LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The self-described "emotional rollercoaster" Cody Martin has ridden since December should hit a new peak Sunday, when the Braves right-hander is expected to be on the opening-day roster the team plans to officially announce around noon.
The Braves would him serve as a long reliever and spot starter. The other candidate for that role, top prospect Mike Foltynewicz, was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.
The move cleared the path for Martin, barring any sudden development such as a pitcher becoming available via waivers or a sudden trade proposal. As of Saturday afternoon, the Braves were not involved in any such discussions, a person familiar with the situation said.
His elevation to the 25-man roster for Martin would come less than five months after he was left unprotected by the Braves in the Rule 5 draft, despite four solid if unspectacular seasons in the organization’s minor league system.
Martin, 25, has no major league experience but impressed Braves officials in a spring when plenty of other roster-candidate pitchers underperformed and failed to take advantage of the opportunity.
The Braves are glad he wasn’t poached by a team in the Rule 5. He pitched nine scoreless innings of four-hit ball in his four Grapefruit League appearances and turned in good work in some other appearances in minor league games.
His spring started on a high note when Martin made an emergency start in place of injured Mike Minor in the fifth game. He had two walks and three strikeouts in the first two innings of that memorable nine-pitcher, 10-inning no-hitter, after which Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Martin had earned consideration for the starting rotation.
Gonzalez also noted that day that pitching coach Roger McDowell said the only way the Braves would know if Martin could pitch in the majors would be by giving him a chance. Martin doesn’t have an overpowering fastball or great breaking pitch, but instead relies on change of speeds and pinpoint location.
Martin, a seventh-round draft pick out of Gonzaga in 2011, pitched well while used primarily as a starter in the minors the past four seasons. At Triple-A Gwinnett in 2014, he had a 3.52 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 156 innings over 27 games (26 starts), after posting a 3.16 ERA with 137 strikeouts in a combined 136 2/3 innings in 2013 at Double-A and Triple-A.
