Nolan Martinez

Martinez was born and raised in Culver City, just west of central Los Angeles, but has committed to San Diego State as a two-way player, picking the Aztecs because he wants to hit and pitch. Scouts prefer him on the mound, though he has enough pop and athleticism to potentially be a contributor at an infield corner for the Aztecs. Martinez has some twitchiness to his thin frame (he's listed at 6-foot-3, 165 pounds) and a quick arm that had him throwing 93 mph in the summer but bumping up to 95 mph this spring. Trackman measured his fastball with the highest spin rate of all pitchers at the massive World Wood Bat Association even in Jupiter in October 2015. He still sits more typically at 87-93 with the fastball, and has flashes of throwing his breaking ball (generally described as a slider) both with power in the upper 70s and for strikes. He doesn't use his changeup much, but his athleticism and two potential above-average pitches have him with early-round helium.