Martes Has Next Goal In Sight

HOUSTON—Righthander Francis Martes—the No. 20 prospect in the Top 100—sprinted up the minor league ladder last season, and now he’s adding to his repertoire and hoping to jump to the big leagues in 2016.

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In 2015, Martes cruised through low Class A Quad Cities before overpowering opposing hitters at high Class A Lancaster to earn a promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi months before he turned 20 in November.

Martes dominated mainly with a mid-90s fastball and wicked curveball combination. He also throws a changeup. Pitching coordinator Doug White asked his young righthander to start working on a cutter, so he began learning how to throw that pitch in January in his native Dominican Republic.

“It’s a process, but everything is fine,” Martes said of his new addition. “I have to try to get better, because every day you have to have a goal. Every year you have to make yourself better.”

Martes, who struck out 98 and walked only 28 over a career-high 102 innings last year, was not allowed to play winter ball this year.

Nonetheless, he has been busy perfecting his craft with the help of new Astros Gulf Coast League pitching coach Erick Abreu.

“It’ll be something that he can use hard against lefties as another pitch, basically,” farm director Allen Rowin said of the cutter.

In addition to the cutter, Martes has focused on his direction to home plate this winter.

“I’m working on staying back in my delivery,” he said.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Martes has drawn plenty of praise since the Astros acquired him, Colin Moran, Jake Marisnick and a 2015 compensatory draft pick from the Marlins on July 31, 2014, for Jarred Cosart, Enrique Hernandez and Austin Wates.

He was 8-3, 2.04 in 102 innings between Quad Cities, Lancaster and Corpus Christi last year. He was 4-1 with a 2.31 ERA in six games (five starts) at hitter-friendly Lancaster to earn a promotion to Corpus Christi.

SPACE SHOTS

• Righthander Joe Musgrove, the organization’s 2015 minor league pitcher of the year, reported to Osceola County Stadium on Feb. 1 to prepare for his first big league camp.

• Lefthander Michael Freeman, catchers Jamie Ritchie and Garrett Stubbs and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez were among the players invited to the Astros’ minor league micro minicamp in February in Kissimmee, Fla.