Former ASU Starter Prepared to Suit Up for the Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired veteran reliever Seth Martinez early on this winter. Now, the former ASU Sun Devil is preparing to suit up for the D-backs.

In what is becoming an increasingly full bullpen, Martinez will play the role of a bridge reliever. While he may not pitch in high-leverage innings, the right-hander could be an effective addition to the middle of the relief core.

Last season was one of his best, with a 3.59 ERA in 52.2 IP for the Houston Astros. There he previously found great success in 2022, when he dominated to the tune of a 2.09 ERA with a 184 ERA+.

Martinez uses a four-pitch mix, with his sweeper standing out from the pack. With a 32% use ate, and 13.1 average inches of break in 2024, it was a big weapon for the righty. Still, he has confidence in all his tools.

"Yeah, I mean, I like a lot of my pitches. I know the sweeper is the one that gets a lot of the swing and miss, but, I really believe in both my fastballs, too" Martinez told Diamondbacks ON SI's Jack Sommers. "I've got the sinker and four-seam. It's on paper, I guess, a little below average velo, but I think it plays up a little bit and can get by some hitters."

While his fastball does sit at an average of only 90.4 mph, placing him in the 7th percentile of pitchers, he can generate some impressive value from the pitch. He generated a fastball run value in the 75th percentile last season according to Baseball Savant, getting more value from that pitch than most lighter-throwing relievers.

This is partly due to his misleading arm angle, coming in at only 13 degrees, even lower than former Arizona closer Paul Sewald, whose notorious sidearm delivery sat at 16 degrees. Martinez is also able to generate incredible extension in his delivery, in the 94th percentile of big leaguers.

While he may have been an Astro for his entire MLB career, Martinez will feel right at home in the valley. Formerly an Arizona State Sun Devil, the right-hander was born in Peoria, AZ., and attended high school at Sunrise Mountain. He even attended a few D-backs games throughout the years.

"Yeah, you know, obviously growing up in the Phoenix area, especially in like 2008 to 2010, ASU was one of the top teams, to get that chance to play there, was obviously a goal of mine" Martinez told Sommers. "I got to play with some awesome players, a lot of guys that got the chance to play professional baseball and a few guys that are still playing professional baseball. I enjoyed my time there, staying in Arizona and representing ASU on the Sun Devils."

The transition between teams has also been eased by the incredible clubhouse atmosphere that the Diamondbacks have cultivated. The culture around the team has been a point of emphasis from many players who have traveled through the city, and for Martinez it is no different.

"Every interaction I've had has been super cool and down to earth. Everyone seems willing to join in on conversations, and let you know how things go here.

"The biggest thing here is culture, with the team, and obviously I've only been here for three days but you can already tell that there's a good camaraderie here."

Former ASU Starter Prepared to Suit Up for the Diamondbacks

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