Astros Pitching Prospect Corbin Martin Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
By Michael Luciano
One of the jewels of the Houston Astros' loaded farm system is out for the rest of 2019 and likely won't see the field until late in 2020.
Top pitching prospect Corbin Martin underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, and GM Jeff Lunhow confirmed that MLB.com's No. 48 overall prospect is out for quite some time.
Astros pitching prospect Corbin Martin had Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, general manager Jeff Luhnow said.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) July 5, 2019
Drafted in the second round of the 2017 Draft out of Texas A&M, Martin used his mid 90s fastball and heavy curveball to dominate Triple-A competition with the Round Rock Express, going 2-1 with a 3.13 ERA in nine starts.
Martin was slightly below average in five big league starts, going 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA. He has issued keeping the ball in the ballpark, as he allowed eight home runs in 19.1 innings.
Even with his early struggles, Martin figured to either be a valuable trade piece or a part of their future rotation, and this injury throws a wrench into proceedings.
Luhnow says Corbin Martin will miss the rest of this season and "likely a significant portion of next season." A significant blow to the Astros' present and future starting rotation depth.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) July 5, 2019
While the Astros have the depth to shoulder this loss in the short term, the loss of Martin for perhaps a full 12 months has to be devastating.