Pirates Prospects has learned that Greensboro first baseman Mason Martin has been promoted to the Bradenton Marauders on Sunday. He leaves the South Atlantic League leading in OPS, slugging, homers and RBIs. The 20-year-old Martin hit his 22nd and 23rd home run yesterday.
Martin was drafted in the 17th round in 2017 and given an over-slot bonus to sign. He went to the GCL for his first season and crushed the ball, finishing with a .307/.457/.630 slash line in 39 games, while hitting 11 homers, which is almost an unheard of total in the GCL.
The Pirates pushed him to West Virginia the next year and he struggled badly with the promotion, batting .200/.302/.333 in 45 games before he was sent down to Bristol. He had just turned 19 years old, so the Appalachian League was a better level for someone in their first full season of pro ball out of high school. Martin hit .233/.357/.422 in 59 games, while collecting ten homers at Bristol.
Over the off-season, Martin worked hard on his conditioning to help him over the full season. Through 82 games, he hit .262/.361/.575 with 45 extra-base hits. The conditioning has also helped his movement at first base on defense, as well as his base running. He’s 8-for-10 in steals this season.
Martin joins a lineup that already has top prospects Travis Swaggerty, Calvin Mitchell, Oneil Cruz, Lolo Sanchez and Rodolfo Castro. He will also be paired with Dylan Busby, who has hit 17 homers already this season, which leads the Florida State League.
