Future Watch: Francis Martes Rookie Baseball Cards, Astros

Future Watch: Francis Martes Rookie Baseball Cards, Astros – Francis Martes is 6′-1′, 225lb right-handed pitcher in the Houston Astros organization. Before the start of the season, Baseball America ranked him the 20th best pitching prospect in baseball. Around the trading deadline the Toronto Blue Jays took notice and started to scout him in hopes of getting him in a trade. Houston didn’t want to part with this top of the rotation pitching prospect.

The Marlins initially singed Martes as an International Prospect in 2012. They traded him to the Astros in 2014. Now 20, he’s pitching for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks. He’s inching closer to the majors with every start.

The Dominican hurler has a solid fastball. He has a knee-buckling curveball and a change-up to keep hitters off balance. In his first 24 games this season he managed a 9-5 record. He struck out 126 batters in 122 innings. In his total minor league career he has a 2.97 ERA so far with a 23-14 record. The Astros are in the midst of a playoff run. Will they bring him up when they extend the rosters in September? Probably not this year but next year is a real possibility.

According to his MLB.com draft profile:

Martes’ control also has improved significantly this year. He will be 19 years old all season and is far from a finished product. But his stuff, physical build and makeup give him a promising set of tools to develop as he matriculates. ETA 2018

Here’s a look at movement in his fastball and a nasty breaking ball:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crmwcmla70k

Francis Martes has a Chrome Prospect autograph card (#CPA-FM) in 2016 Bowman Baseball, as well as autographs in 2016 Bowman Inception Baseball.

Martes has all the tools. Let’s see how long the Astros can hold off temptation by letting him continue to develop.

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Russ Cohen

Russ Cohen is an accomplished writer for www.sportsology.info and radio host for the Sportsology Radio Network and covers multiple sports including writing specifically about the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. He has numerous articles published on NHL.com and other team websites as well as Slam, CSNPhilly.com and FoxSports.com. Some of his articles have appeared in Canadian Sports Collector, Goalie News, New England Hockey Journal, The Hockey News, Beckett Hockey, Blueshirt Bulletin, NHL Publications and he has a monthly column in Center Ice Magazine that is distributed to every amateur hockey rink in the Pennsylvania. Russ has been asked to be a guest on several radio shows as a respected and valued expert on sports and has extensive AM radio experience including Hockey Prospect Radio on NHL Network Radio for the last 14 years, plus TSN 1050 and Sportstalkny WLIE 540 AM.

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