The Road to The Show™: Blue Jays’ Martinez

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at Blue Jays’ second-ranked prospect Orelvis Martinez. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here.

The Blue Jays’ tremendous eye for talent on the international market seems to have found another gem in Orelvis Martinez.

Toronto signed the Dominican infielder when he was 16 years old to a $3.5 million bonus – the most lucrative in the 2018 international class. Martinez ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 7 international prospect and earned comparisons from scouts at the time to a young Adrián Beltré.

Since he’s joined the professional ranks, he’s quietly been one of the best power hitters in the Minors. Martinez’s 86 homers are the most by any player since 2021, and he’s the only Minor Leaguer to hit at least 28 long balls in each of the past three seasons.

This year, Martinez repeated a level at Double-A New Hampshire to start the season but advanced to Triple-A Buffalo after the All-Star break. In 119 total games this season, he’s batting .246/.343/.509 with 28 homers, 24 doubles and 88 RBIs.

Since being promoted, Martinez has seen an increase in production in most every offensive category, with one important exception.

Martinez’s most glaring flaw in 2022 was his 28.5 percent strikeout rate, which likely played a part in anchorin him to the Eastern League for an extra tour. He decreased that figure to 20.5 percent over 70 games with the Fisher Cats this season. But it spiked again in Buffalo, and he’s entering the final week of the regular season with a 27.2 percent punchout rate. Oddly enough, this spike has come at a time when he’s seen an improvement in his average (.273) and on-base percentage (.347).

There’s been another interesting development since MLB Pipeline’s No. 88 overall prospect landed in Buffalo – he’s been playing second base for the first time in his career.

When Martinez first signed, there was a belief that he would eventually shift from his natural position at shortstop to third base as he grew into his frame. The Blue Jays didn’t wait that long, however, and he’s played both positions on the left side of the infield since his debut in 2019. But with the Bisons, the 5-foot-11, 200-pounder has actually taken most of his defensive reps at second base.

“He’s got a lot to learn, but the talent is there and the ability to do damage is there obviously,” Buffalo manager Casey Candaele said in August. “There’s some things that he needs to refine, especially defensively, but he’s willing to work.

“He’s not intimidated by any means. He wants to do better. … He’s highly capable of handling it and doing it.”

The Santo Domingo native has moved rather quickly through the Minor League ranks. He was the youngest player to open the season on an Eastern League roster last year, and he’s not turning 22 until November.

Even his introduction to professional ball could be considered an aggressive assignment. After signing in 2018, he came stateside right away and debuted the following year in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Over 40 games that year, Martinez batted .275/.352/.549 but his game power was more to the gaps than over the fence. He hit seven homers but had eight doubles and five triples.

Following the pandemic year, Martinez made his full-season debut with Single-A Dunedin. He was really able to tap into his power in the traditionally pitcher-friendly Florida State League and clubbed 19 homers and 22 doubles while batting .279 with an .941 OPS in his first 71 games of the season. He was promoted to High-A Vancouver in August, and his season was cut short after 27 games due to an injury. But he hit nine more homers over that span and finished with 87 RBIs on the season.

Martinez’s 2022 season in New Hampshire was something of a mixed bag. Although he had the high strikeout rate while batting .203 with a 96 wRC+ throughout the season, he also set the Fisher Cats’ single-season home run record with 30 long balls. He was also just 20 years old and was the first player that age to hit at least 30 homers entirely at Double-A since Derrek Lee did it for Memphis in 1996.

Martinez has impressed in some manner throughout every aggressive assignment he’s been given. He’s even gotten at-bats in each of the past three Grapefruit League seasons, collecting 15 hits in 45 at-bats (.333) with five homers and 14 RBIs.

Martinez, who is on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster as the club enters the postseason, can join Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk as the latest international signing success story in Toronto.