Luis Marte

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #32 prospect in 2013
  Marte spent his first four seasons in pro ball as a starter, which gave him the innings necessary to work on all of his pitches. He has taken well to relieving since changing roles in 2010 and got back to Detroit last year after making a brief big league debut in 2011. Marte has a stocky build but doesn't have a big fastball. Instead, he gets by with deception in his quick delivery. His best pitch is an 86-87 mph splitter, which he sets up with an 88-93 mph fastball. He also throws a below-average slider, and he can run into trouble because all of his pitches arrive with similar velocity. Marte throws a fair amount of strikes and could be a solid middle-relief option for the Tigers, but durability likely will be an issue because he has missed time in each of the last five seasons with various injuries. He'll compete for a big league job in spring training.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #23 prospect in 2012
  It took four seasons, but Marte finally mastered Double-A in 2011 and earned a September callup to Detroit, where he held opponents scoreless in three of his four appearances. After the season, he pitched well in the Dominican League. He spent his first four years in pro ball as a starter to give him the innings to work on all of his pitches, but he has taken well to relieving since changing roles in 2010. He throws his fastball at 89-92 mph and it seems faster because it has late life through the zone. His slider is his best secondary pitch, grading as plus at its best, though it tends to get slurvy. He also has a below-average changeup that he doesn't use as much now that he's a reliever. After he was erratic in his first season coming out of the bullpen, Marte showed improved control in 2011. The Tigers have plenty of power arms in their bullpen, but he could give them a different look. He'll get a chance to win a middle-relief job in spring training.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #17 prospect in 2009
  Marte had been an off-the-radar prospect prior to his up-and-down 2008 season. In early May, based on a series of strong performances at high Class A, he was regarded as one of the best pitchers in the system. He was regularly reaching 93-94 mph with his four-seam fastball and showing good secondary stuff. Then he came down with a sprained right elbow after a slider-heavy start at Double-A. He missed two months, returned in late July and wasn't as consistent over the remainder of the season. Marte ended his year in the Arizona Fall League, where his fastball velocity was down in his first two starts there before spiking to an average of 92 mph and peak of 95 in his third. At the very least, it appears that his arm strength has returned. When healthy, Marte has a well-developed repertoire, with a low-90s fastball, an 81-84 mph power slider and a changeup. He throws more four-seam fastballs than running two-seamers, but he's at his best when he mixes the two. He has good command and is eager to challenge hitters. He also has shown an ability to make adjustments. Marte's injury history and short stature lead to concerns about a lack of durability that could prevent him from reaching his considerable ceiling. But he's only 22 and has time on his side. He'll likely start this season back in Double-A.