Dave Martinez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked New York Yankees #11 prospect in 2002
  Martinez overmatched the low Class A South Atlantic League for the first two months of last season. He led the league in ERA and was coming off back-to-back shutouts when he was promoted to high Class A. Shortly after he was shut down for the remainder of the season with a sore shoulder, possibly a result of high pitch counts accrued with Greensboro. Martinez isn't physically imposing, but he can carve up hitters with a sneaky moving fastball that consistently sits around 89-92 mph, a sharp-breaking curveball that's clocked at 73 mph and a changeup he can throw for strikes. His curve is outstanding, though it suffered early in 2001 when he was dropping his elbow. Martinez eventually found a consistent arm slot and then began repeating his delivery. His shoulder required only arthroscopic surgery and no further setbacks are anticipated. Yet Martinez never has worked more than 81 innings in a season, so durability is a question. He'll return to Tampa and move one level at a time.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #14 prospect in 2001
  Martinez threw a no-hitter in the Gulf Coast League in his U.S. debut in 1999, then began 2000 at Staten Island. He earned a quick promotion to Class A Greensboro, and when he returned to Staten Island just before the New York-Penn League playoffs, he paid two dividends. First, he won the championship clincher over Mahoning Valley. Second, when Martinez moved back into the rotation it sent Jason Anderson to the bullpen, where the 10th-round pick saw his fastball suddenly soar to 96 mph. Martinez has exceptional velocity as well, particularly for a lefthander. He consistently works at 91-92 mph with a high of 94. He also has a promising curveball and changeup that should get better with experience. And that's essentially all Martinez needs: more experience to refine his secondary pitches and command. New York has handled him carefully in his four seasons in the organization. He should be ready for his first full season in 2001, when he'll be assigned to Greensboro.