Tigers RHP Troy Melton (24) made his big league debut with Detroit today after dominating Triple-A hitters for most of the season. It did not go well, but most debuts don’t these days, so I’m not dropping him off the couple rosters where I have him. I did not start him today.
Guardians 2B OF Angel Martinez (23) graduated from prospect status a while back, but he’s only recently really found his footing at the highest level. If I had to bet whether this is just a hot steak or the start of a new level for Martinez, I’m betting he’s reaching a new level despite the total lack of patience at the plate. Over his past 13 games, he’s hitting .345 with four home runs. He has walked one time against 14 strikeouts. His walk rate on the season is 2.9 percent. He walked 8.9 percent of the time in 43 MLB games last season and has never had this issue, so I think it’s a case of a young guy stretching himself, testing his limits, swinging more than he ever has and harder than he ever has. The total swing rate is up from 48.2 percent last year to 55.8 percent this year. His bat speed is up from 69 mph to 70.1 mph, which is still below league average, but it speaks to a player in motion, and as a switch-hitter with plus contact skills and above average defense at two up-the-middle positions, Martinez has a long runway to keep improving.
Please, blog, may I have some more?