Salinas native ranks in top ten for San Diego Padres prospects
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV)- A Salinas native born in Monterey has cracked the top ten in the San Diego Padres farm system since being drafted in the 5th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Nathan Martorella, a Salinas High graduate, currently ranks as the number 10 prospect in the Padres minor league system, per MLB.com. While Fangraphs has him as the Padres' number 5th prospect.
"He’s off to a fantastic start in pro ball, hitting for power while striking out just 17% of the time so far at High-A Fort Wayne. He’s also walking nearly as much as he’s striking out," said Eric Longenhagen with FanGraphs.
The strong lefty was rated with a perfect 60/60 for raw power and 30/30 for running. Currently, he is in High A-ball with the Fort Wayne TinCaps and projects to make it to the show in 2026.
In 372 at-bats he is hitting with a .263 average, with 16 home runs, 67 walks and 83 strikeouts.
The MLB average for K% was 22.4% and the league average for BB% was 8.2%. Nathan Currently holds an 18.5% K% and 14.9 walk percentage. Meaning, he walks more and strikeout less than the MLB average, which is always a good thing. That's quite impressive to be amongst the top ten in a farm system that holds the 5th and 9th overall prospects in the entire MLB, with catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Jackson Merill. respectively.
Salinas native leads San Diego Padres minor league affiliate in home runs
UPDATE July 18, 2023, at 11:01 a.m.- A Salinas native born in Monterey is making a big splash since being drafted by the Padres in the 5th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Nathan Martorella, a Salinas High graduate leads the Padres High A affiliate Fort Wayne in home runs with 14. In 83 games with the club, Martorella also is second on the team in doubles (16), first on the team in RBIs (62), and second on the team in walks (52).
His hard work has made him the number 23 prospect in the Padres farm system.
Salinas-native makes San Diego Padres top 30 prospects rankings
UPDATE September 8, 2022, at 11:43 a.m.- Nathan Adam Martorella was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 5th round this summer but is already starting to make a name for himself.
The lefty first baseman is ranked number 30 on the Padres prospect rankings, according to mlb.com. A high ranking considering he was just promoted to High A affiliate the Lake Elsinore Storm on August 23.
He is batting .321 with an on-base percentage of .406 in 84 at-bats for low and high A ball. He has two home runs and eight doubles, with 18 RBIs and 12 walks to only 18 strikeouts.
To keep up with Martorella's career stats, click here.
Salinas-native baseball player signs contract with the San Diego Padres
UPDATE JULY 26, 2022, at 11:21 a.m.-- Nathan Adam Martorella officially signed his contract with the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.
He was selected in the 5th round, and the Salinas native decided to pursue his dreams at the major league level.
Stay with KION as we will give you a special report about Nathan and his family. We talked to them about what it took to grow an MLB ballplayer in the world's salad bowl.
Salinas-native baseball player drafted by Padres in 5th round
One Central Coast native will go from the fields of Salinas to the hills of Berkley and now the beaches of San Diego. KION spoke with Nathan Adam Martorella on what the moment was like getting the call from the Padres and what is next for him.
"I was at my house with my mom and dad," said Martorella. "It was just a lot of relief. Knowing an organization believes in me and wants to see me succeed and recognize the talent that I have."
The San Diego Padres selected former Salinas High School first baseman Nathan Adam Martorella with the 150th pick in the fifth round of the MLB draft.
He was born in Monterey, California, on Feb. 18, 2001. Coming from an athletic family, where his grandfather and father played baseball before him, made the love of sports come naturally for him.
"My family's always given me the most support. They've always known that I wanted to be a professional baseball player, and they've given me every resource," said Martorella. "Anything I needed in order to support my dreams and help me get there along the way. Just supporting me within baseball and outside of baseball."
The 21-year-old leadoff man will forgo his senior season at Cal Berkeley and sign with the Padres on Sunday. Martorella was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the 30th round of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft but did not sign.
"Cal Berkeley puts out pro guys every single year. We had six players drafted this year," said Martorella on his decision not to sign to the MLB out of high school. " I knew I could go in there and become more of a man. Just grow up on my own, live on my own for the first time, and keep developing as a baseball player and as a student-athlete."
Martorella had a 3.9 GPA in high school and was a four-time honor roll student. He was also a two-year football letterman at Salinas High School and received two All-League selections.
"Everything about the game of baseball was a little more fun to me than football. Don't get me wrong. I love football. I loved Friday nights," added Martorella. "I grew up playing both football and baseball, but I knew that when it came to professional sports, I wanted to definitely be a baseball player."
In his Junior season, Martorella was voted to the All-Pac-12 first team. He hit .333/.424/.553 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs. The 6-1 lefty had 76 hits, with 47 runs, 15 doubles, and 34 walks.
"The best advice I can give you is to continue to work day in and day out, just developing, listening to everybody," said Martorella. "Something I love to tell people is the only one that can control your hard work is yourself."
