The 2024 season was a prime opportunity for the Blue Jays prospects to shine when the club threw in the towel midway through the summer. Sitting in the basement of the AL East, the front office sold off all expiring contracts and former top prospect Nate Pearson, with opportunities for prospects to shine on the big league stage with open spots on the roster for the taking. This included Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes, Steward Berrora, and Leo Jimenez as well as newcomers Joey Loperfido, Will Wagner, and Jonatan Clase, all of whom took the opportunity to work under the bright lights as the Jays tried to stay competitive down the stretch and play spoiler.

Missing from the picture was Orelvis Martinez, who was sitting on the sidelines due to an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Clomiphene midway through the year. He was one of the first prospects this past campaign to get a crack in the big leagues behind Barger but went straight to the restricted list shortly after his debut, making just one start in Cleveland before the news of his suspension came down.

It was the prime opportunity for Martinez to showcase his talents in the big leagues, but he missed the chance, with his trade value tanking alongside it. While he didn’t appear with the Jays down the stretch and finished the year in triple-A once his suspension was over, Martinez still has some potential to find his way to the Blue Jays roster when the 2025 season rolls around and if his power bat finds its form early, he could potentially break camp with the Blue Jays this year.

The Jays currently have an opening at third base with Matt Chapman no longer in the picture, and there is potential for Ernie Clement to move into more of a utility role moving forward. Toronto needs production from their lineup in the worst way after ranking in the bottom half of the league in multiple offensive categories in 20242 and so far, the club has yet to add an impact power bat this winter. There is a chance that Ross Atkins and co. could add a bat like Anthony Santander or Alex Bregman before the final bell but as of right now, there are openings for internal players to grind their way onto the Opening Day roster.

The biggest part of Martinez’s game is his raw power, with the right-handed batter owning a career .504 SLG in the minor leagues spread across five seasons. Since making his professional debut as a 17-year-old in Rookie Ball back in 2019, he has amassed 93 doubles, 110 home runs, and 338 RBIs while being a major presence at the top of the lineup for any team he suits up for.

He led the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons for the most home runs across all Blue Jays minor league affiliates with 28, 30, and 28 round trippers respectively (he leads all MiLB players in home runs since 2021) and routinely posted exit velocities above 100 MPH last season, hitting some absolute moonshots over the left field wall. A pull hitter by trade, he has only posted a sub-100 wRC+ across one full campaign since his pro debut (2022 – 96 in double-A) and his wOBA has hovered between .350 and .399 year after year.

On the field, Martinez has primarily suited up on the left side of the infield, mostly at shortstop, but has played more third base and second base over the past season or two as it appears the club has a road for playing time at those positions versus short with Bichette currently at the spot (and Andres Gimenez seemingly the replacement should Bo depart). His numbers are fine at the hot corner (.918 fielding percentage) with an average arm but the bat is the calling card at the end of the day. If he struggles at the plate, he won’t play.

For Martinez, the biggest hurdle he will need to overcome is his strikeout rate, as the power hitter covers the profile of being a slugger who sees an uptick in the punchouts in exchange for home run power. This power hunting has seen his K% rank above the 20% threshold for most of his career although he did see a dip towards that baseline in double-A back in 2023 – a step in the right direction. While he is a pull hitter by trade, laying off the bad pitches and putting the ball in play will be a hurdle he needs to overcome if he wants to stand out from the group.

The second hurdle for Martinez is the internal group also vying for more playing time. With the acquisition of Gimenez this winter to solidify second base, there is now more focus on what is open for the time being and that’s third base (barring Bichette being traded). Clement could easily slide back over into the spot, especially if the coaching staff values a defensive-first mentality on the hot corner, but Martinez also has competition from Barger, who suited up over 256 innings at third base (to very mixed results defensively) and Will Wagner, who has over 628 innings at third base and had a handful of games at the spot in Houston’s triple-A system last before the trade.

The Jays will have to make some decisions on who will potentially move to the bench capacity or whether it is power versus fielding at the spot (as well as whether Barger becomes an outfielder full-time) but there is an open spot up for grabs at the moment and a few names who could find themselves in the mix.

Ultimately, one of the biggest things the Blue Jays need to improve upon this offseason is adding some thump to their lineup. Although Martinez lost some time due to the suspension, the 23-year-old still has the raw power that can help the club and a strong Spring Training will go a long way to not only prove he can play at the big league level but also get back into the good graces of the organization by showing he can do what he does best – hit the ball a long way.

It doesn’t make a lot of sense to have him come up and just be a bench piece unless they want him in the DH spot on occasion, as regular at-bats would be better for the Dominican product. He only has one more minor league option at his disposal as well, which creates an added wrinkle in future planning, but if the bat comes to play early this Spring, there’s a chance that option won’t be needed in 2025.