Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic, is well regarded for its ability to churn out a plethora of talented young ballplayers. Current big league shortstops Geraldo Perdomo and Jeremy Peña were born there, along with a multitude of All-Stars who have impacted the game at other positions. Martínez, a 5-foot-11, 160-pounder, is arguably the top prospect to emerge among this year’s Santo Domingo group due to a high floor that has intrigued evaluators from a young age. He trains with Mejia Top 10 in Santo Domingo East, a member of MLB’s trainer partnership program.

Martínez is much more hit-over-power at this stage of his development, boasting a flatter bat path with an up-the-middle approach. That said, his left-handed swing is one of the cleaner ones in the class, with a short stroke to the ball and quickness in his hands. How his power plays in games is much more up in the air, but his loose stroke and projectable body could enable that aspect of his skill set to develop in time.

Viewed as a solid defender with good instincts as a middle infielder, there’s optimism that Martínez remains there as he acclimates to pro ball. While his arm and wheels are just around average, it’s the totality of his package that gives him sum-greater-than-the-parts distinction.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

The 2025 international signing period looked to be a particularly fruitful one for the Mariners at the outset. They inked a pair of top 20 prospects in Yorger Bautista and Martínez, who got the organization’s largest bonus of $2.5 million when the period opened in January. Playing at age 17 for his debut in the Dominican Summer League, Martínez struggled mightily, posting a .475 OPS over 37 games, serving as notice that sometimes patience is very much needed in the development of young prospects.

Martínez will try to hit the reset button in 2026. He had entered the system with a reputation of having a high floor because of a strong feel for hitting that did not materialize in the DSL. He had gotten rave reviews about his quick left-handed swing and being short to the ball, geared toward contact, but he didn’t find a consistent approach during his debut, striking out in 27.8 percent of his plate appearances. He had just one extra-base hit, but there is projection with the potential to add strength to his frame, with the hope of some impact showing up as he matures.

The teenager split time between shortstop and second base last year, actually getting more time at the keystone. He’s shown good defensive instincts at times with average speed and perhaps enough arm to play the left side of the infield. This is looking like a long-term project, and he might need a few years at Rookie levels to find his footing.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

With as good a track record as any team in terms of signing and developing hitters from the international market, the Mariners may have struck gold again in 2025, two times over. Not only did they sign Yorger Bautista, No. 6 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 50 prospects for the international Class of ‘25, they also picked up Martínez, No. 19 on that list, for $2.5 million. They were one of four teams to land two top 20 prospects when the signing period opened this past January.

While Bautista might boast a tremendous ceiling, Martínez is a little more of a whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-his-parts kind of prospect with a higher floor. A lot of that stems from what could be a plus hit tool in time, with a clean left-handed swing that’s short to the ball thanks to quick hands. It remains to be seen what kind of power he gets to as he advances, but there is some projection and ability to add strength to his frame, so he could start driving the ball in time given his knack for finding the barrel, albeit with a flatter bat path and up-the-middle approach.

Martínez has the chance to stick at shortstop long term. He may not be an electric defender, but his excellent instincts and internal clock help him maximize his average speed and arm to play the premium position.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	02/28/2025	SS Kendry Martínez assigned to DSL Mariners.
	01/15/2025	Seattle Mariners signed free agent SS Kendry Martínez to a minor league contract.