Getting to Know Our Guardian Angel (Martinez)
Allow him to reintroduce himself
Since Lane Thomas took a fastball to the wrist, Angel Martinez flew up to Cleveland and brought Cleveland fans with him up to Cloud 9 against the Royals.
Martinez swapped spots with Johnathan Rodriguez on to the major league roster and promptly responded by going 5 for 8 with 2 doubles and putting up 1 Out Above Average in his two starts in centerfield so far. This isn’t his first stint in the bigs
In the minors, Martinez had a 109 wRC+ with a 18/10 K/BB%. He pulled fly balls at a decent rate (33% fly ball rate, 45% pull rate, with a roughly 40% groundball rate), and he fought through a hamate injury last year to make his major league debut after a 60-day stint on the IL. As the youngest player on the 2024 Guardians’ roster at only 22 years old, Martinez put up a solid 19.5/9 K/BB%, but he only managed an 86 wRC+. He also wasn’t quite ready for his new role in centerfield but still managed 1 Defensive Run Saved (and -1 Out Above Average).
As is common knowledge, hamate injuries sap hitters of power for about a full calendar year. So, here we are, and Angel looks in a very brief sample like he’s found some of that power again. He also LOOKS more confident in centerfield. His arm strength there was 63rd percentile last season and his range (so far) is measuring around 70th percentile versus it’s underwater ranking from last year.
Martinez is also a switch-hitter, which is always intriguing. His splits in the minors are pretty even, with Angel looking to be around 10-15% better against LHP than RHP, but above average against both. He hasn’t been a threat to steal many bases, and his sprint speed is only around the 60th percentile, but he seems to be a smart, opportunistic player on the bases. He’s incredibly hard working, and he was one of the numerous Dominican prospects to talk about how much he looks up to Jose Ramirez when he was called up.
Let’s take a look at what, if anything, may be different for Angel this time around. Here’s Martinez ending his 2024 season with a typical groundout:
And here’s Angel in 2025, terrorizing Kansas City Royals’ pitching:
Both pitches are on the inner half of the plate, but the big difference can be clearly seen: Martinez has gone from an average bat speed of 69 mph to a bat speed of 73.5 mph. So, he’s able to get the bat head around on pitches and pull the ball as he did in his minor league career. Combining this with getting some lift and exercising his plate discipline skills, should enable him to be a valuable major league hitter.
Martinez is also very easy to root for as an individual. From the moment he saw my son at Guards Fest and gave him extra time to ask him about himself and mention how much he liked the baseball from the Dominican Republic that my son had, I knew I’d always root for this kid. But, he goes out of his way to be a great interview for reporters and I’ve seen him prioritize fan interaction over and over.
I mean, just look at this, folks:
I am optimistic that because of his solid plate discipline and consistent ability to pull the ball at every level of the minors despite being young for each of those levels, Angel Martinez can be a league average hitter from both sides of the plate in the bigs. If he can consequently demonstrate good range and a good arm in centerfield... that’s a great answer for your centerfielder of the future... or even the present if you want to get Lane Thomas AB’s in right field. It’s only two games, of course, so Angel could falter as many young players do and end up back in Columbus. But, personally, I’m ready to buy in.
Cleveland fans! Let’s get ready to believe in our own Angel in the Outfield.