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ESPN reports the Reds have reached agreement on a two year/$26M deal with Nick Martinez, 33 year old RHP
The Martinez file:
Veteran, multi-inning, reliever/starter. Think Swiss army knife for staff. 110 innings last year, 63 appearances....9 starts.
2023 ERA of 3.43.....ERA+ 119......19% better than league
Big ground ball guy: Induced a ground ball 54% of time last season. MLB average was 44.6.
Not overpowering, offers a nice mix from the power arms in the pen.
Batters don't square him up....Top 2 % in exit velocity allowed. Average exit velo of 84.7 mph was 2nd-lowest in MLB, trailing only SF’s Tyler Rogers (84.4 mph), and was lowest of any Padre pitcher in a single season in Statcast Era.
In 2022, he became the only pitcher in MLB history to have 4+ holds and 8+ saves while also making 10+ starts in a single season.
Last 2 seasons: 110 appearances/216 innings........19 starts.
2023: 6-3 with 1 SV, 15 holds, 3.43 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and .240 opponents’ AVG.
9 starts, 2-1 with a 2.32 ERA and .183 AVG.
54 relief outings, 4.12 ERA and .273 AVG.
Made a team-leading and career-high 63 appearances in his 2nd season with SD.
106 strikeouts and 15 holds were career highs…the 15 holds ranked 2nd in SD’s bullpen.
With RISP/2 out, he limited the opposition to a .170 BA.
Per Statcast, 5 pitches: changeup (28.8%), sinker (22.3%), curveball (19.3%),cutter (16.5%) 4-seam fastball (13.1%).
Batters hit just .158 off his changeup/.164 on his curveball.
There is a Scott Sullivan vibe to him:
Sullivan '00-'02
209.2 IN, 1.21 WHIP, 7.8 H/9, 3.2 BB, 7.6 K....3.39 ERA
Martinez '22-'23
216.2 IN, 1.27 WHIP, 8.1 H/9, 3.4 BB, 8.3 K.....3.45 ERA
Sullivan used more....158 appearances to 110
7 ML postseason appearances/0.82 ERA.....1st Padres reliever to pitch 3+ relief innings in a playoff game.
Career:
Texas Rangers 2014-2017
Japan 2018-2021
Padres 2022-2023
Changed his career path with tweaks in arsenal/grip while in Japan: 2021:
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, 10-5 with a 1.62 ERA (27 ER, 149.2 IP), 1.03 WHIP and 146 strikeouts to 39 walks (3.74 SO/BB ratio) in 23 games.