MLB.com Projects The Dodgers Taking Richie Martin With Their First Pick

Draft day is upon us this afternoon, and MLB.com is projecting the Dodgers to take university of Florida shortstop Richie Martin with their first round (24) overall pick. This seems a bit odd since the Dodgers have Corey Seager knocking on the door in triple-A. Regardless it wouldn’t hurt to have another shortstop/infield prospect in the minors.

Photo from Gatorzone.com

Martin is 20-years old, he’ll be 21 at the end of the year. He is 5’10, and 175 pounds. He bats and throws right handed. Apparently he was originally drafted by the Mariners in the 2012 draft, but elected to stay in school, and go to the University of Florida.

Martin performed well in his freshman year. He batted  .300 (51 for 170) with a .366 OBP for the Gators. However he struggled in his sophomore season. In that year he batted .266 (65 for 254) with one home run, and 27 runs batted in. Although he did put up solid on base numbers (.357 OBP), and stole 18 bases. This season he’s been having a nice rebound year with Florida. He hit .291 (69 for 237) with four home runs, and 20 stolen bases. He’s put up an impressive .405 OBP this season.

Career Activity

speed

contact

patience

batting

power

84

75

42

61

26

*as of 2014 season.

Download all Scouting Scores

While batting in the lead-off spot, Martin struggled to adjust, but once he was moved down into the two-hole he began to improve. He credited an improved mental approach that helped his success. At the advice of coaches and friends, Martin read a tennis book that changed his attitude. Yes, a tennis book helped his game. He began to relax and started to play better.

Martin had a great run in the Cape Cod league this summer. During a 43 game stretch, Martin batted .364 (59 for 162) with three home runs, and a .500 OBP. He also stole 20 bases. According to the scouting reports, Martin is a pure hitter with a line drive bat that can hit the gaps. He has a lot of speed for a shortstop, but limited power. He’s more of a top of the lineup guy.

As for his defense, he supposedly has great range, and a good arm. However he is prone to errors. Thebaseballcube ranks his speed and contact as his highest scores.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for the Dodgers to stack up on the shortstop position. Who knows, maybe they could move him over to second base where they are pretty thin in the minors, sans Darnell Sweeney.