Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 30 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

Martorella was a late-round pick in 2019 out of Salinas High School in the Monterey, Calif., area, a school that has produced one big leaguer in Xavier Nady, who went on to college before beginning his pro career. Martorella, who has been in Cal’s starting lineup since he got there in 2020, is hoping to parlay an all Pac-12 season this spring into following in Nady’s footsteps.

A left-handed hitter, Martorella is a strength-over-bat speed kind of hitter, one who really started to use that strength more effectively as the year went on. He showed considerable patience at the plate and walked more than he struck out for the year, striking out just 10.7 percent of the time. He led the Pac-12 with his .388 average in conference play while hitting eight of his 11 homers in conference, mostly to the pull side. He absolutely punishes fastballs, struggling more against breaking and offspeed stuff.

Martorella is going to have to hit to advance at the next level because he’s limited defensively. He’s a first baseman only, with some thinking time at DH might be in his future. Teams who feel his power discovery and willingness to lift the ball more are legit this year might take a chance on his left-handed bat.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 45 | Run: 30 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 45

Martorella used a breakout final season at California, batting .333 with a career-best 11 homers, to propel himself to the Padres in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft. He hit well in High-A during his first full pro season but slumped once he got to Double-A late in the year and has struggled even more there in 2024. His numbers took a further downturn after he moved to the Marlins as part of the Luis Arraez trade in May.

When Martorella is having success at the plate, he controls the strike zone and translates his strength into average power. But since he arrived in Double-A, pitchers have exploited his ordinary bat speed, and he has had trouble turning on pitches or hitting them with much authority. The left-handed hitter isn't generating much pop, especially against southpaws.

Despite his well-below-average speed, Martorella can catch defenses napping and steal an occasional base. His limited athleticism produces little defensive value, as he's a subpar defender and lacks range at first base. His average arm strength has led to some time in left field, but he doesn't cover enough ground to play there in the Majors.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 30 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

A three-year starter at Cal, Martorella broke out at the right time in his final season in Berkeley, slashing .333/.424/.511 with a career-high 11 homers and an impressive 29/34 K/BB ratio over 55 games. That performance helped him capture All-Pac-12 honors, and he stayed in the Golden State by going to the Padres in the fifth round and signing for below slot at $325,000. Martorella didn’t stop hitting in the pros either, finishing with a .322 average and a .932 OPS in 28 games between the Arizona Complex and California Leagues.

Martorella relies much more on his strength than his bat speed from the left side to generate his pop, and he did a better job of playing to that in his breakout 2022 campaign. He’s certainly patient enough to wait for his pitch, posting high walk rates that carried over into his early pro looks. Martorella bats from a wide stance with a minimal load, which led to high groundball rates in the Minors, so he may need to adjust to find better ways to make use of his average power.

Many evaluators believed the former Golden Bear would be stuck to first base in pro ball, but the Padres gave him some opportunities in the corner outfield spots with Lake Elsinore. Even though he's gotten more looks in left in 2023, his well-below-average speed should keep him at the cold corner. There are enough interesting pieces in Martorella’s profile to make him an intriguing prospect even at a position with a high offensive bar.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 30 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

Martorella was a late-round pick in 2019 out of Salinas High School in the Monterey, Calif., area but went on to college before beginning his pro career. He was in Cal’s starting lineup during all three years on campus and was an All-Pac-12 selection after hitting .333/.424/.553 with 11 homers in 55 games this spring. San Diego selected him in the fifth round and signed him for slightly below slot at $325,000.

A left-handed hitter, Martorella is a strength-over-bat speed kind of hitter, one who really started to use that strength more effectively as his junior year went on. He showed considerable patience at the plate and walked more than he struck out for the year, striking out just 10.7 percent of the time. He led the Pac-12 with his .388 average in conference play while hitting eight of his 11 homers in conference, mostly to the pull side. He absolutely punishes fastballs, struggling more against breaking and offspeed stuff.

Martorella is going to have to hit to advance at the pro level because he’s limited defensively. He’s a first baseman only, with some thinking time at DH might be in his future. That said, he becomes the best first-base prospect in San Diego's system, and he’ll climb as quickly as his bat will allow.

Awards

MID Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	05/07/2024	Pensacola Blue Wahoos activated 1B Nathan Martorella.
	05/04/2024	Miami Marlins traded 2B Luis Arraez to San Diego Padres for OF Dillon Head, OF Jakob Marsee, RHP Woo-Suk Go and 1B Nathan Martorella.
	05/04/2024	1B Nathan Martorella assigned to Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
	03/07/2024	San Diego Padres Prospects activated 1B Nathan Martorella.
	02/22/2024	San Diego Padres invited non-roster 1B Nathan Martorella to spring training.
	09/22/2023	Peoria Javelinas activated 1B Nathan Martorella.
	08/22/2023	1B Nathan Martorella assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps.
	08/22/2023	San Antonio Missions activated 1B Nathan Martorella.
	08/22/2023	San Antonio Missions activated 1B Nathan Martorella.
	03/28/2023	1B Nathan Martorella assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm.
	03/04/2023	1B Nathan Martorella assigned to San Diego Padres.
	03/04/2023	1B Nathan Martorella roster status changed by San Diego Padres.
	08/22/2022	1B Nathan Martorella assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres.
	08/22/2022	Lake Elsinore Storm activated 1B Nathan Martorella.
	08/04/2022	1B Nathan Martorella assigned to ACL Padres.
	08/01/2022	San Diego Padres signed 1B Nathan Martorella.
	06/07/2022	College Workout activated 1B Nathan Martorella.
	06/07/2022	1B Nathan Martorella assigned to College Workout.
	02/09/2022	1B Nathan Martorella and assigned to California Golden Bears.