Ryan Falla
LA Dodgers prospect Payton Martin has continued his hot streak on the year as he heads into June sporting a 2.18 ERA with 21 strikeouts across 20.2 IP. For any prospect, these numbers would be enough to solidify them as a standout, but for a 19-year-old just coming out of high school these numbers tell the story of a future star in the making. Martin currently sits 8th in the Cal League among ERA leaders with at least 20 innings pitched. Across 7 starts Martin has limited hitters to a minuscule .534 OPS with zero home runs allowed. In fact, Martin has allowed just 2 extra-base hits on the season, both being doubles, across his 20.2 innings of work. This all comes as Martin expands his pitch repertoire to include a devastating change-up that plays well against left-handed hitters alongside a curveball that is still in the works.
“The changeup’s pretty nasty. It’s more advanced than it was [earlier in the season], more consistent. No base hits on it yet, I don’t think anybody’s put it in play. We use it only with lefties. My fastball rides and everything else goes to the left side of the batter’s box, it works well with that. Adding something that goes to the right will help me out in the future”
Martin is currently developing his fastball into the upper echelons of velocity. He currently tops out at 98mph, a big jump from his sitting in the lower 90s coming into the organization out of high school. The Dodgers, as well as Martin, see 100mph as a true possibility in the near future, possibly by the season’s end. This development could easily put Martin in the upper ranks of prospect standings within the Dodgers, likely putting him within the organization’s Top 30 by year’s end. A high prospect ranking wouldn’t come solely on the speed of his fastball, but his dominant pitch ability alongside his developing repertoire.
“Back in high school, I feel like I didn’t put as much effort into [my fastball]. It was more just throwing strikes. When I came here, I gained like six or seven miles per hour. It’s a big jump”
Martin on getting his fastball to 100mph: “I see it happening, very soon. Just gotta work on the weight gain. Just keep eating and it will come.”
This is to be expected for someone as young as Martin just two months into their first professional season. A prospect such as himself isn’t expected to do much more than physically acclimate to the professional grind, yet a performance at the level Martin is showcasing can put him well within consideration for Top Prospect potential. Not only is he outperforming expectations on the mound, but he’s also flying past physical expectations as well. Hitting 100mph by season’s end sits within the realm of possibility, from there, anything can happen. Double A by the season’s end? Perhaps. Knocking on the MLB’s door by the end of 2024? At this pace that is well within reason.
This fastball is just a stamp on the resume of excellence Martin carries on the season. He consistently finds ways to shut the door on opposing offenses with runners on board whether by way of strikeout or the groundball. Martin finds himself sitting top 10 in the Cal League with a total of 82.8% left on base rate. Of all his shining qualities his best has to be his ability to generate swings and misses in high-leverage situations. Martin currently maintains a 16.1% swinging strike rate which is good enough to place him 8th in the Cal League. Individually each stat might not tell the whole story, but in tandem, they paint a picture of high-leverage efficiency.
Again, this all comes within the first two months of his first professional season at age 19, making Payton Martin a must-watch developing prospect across all levels of the Dodgers organization.
MLB ETA: 2025/2026
MLB COMP: Garrett Richards
Comments
Loading…