Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

The top player from Mexico in the class, Martinez is large and tall with a very projectable body and tons of flexibility.

He projects to be a starter if he can maintain his consistency in the strike zone and improve on his secondary pitches. For now, his fastball hovers in the 89-91 mph range and his velocity is expected to increase as he matures and adds strength. There is already some sink in his fastball, and he creates some deception with his arm angle. He also has a high arm slot.

He shows signs of fade to his changeup and a sharp bite to his curveball, but both are works in progress. He already shows good command of the strike zone and has an idea of how to attack hitters. He has experience playing in the showcase circuit in the United States.

Martinez trains with Showtime Top Velocity. The Mariners are among the teams who have shown strong interest in him.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

Martinez ranked No. 42 among MLB Pipeline’s international prospects when he signed with Seattle for $600,000 out of Mexico in 2023. He blossomed onto many teams’ radars after playing in the showcase circuit in the U.S., with long-term starter potential -- particularly after a stellar debut season in the Dominican Summer League, where he carried a 1.72 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 30.7 percent strikeout rate in 47 innings.

At just 17 years old during his debut, while leveraging a huge 6-foot-4 frame, Martinez’s fastball made a huge velocity jump in just one year, from sitting in the 89-90 mph range all the way up to 93-94, even touching 97 thanks to a combination of getting onto the Mariners’ Dominican campus and making a small mechanical tweak. Through it all, Martinez retained his plus strike-throwing ability, which can often be sacrificed among youngsters growing into velocity. Among his secondaries, the changeup was better than the slider in the DSL.

The Mariners haven’t had nearly as much success with pitchers on the international market in the Jerry Dipoto era -- those have mostly come via the Draft -- but there’s more than a strong chance that Martinez could blossom into one of the organization’s best in the coming years, with the ceiling of being a mid-to-high-rotation starter.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

Martinez signed with the Mariners for $600,000 out of Mexico in January and sits in the Top 50 on MLB Pipeline’s list of international prospects. The 17-year-old, who has experience playing on the showcase circuit in the United States, projects to be a starter if he can maintain his consistency in the strike zone and improve on his secondary pitches. 

Seattle assigned Martinez to the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League to begin his professional career. Martinez’s fastball sits in the 90-92 mph range but can touch 94. There’s an expectation the velocity will increase as he matures and adds strength. There is already some sink in his fastball, and he creates some deception with his arm angle. He also has a high arm slot.

He shows signs of fade to his changeup, but the pitch is still a work in progress and definitely third on his depth chart. Martinez’s slider is a slurvy pitch thrown in the 79-81 mph range, but he went into the signing period with solid command of the strike zone and has an idea of how to attack hitters. His slider is already an out pitch and the best swing-and-miss offering in his repertoire.

Awards

Baseball America Rookie All-Star

Year	Team
2023

DSL Mid-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2023

DSL Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
07/23/2023
06/18/2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	05/03/2024	RHP Jeter Martinez assigned to ACL Mariners from DSL Mariners.
	03/07/2024	Seattle Mariners Prospects activated RHP Jeter Martinez.
	07/29/2023	DSL AL All-Stars activated RHP Jeter Martinez.
	06/04/2023	RHP Jeter Martinez assigned to DSL Mariners.
	01/15/2023	Seattle Mariners signed free agent RHP Jeter Martinez to a minor league contract.