According to Todd Zolecki, the Phillies are calling up Ethan Cash Martin for a spot start on Friday, August 2nd, in place of Cliff Lee, who remains sidelined by a neck injury. This will be Ethan’s first major league appearance, and a debut that I have been anticipating for quite some time. This is a step in the right direction for the Phillies, as it shows a commitment to “let’s see what we have”, a necessary evil in the ever growing need to rebuild or retool. The Phillies rotation seems relatively established next year at this point with Lee, Hamels, Gonzalez, Kendrick, and Pettibone as the favorites to make the rotation. However, if Ethan is able to succeed at the Major League level, it provides the Phillies with multiple options next year, both in terms of depth, trade options, and flexibility. That is all hypothetical, as Ethan has yet to throw a pitch at the Majors, and he is unlikely to get more than a small sample size this year, you can get a good gauge to evaluate him at the highest level.
It has not always been the easiest path for Ethan to get to where he is today. He was drafted as a highly touted High School prospect in the first round in 2008 by the Dodgers. He signed for $1.73M and quickly became one of the Dodgers top 5 prospects, in large part because of his power arm and three potential plus pitches. He slowly dropped on their list each year, reaching his lowest status in 2011 as their #17 ranked prospect according to Baseball America. He was coming off back to back unsuccessful seasons, his control just did not seem like it was coming around, and he started pitching out of the bullpen. His stuff was still above average, but not on the elite level expected.
The Phillies took advantage of this drop in stature last year and were able to buy low on Ethan Martin in the Shane Victorino trade. He was having the best season of his minor league career, but there was still significant risk associated with him, which made him available. He continued his success at Reading, posting a cumulative 3.48 ERA with a comparable FIP, while pitching in the most innings of his career. He also averaged 8.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 and a reasonable 1.25 WHIP. His numbers are rather pedestrian this year at Lehigh Valley. He was 11-5 with a 4.12 ERA (4.53 FIP), 8.33 K/9, and 5.21 BB/9. However, over his past 10 games he has really turned it on, going 6-3 with a 2.8 ERA, 8.4 K/9, and 5.1 BB/9. His stuff should continue to generate strike outs, but his extreme walk rate and high balls-to-strike ratios continue to put his long-term future in the rotation in question.
For the first time, his stuff is showing the true flashes of his three plus pitch potential. He has an effortless delivery and throws in the mid-90s, with the ability to reach 97 MPH, with late movement. He features a high-80s slider, a sharp mid-70s curveball that generates a lot of swing-and-miss, and a fading, low-80s changeup. His combination of strong movement and range of velocity will generate a lot of strikeouts, while the blend of plus pitches give him the upside of a number 2-3 starter. Unfortunately, his control and command may prevent him from ever reaching that status. At worst, he has the ability to be a late-inning reliever, but there is far more value in giving him a chance to thrive in the rotation. Considering the Phillies status at this point, I say let him figure it out at the majors instead of having Lannan pitch every five days.
