Padres prospect Martorella maximizing '23 growth in AFL

Nathan Martorella received clear instructions during his three collegiate seasons -- instructions that are easier said than done but helped him get taken in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft.

“My hitting coach, Noah Jackson at Cal, he always talked about controlling the strike zone,” said the Padres first baseman. “You do damage if you swing at pitches in the zone. If you’re chasing, you won’t. That’s kind of my philosophy.”

It’s one that served San Diego’s No. 10 prospect well in his first full season, carrying him to the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League as an autumnal reward.

As part of a deep 2022 Padres Draft class that features fellow Fall Leaguers Graham Pauley and Jakob Marsee, Martorella hit .255/.361/.437 with 19 homers in 135 games between High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio. He was named a Midwest League end-of-season All-Star for his work at the former after finishing among the top 10 in OBP, slugging percentage, OPS, homers and walks.

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But to the point of not expanding the zone, consider where Martorella placed among those at his position. There were 129 qualified full-season Minor League first basemen in 2023. Only six of them struck out less than 18 percent of the time while also walking at least 14 percent of the time. Martorella, playing in his age-22 season, was the youngest of that half dozen by at least two years, having finished with a 17.4 percent K rate and 14.1 percent BB rate.

By being selective, the left-handed slugger was able to get his power to play, too; his 19 homers this season equaled his collegiate total over three separate campaigns.

But if you were to ask him, he might admit to one stat pleasing him most: Martorella led all Padres Minor Leaguers with 582 plate appearances in 2023.

“I know it's a grind, but I wanted to be available every day,” he said. “Learning how to take care of my body through a long season and playing every game was my goal, and I came pretty close to that.”

The Padres extended Martorella’s ability to get looks on the diamond with his AFL assignment, in part to keep honing in on that approach and also to get a little extra work in left field, where he made 22 starts during the summer. But there’s an additional benefit in getting Martorella in another clubhouse with Pauley and Marsee. The three talents headed to San Antonio as part of a loaded Double-A squad that also included Top 10 prospects Ethan Salas, Jackson Merrill, Robby Snelling, Jairo Iriarte and Adam Mazur during the stretch run.

Once thought to be thinned out after the Juan Soto trade, the Padres' system has built up its depth quickly again, and Martorella is proud to play his part as a member of the new Minor League core.

“Everyone that got brought up is a hard worker,” he said. “I respect every one of them. [They’re] going out there every day and trying to get better at something, no matter what it is. The vibe was good. We’re all close friends, and it’s fun to play with your friends like that.”

Padres hitters in the Fall League

Graham Pauley, 3B/2B/OF (No. 11): The 2022 13th-rounder was one of the best stories of the San Diego system in 2023 and looked like an absolute steal after hitting .308/.393/.538 with 23 homers and 22 stolen bases over 127 games across Single-A, High-A and Double-A. He also exhibited versatility as a solid defender at multiple spots, and after getting the majority of his looks at third base during the regular season, he’s seen more time in the outfield corners in the early days of the AFL.

Jakob Marsee, OF (No. 12): The 2022 sixth-rounder showed one of the best approaches among Padres Minor Leaguers with a system-best .413 OBP and an impressive 97/98 K/BB ratio in 129 games at High-A and Double-A. The left-handed slugger has carried that to the Peoria roster and was named the year's first AFL Hitter of the Week after producing a .571/.630/1.095 line in his first five games.

Padres pitchers in the Fall League

Jagger Haynes, LHP (No. 26): Injuries have taken a toll on the early years of the 2020 fifth-rounder’s career. Left elbow issues and eventual Tommy John surgery kept him off a Minor League mound until 2023, and even then, he was limited to 25 1/3 innings with Single-A Lake Elsinore due to blister and shoulder problems. When he’s on, the 21-year-old southpaw can touch 94 mph and show an above-average changeup that helps limit severe splits.

Braden Nett, RHP: Nett used the MLB Draft League as a springboard to sign with the Padres as an undrafted free agent out of St. Charles (Mo.) Community College last year. He showed a 93-95 mph fastball in that circuit along with a pair of high-spin breaking balls and took those to the Arizona Complex and California Leagues this summer, finishing with a 4.46 ERA and 45 K’s in 40 1/3 innings. Control will be a focus in the Fall League after he walked 20.1 percent of his batters faced during the regular season.

Cole Paplham, RHP: Much was made about Ethan Salas and Robby Snelling climbing from Single-A to Double-A in their first full seasons. Well, Paplham did the same, albeit older as a 23-year-old who signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of New Orleans. The 6-foot-3 right-hander moved quickly on the strength of his 95-97 mph fastball and 85-87 mph sweeping slider -- the latter of which was a huge bat-misser in 2023. Paplham already has the makings of a developmental win for San Diego, and if the stuff holds up in the AFL, he’ll be an even more prominent arm in the system heading into ’24.

Francis Pena, RHP: San Diego signed the right-hander 10 days before his 22nd birthday in January 2022 for only $10,000, and less than two years later, he’s made his way to the Fall League. The 6-foot-1 right-hander can sit in the mid-90s with his fastball and sports a mid-80s slider that he’ll rely on heavily at times. After opening the season in the Arizona Complex League, he was especially dominant with Single-A Lake Elsinore, where he had a 0.51 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 11 appearances (17 innings).

Enmanuel Pinales, RHP: Like Pena, Pinales signed with the Padres for only $10,000 in January 2022 and has already made it to the big stage of the AFL. He split his 2023 season between the ACL and Lake Elsinore and originally opened with the Storm as a reliever before transitioning to a starting role in August, topping out with a seven-inning outing on Sept. 2. He owned a 4.48 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 19 walks in 60 1/3 innings between his two stops this summer and struck out four over three frames in his AFL debut on Oct. 5.