Last night he pitched 4 innings, giving up 5 hits and 6 runs and raising his over ERA to 4.43.  Not what he expected.  Not what we expected! Read the full story