Corbin Martin

Martin underwent Tommy John surgery in July of 2019, with the hope being he could return sometime in the second half of 2020. After the delayed start to the season, Martin was thought to be a candidate to break summer camp in the Diamondbacks' rotation, but his rehab had not progressed to the point he could realistically be in the mix in July. In August, Martin suffered an oblique strain, ending any chance he had to pitch last season. Martin will likely start the 2021 season with Triple-A Reno but could be an option to bolster Arizona's staff later in the season. With so much time elapsing since he last pitched, Martin is something of an unknown, but remember he has pedigree as a second-round pick in 2017. Consider scooping him up if he was dropped in your dynasty league and keep an eye on him in redraft as a potential free-agent acquisition.

Last season was an eventful one for Martin, as it included his major-league debut, Tommy John surgery and a trade to Arizona. The surgery will knock out most or all of Martin's 2020, rendering him irrelevant during draft season in redraft leagues, but much of his prospect promise remains for dynasty formats. Martin pitched well in 37.1 innings for Triple-A Round Rock, striking out 28.5% of opposing batters en route to a 3.13 ERA. He didn't fare nearly as well in five big-league starts, however, struggling to a 5.59 ERA and a 13.0% walk rate while giving up eight homers. It may take a long time for him to get the chance to improve those numbers, but the fact that he was good enough to headline a trade for Zack Greinke even after undergoing surgery speaks to his potential. Assuming his recovery goes well, Martin should one day be a mid-rotation starter with mid-90s heat, a plus slider and a good changeup.

Martin has a pretty classic "safe mid-rotation starter" profile. Of course we know there is no such thing as a pitching prospect with a safe mid-rotation starter projection, especially when said pitcher has not yet pitched at Triple-A, but he has the qualities found in that type of pitching prospect. He was unhittable in 19 innings at High-A and was promoted to Double-A on May 1. At his best, Martin locates his mid-90s fastball to all four quadrants, enabling him to get ahead in the count. He induced groundballs close to 60% of the time in the lower levels -- that rate dipped to a still solid 47.3% at Double-A. His slider, curveball and changeup all project as at least average pitches. Unlike many Astros pitching prospects, Martin was allowed to pitch deep into games, logging six-plus innings in seven of his 21 appearances at Double-A. If he improves one or two of his secondary pitches, we could feel pretty confident in that No. 3 starter projection.