Prep Baseball Report

Headed North: 2021 RHP/OF Connor Martz (Penns Valley Area)


Ted Williams
Ground Forces

It's that time of the year again as we look at who's poised to scale the rankings in 2020. Let's pack up and head out as we look at:

Headed north

BASE CAMP

 

Currently ranked 144th in the PBR Pennsylvania Class of 2021 and 38th positionally, Martz features a 6-foot, 155-pound lean, athletic frame with room to add strength as he matures. The two-way prospect sat 78-82 out of a high 3/4 arm slot with a quick arm. Fastball was commanded consistently and showed some arm-side run. Curveball tends to roll at 59-61 and changeup is thrown at near fastball arm speed at 75-77. The right-handed hitter starts from a narrow, square stance and begins with a lift-and-replace stride. Showcased rhythm to his swing and his hands work well through contact. Registered a bat exit velocity of 83 mph and ran a 6.97

 

THE ASCENT

 

After a solid showing across the board at the Eastern PA College Prospect Showcase in July, Martz implanted himself in the class of 2021 rankings. The projectable two-way prospect cut down his 60-yard dash over half of a second from 7.57 a year ago to 6.97. With a 7 mph increase to his bat-exit velocity at 83 mph and 4 mph added onto the fastball clocking at 82 mph, it’s hard not to consider Martz a prospect to keep a close eye on throughout the high school season. With improved athleticism each time we’ve seen him, it will be interesting to see his encore performance during the year. With room to fill out, it wouldn’t be hard to see those measurables take a jump north in a hurry if he finds the weight room.

 

REACHING THE SUMMIT

     

"In order to continue shooting up the rankings Martz will have to fill out his long and lean frame. The projectability is there with athleticism in his actions, but in order to take the next step he needs to add strength which will create more violence in all phases of the game. With an added 10-15 pounds, it’s not out of the question for Martz to see his fastball hike up into the mid 80’s and his bat-exit velocity to march into the upper 80’s. The goal for him should be to maintain athleticism while gaining size. With work on his curveball to be thrown with better arm-speed and a closer velocity difference to the fastball, he will feature three solid pitches to keep hitters off balance with strike throwing ability." 

PLAYER COMPARISON

     

*Note: Many times coaches will ask our staff "Who does he remind you of?" Player "comps" are a popular tool in the scouting/recruiting world and we have decided to add that niche to our feature articles. Sometimes it's within the physical build, the numbers, the actions or a combination of all three.

2015 RHP/OF Noah Malone (Cedar Cliff / Xavier)

 



UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
2020 Bucks County Generals Scout Day PA 02/08 Keystone State Baseball Academy
All In Baseball Scout Day PA 02/08 Keystone State Baseball Academy
2020 GoWags Teams Scout Day PA 02/09 Keystone State Baseball Scout Day
2020 Preseason All-State - Southeast Session 1 (SOLD OUT) PA 02/15 Keystone State Baseball Academy
2020 Preseason All-State - Southeast Session 2 (SOLD OUT) PA 02/16 Keystone State Baseball Academy
2020 Preseason All-State - SW/Central (65% Full) PA 02/22 Iron Horse Sports Complex
2020 Tri-State Open/State Game Trials (15% Full) PA 02/22 Sports Factory of NEPA
2020 NJ/NY/PA Committed Player ProCase (SOLD OUT) PA 02/23 Keystone Baseball Academy
2020 Preseason All-State - Western (SOLD OUT) PA 02/23 Pittsburgh Indoor Sports Arena
2020 Preseason All-State - NE/Central (60% Full) PA 02/29 Liberty Sports Arena
2020 Preseason All-State - Northwest (SOLD OUT) PA 02/29 Erie Premier Sports
2020 Jr PA State Games Trials (60% Full) PA 03/08 Keystone State Baseball Academy
2020 Northeast JUCO Day PA 06/03 Dutchess Stadium

 

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