Welcome to In The System, our new daily analysis of the latest throughout the Pirates' organization!
Each morning, we'll spotlight an individual player or performance from the previous day/night, in addition to offering convenient links to find all the information anyone could want on Class AAA Indianapolis, Class AA Altoona, high Class A Greensboro and low Class A Bradenton throughout the season.
Player: Mason Martin
Position: First base
Bats/throws: Left/right
Age: 21
Size: 6-0, 220 pounds
MLB organizational rank: 15th
Affiliate: Altoona
Few in the Pirates' system possess the same raw power that's put Martin on the prospect radar since being selected with the 17th-round pick in 2017. He whacked his second homer of the season and plated another run on a sacrifice fly Sunday. Martin has 13 hits through his first 39 at-bats at Class AA (.333) with six extra-base hits, nine RBIs and six runs scored.
There may very well be opportunity at the first base position when Martin is ready to break into the big leagues. Martin's strikeout percentage still hovers around that concerning 30 percent mark, but it hasn't gotten worse at the new level. He's also gotten his ground ball/fly ball rate to a place that may be more suitable with a player with his power potential. He's hitting the ball in the air 59 percent of the time compared to a near 23 percent ground ball rate.
As a 17th-rounder, Martin is certainly an exception among the Pirates' ranking prospects. Most of the system was built on trades and early-round draft picks. But Martin could be one of the few scouting success stories from the Neal Huntington days that really pans out. He hit 35 homers with 129 RBIs and 168 strikeouts across two levels in 2019.
ELSEWHERE
• Among those prospects acquired via trade are Bradenton second baseman Maikol Escotto and outfielder Hudson Head. That duo combined to go 3-for-9 on Sunday. Escotto drove in a pair of runs and also scored one, while drawing a walk. He's enjoyed a stronger start to the season, batting .353 with a .905 OPS so far. Head has struggled out of the gate, hitting .195 in 41 at-bats.
• Travis Swaggerty homered for the third time this season. The three-run shot was his only hit in four at-bats for Indianapolis on Sunday. Swaggerty got off to a roaring start but has not gotten the hang of Class AAA pitching the way he reportedly handled the bat at the alternate site. The 23-year-old is batting .200 with a .744 OPS through his first 40 at-bats this season.
• Until some regular promotions come through, pretty much every day there will be a pitcher to watch in Greensboro through the early part of the minor-league season. On Sunday, it was Carmen Mlodzinski, who ranks among the top five pitchers in the system. It wasn't the best day for the No. 31 overall pick in last year's draft. He yielded two runs, one earned, on four hits and four walks but struck out six over 3 1/3 innings. Mlodzinski has a 1.42 ERA with 10 strikeouts over 6 1/3 total innings for the Grasshoppers.
OFFICIAL LINKS
• Affiliate scores
• Indianapolis
• Altoona
• Greensboro
• Bradenton
YOUR TURN: We'd love to hear from you, too, especially if you make it out to see any of these prospects and affiliates play. Feel free to file your own original scouting reports and other observations in comments.
