Climbing Tal's Hill
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Astros Pitching Prospect Corbin Martin Moving Up

By Jake Schornick

HOUSTON, TX - JUNE 28: Houston Astros second round pick Corbin Martin arrives with Astros officials at Minute Maid Park on June 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Martin was taken with the 56th overall selection in the 2017 MLB Draft as the second of HoustonÕs two second-round picks. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - JUNE 28: Houston Astros second round pick Corbin Martin arrives with Astros officials at Minute Maid Park on June 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Martin was taken with the 56th overall selection in the 2017 MLB Draft as the second of HoustonÕs two second-round picks. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Cypress Ranch Product Corbin Martin Aiming For the Big Leagues with the Astros.

In a season in which Astros pitching is dominating like never before, it seems appropriate that the first big minor league promotion is for a pitcher.  

Corbin Martin graduated from Cypress Ranch high school and pitched for the Texas A&M Aggies for three years. He amassed 87 2/3 innings his junior year, with a 3.80 ERA. The 6’2” right-hander was the 56th overall pick last year. He pitched 32.2 innings with a 2.20 ERA in his debut season. 

Martin’s Minor League Career Has Been Excellent 

Martin spent his first season between the Gulf Coast League Astros (Rookie-level) and the Tri-City ValleyCats (Short Season Rookie). This year he was assigned to Advanced-A level Buies Creek. 

In four games at Buies Creek, Martin was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 19 innings pitched. Over that stretch, he struck out 26 batters and opponents hit a paltry .065 batting average against him. The only run he allowed was unearned and only allowed seven walks in that span. 

So it was not a huge surprise when the 22-year-old was promoted to AA Corpus Christi earlier this week.  

His Hooks Debut was Rough but Not an Indictment on the Future

Unfortunately, the success Martin enjoyed in the lower levels of the system did not immediately follow him to Corpus.  

Martin was only able to record one out in his first start with the Hooks. Before being lifted, he had surrendered six earned runs on five hits (though none of the hits were home runs). That outing gives him a 162.00 ERA for his AA career.  

Martin has succeeded at every level of his baseball journey thus far. He was dominant in college and the lower levels of the Minor Leagues. He has the pedigree to push for a spot on the Astros in a year or two. One disastrous outing in AA should not lower his status as a top-notch prospect.  

Next: Astros: Are We All Overthinking This “Slump”?

The real test will be to see how Martin responds in his next start for Corpus Christi. How hard he battles will go a long way to determining his odds of cracking the Astros roster in the future.

***Stats from MiLB.com***