The Phillies will start Ethan Martin tomorrow night against the Braves, making him the latest call-up to the big club. Martin was obtained last summer at the deadline in exchange for Shane Victorino, and was once a first round pick by the Dodgers. He had fallen out of favor a bit with the organization prior to last season, then rebounded with a really good season, before being traded to Philadelphia. Assigned to Reading, he dominated down the stretch, and earned a spot in this year's AAA rotation in Lehigh Valley. Martin struggled in April, causing some to doubt if he was ready, but he pulled it together and became one of their most consistent starters. While the numbers are not pretty, he lead the IronPigs with an 11-5 record, a 4.12 ERA, 115.2 innings, and 107 strikeouts. Opposing hitters hit just .229 off of him. In his last 10 starts, he was 6-3 with a 2.80 ERA, threw 61 innings, and held opposing hitters to a .199 average.
Martin is not a finished product, nor is he a sure thing to stick in the rotation, however he does have a big league arm. His fastball can get into the mid-90s range, and he's obviously been tough to hit this season. His last two starts were both six innings of no run ball, and he surrendered just 7 hits in those innings. His biggest issue, his control, is still an issue, as he walked 3 in both of those games, but he's done better of late. Martin gets into trouble when he doesn't throw strikes, like many other young arms. If he can get over that, I could see him topping out in the middle of the rotation, but I'd still bet he ends up in the bullpen, at the back-end.
Either way, welcome to Philly, and let's hope he sticks for a long time!
