Pedro Martinez's son signs with Tigers and his position might surprise you
When we hear the name Pedro Martinez, we instantly think of a Hall of Fame pitcher who dominated his generation while racking up 219 career wins and 3,154 strikeouts.
At least that’s our first thought right now. If his son, Pedro Martinez Jr,. has anything to say about it, then we’ll soon be thinking about a young prospect on the verge of writing his own legacy in baseball.
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Martinez, 17, reportedly signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. That means he’ll be following in his father’s footsteps in hopes of reaching baseball’s highest level.
But you won’t be reading about his K/9 ratio or hearing about velocity as he works his way up the ladder. That’s because unlike his father, Pedro Jr. is not a pitcher. In fact, the thought of it doesn’t really appeal to him all that much. Instead, he’s an infielder with some pretty good pop based on past trips to Fenway Park.
Baseball America’s Ben Badler was the first to report Martinez’s signing with Detroit. It wasn’t immediately known what the signing bonus will look like, but MLB.com’s Ben Weinrib says the family was expecting a six-figure offer.
Like his father, Pedro Jr. isn’t very bulky at just 190 pounds. He is much taller though, standing at 6-foot-2. Given his age and frame, he has plenty of time and room to grow.
Pedro Jr. has spent most of his time playing first and third base, and based on a recent interview with MLB.com it sounds like he’s content staying as an infielder unless something forces a shift.
“I don’t really like pitching,” he said. “I’ve been keeping up with the bat so far. I don’t feel any need to change.”
Pedro Jr. is not considered an elite prospect. He wasn’t even ranked among MLB.com’s top 30 prospects available during the 2017-18 international signing period. But he’s also not being signed based on his name alone. He possesses real upside, and it will be up to him to work hard and earn his future opportunities.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
