No. 1 Astros prospect to pitch for Grizzlies on Monday

Fresno Grizzlies pitcher Francis Martes, the consensus No. 1 prospect throughout the Houston Astros organization, will make his anticipated Triple-A debut Monday night.

Martes, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound righty, will get the start to close out a five-game series against the Reno Aces at Chukchansi Park.

“He’s our top prospect,” Grizzlies manager Tony DeFrancesco said. “We’ve very happy to have him.

“He shows great composure out there. He looks like he’s going to be a pretty intense competitor out there. He’s a bulldog.”

Martes, 21, toyed with Double-A hitters the majority of last season while playing for the Corpus Christi Hooks.

He finished 9-6 with a 3.30 ERA and 131 strikeouts to 47 walks in 125 1/3 innings. Over the final four months, Martes sported a 2.64 ERA after opening with a 9.00 ERA in April.

Will he get off to a slow start with the Grizzlies?

Not if spring training serves as an accurate indicator.

In four games and seven innings while facing major league hitters, Martes limited batters to a .217 average, struck out six and had a 3.86 ERA.

“His potential is off the charts,” Grizzlies pitching coach Dyar Miller said. “He throws in the high 90s so he has a high ceiling for starters. He has a plus breaking ball and a decent change.

“And he’s been durable. That goes unnoticed to some people sometimes.”

Martes, who is from the Dominican Republic, joined the Astros via trade in 2014 that included outfielder Jake Marisnick, third baseman Colin Moran and a compensation pick from the Miami Marlins for most notably pitcher Jarred Cosart.

Marisnick has been a bench player with the Astros the past three seasons. Moran is considered a prospect.

And though Cosart has been the majors since 2013, he’s struggled since 2015 and is no longer with the Marlins (he’s a reliever with the San Diego Padres).

“He’s been part of the Astros future,” DeFrancesco said of Martes, “and what we’ve been building here.”

Martes joins shortstop Carlos Correa, third baseman Alex Bregman and pitcher Mark Appel as top-rated Astros prospects who’ve played with the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies’ list of top prospects who’ve played for the franchise includes catcher Buster Posey, and pitchers Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain if one extends the Triple-A franchise’s ties to the the San Francisco Giants.

Martes said he’s happy to begin the season in Triple-A and looks forward to the challenge of facing established veteran hitters.

“Had a good spring in big league camp,” Martes said. “I’m excited to keep it going here.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2017 at 4:09 PM with the headline "No. 1 Astros prospect to pitch for Grizzlies on Monday."