Underrated Yankees Prospects: Omar Martinez

5-foot-10

192-pounds

Catcher/First baseman

Throws: Right-handed

Bats: Left-handed

22-years old

Born: San Felix, Venezuela

It’s rare for a prospect in Low-A to be able to handle high velocity, off-speed, and pitches up in the zone. It’s even more infrequent to find a player who can do these things while also having good patience and power. Omar Martinez checks off all of these boxes. Even better, he’s a catcher, where these traits are a big bonus.

Martinez joined the Yankees organization at the age of 16. As is often the case with catchers, he took his time to reach the full season leagues, getting there for the first time in 2023. Despite that, he announced his presence emphatically.

In 105 games, Omar had 18 homeruns, 16 doubles, a triple, and eight SB. He hit .251/.367/.445/.812 with 110 K : 67 BB.

Martinez is a patient hitter who can really put a charge in the ball. As previously mentioned, he hits high velocity and off-speed well. His power is mostly to the pull side, but can get a hold of pitches all over the zone. Omar regularly registers exit velocities in the 105-107 mph range. Don’t let the eight stolen bases fool you, Martinez is not fleet of foot. You’ll see him run through first base on singles to right field.

Defensively, he has some work to do on his blocking. He threw out just 14% of would-be base stealers last season, though the FSL is notoriously a difficult league for catchers. He has a thick lower half, so quickness and agility will be important for him going forward. If improvements are not made, he may be a first baseman long term.

Omar’s ceiling is not immense, but I could see him hitting 20 homeruns at the next level. He certainly has the power, but it will just be a matter of whether or not he can get to that power with regular contact.

He should begin 2024 in High-A with the Renegades. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him spend most of the season there, though a big season could of course result in a promotion to Double-A.

The catching depth in the Yankees organization is solid, and Omar Martinez plays a part in that. He’s underrated in this system at the moment, but another big season or to would change that quickly.