Pitching certainly seemed like a focus for the Blue Jays in last July’s MLB draft. Their first three selections were hurlers, drafting eleven in total. One of the more unheralded selections was 16th-round pick Colby Martin, a former two-way player who played at three different schools over the last five years.

The club is typically cautious with having their new pitchers appear in game action during the same season they were drafted. Martin was one of just three pitchers from the Jays’ draft haul to play in affiliated games in 2024, all with the single-A Dunedin Blue Jays. For someone who was primarily a hitter throughout his life, a switch to pitching full-time was decided only within the last couple of seasons.

“I never necessarily knew if I was going to be a hitter or a pitcher at the next level or in the future, I kind of always just, even throughout high school, pitched on the side,”  said Martin, speaking to Blue Jays Nation. “I always threw relatively hard, so I would just come in late innings from shortstop or second base and just close out or finish games.”

After spending a year playing sparingly at Messiah University (the season was cancelled after seven games due to the pandemic) in his native Pennsylvania, Martin spent the next three years at Shenandoah University – a D3 program within the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. He was one of the team’s top bats, slashing .423/.508/.664 with a 1.172 OPS in the 2021 and 2023 seasons combined (he missed all of 2022 after underdoing Tommy John surgery). Despite pitching in just 11 games for the Hornets, it started to become clear that his future was on the mound.

He had an agreement with the San Diego Padres after the 2023 season to sign as an undrafted free agent but they ended up pulling their offer after taking a look at his MRI. They reportedly did not like how his 2022 surgery had turned out.

“It was kind of shell-shocking,” explained Martin. “Obviously, it’s not something that you want to go through or anybody should go through, but I think it helped me get a better picture of pro ball and understand exactly what it kind of entails and how cutthroat it can be. I think it made me a better person and player as well. Understanding that not everything’s going to go your way and you kind of just have to keep going, there’s nothing else you can do except keep pushing through and keep trying to do what you’re doing.”

The five-foot-eleven two-way player transferred to Southeastern University (NAIA – The Sun Conference) for the 2024 season and, for the first time in his career, focused completely on pitching. In 17 relief appearances, he held a 4.41 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with a whopping 31 strikeouts through 16 1/3 innings.

“I knew that it was going to be in my best interest to focus on pitching, especially coming off Tommy John and focusing on all that,” said Martin. “I was contemplating going back to Shenandoah but I also knew other opportunities may provide more exposure and get me in front of more scouts to take things to the next level. I will always want to hit, but I know pitching is where my future’s at and I went to Southeastern to try and realize that next goal of turning pro.”

Martin’s hard work at Southeastern culminated in being drafted by the Blue Jays in the 16th round, a team that he had on his radar during the draft process.

“Toronto was actually one of my top teams that I really wanted to go to, just based on the visit that I took there down at the complex,” said Martin. “I threw for them and their pitching lab, and they were definitely one of the teams on the top of my radar. But I didn’t know exactly what to expect or what round I may get taken in, I was kind of hoping the Blue Jays would draft me because I liked the area and complex and I was familiar with it. I wouldn’t say I was expecting them, but they were one of the top teams that I hoped would come calling.”

The right-hander pitched in nine games for Dunedin following the draft, registering a 7.27 ERA with 8 strikeouts and 14 walks through 8 2/3 innings. Despite the elevated walk totals, Martin noted quite a few positives to take away from his first experience with pro ball.

“I think just learning to deal with failure,” explained Martin. “I had a lot of walks. That’s just been a big thing of mine. Obviously, I throw hard and haven’t been pitching that much compared to some of the other guys around me. I’m not making any excuses, but I think just learning from the failures and learning from what I need to do better and how to control my mind and control my thoughts while I’m out there instead of just letting everything kind of get even crazier than it should be is one thing I will be working on his winter.”

The attention Martin has drawn over the last couple of years is fueled by his triple-digit velocity on the mound. Despite the lack of experience, the Blue Jays are undoubtedly hoping that he can develop into an overpowering relief pitcher on their farm system.

“I hit 100 one or two times before surgery at Shenandoah, but ever since I became a full-time pitcher, it’s been pretty consistent. It helped just growing up as a middle infielder and always having a good arm. I think just staying athletic on the mound is what makes me who I am as a pitcher.”

Repeating his delivery and focusing on some mechanical tweaks will be something Martin will be working on this offseason to pitch with a bit more command and reduce the free passes. It still is not completely clear which secondary pitches Martin will rely on as a professional, but he’s been working on some new pitches already this offseason.

“I threw the curveball primarily in college, and then the first couple of weeks there at Dunedin,” said Martin. “We started working on a cutter, which I fell in love with. I had two weeks left of the season down there, so I didn’t have too much time to play around with it. But we started working on it, and I was getting comfortable with that pitch and it was a good put-away pitch to righties and even lefties on the back foot. In the off-season, I’ll also be working on a little two-seam/sinker to get lefties out a little bit easier.”

The Blue Jays will likely want to keep things simple for Martin and have him head back to single-A to start the 2025 season. If he can command his fastball, it will only help the effectiveness of his off-speed pitches – especially since he can hit the upper 90s with ease. Regardless of where he starts next season, one thing is for sure: the taste of pro baseball has made him hungry to get back on the mound.

“Last year was a really good learning experience just because it was so quick and you didn’t have any time to necessarily adjust. I think the struggles I had are pretty simple fixes and I think I’m going to be even better next season. I’m ready to just get to work this winter. I know what I need to attack.”