Blue Jays: Orelvis Martinez opening eyes to start career

The Toronto Blue Jays # 10 prospect, 17-year-old Orelvis Martinez who has been compared to Adrian Beltre, proved through his first eight pro games why he has drawn such comparisons.

Orelvis Martinez picked up a hit in seven of the eight games, going 10-for-32 with two doubles, three triples, and a home run. An impressive start to a career for any prospect, let alone a kid who won’t turn 18 until November and the slash line is just as impressive, standing at .313/.378/.656 with an OPS of 1.035 heading into Saturday’s contest.

The Blue Jays signed Martinez out of the Dominican Republic last July with a signing bonus of $3.5-million, the second largest international signing by the club after Vlad Guerrero Jr.

He was signed as a shortstop but as the 6-foot-1, 188-pounder continues to grow and fill out, scouts believe he may eventually make the move to third base. The Blue Jays already seem to be preparing for that possibility, getting him reps at both short and third early in his career with five starts up the middle and two at the corner.

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MLB Pipeline says Martinez has all the tools including the athleticism, quickness and the arm strength to play either position but truly it’s his bat that commands the most praise. None of his tools project below-average as he can just about do it all and the raw power he possesses could very well be his best and is on display every time he takes his swings in the cage.

The combination of power and speed is already showing with three triples and a stolen base through eight games and while it’s a small size, Jays fans can come to expect this type of power from Martinez as he slowly rises through the system.

At such a young age the club will be patient with Martinez but the hype is only growing for the Santo Domingo native whose pro debut was highly anticipated within the organization.

He is just getting his feet wet in the rookie league right now and it will be interesting to see how the numbers fare over an extended period of time as well as his adjustments to playing against more polished and mature players.

While he struck out nine times in those eight games and walked just three times, his patience in the batter’s box will come with more reps in the minors as he gets more comfortable.