Justin Martinez is Feeling Strong in the Arizona Fall League

We caught up with the fireballing reliever just before another dominating performance in the Fall Stars game

© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Martinez had another terrific outing today, this time coming in the Arizona Fall League All Star Game. He came into the game in the third inning to face the top of the order and threw 15 pitches, 10 for strikes, including six swing and miss. He struck out the first two batters swinging, walked a man, and then induced a weak fly out to left to end the inning. His fastball topped out at 99 several times and hitters were clearly off balance and flustered when the threw his splitter and slider as well. 

The NL All Stars would go on to win the game 9-3

Before the game started I was able to catch up with Justin for a few moments. 

What was the process like for you coming off Tommy John Surgery and pitching in games again this past summer ?

"It was a long and difficult process, because as an athlete you never know if you're going to come back the same. I'm very grateful for the team that we have, for the trainers that we have because they helped me through that process. We went hard, and now I'm here being able to represent Arizona."

Do you feel like your velocity and stuff is the same, or different, or even better. 

"Right now I feel like it's better. I definitely feel better because that was the goal, working through the process of the surgery and recovery was to come back even better." 

You've been generating a lot of swing and miss in the fall league. Has that always been there for, the swing and miss stuff ?

It's definitely always been a thing for me. I've always been able to get hitters to swing and miss, but now even more here at the fall league because I have my splitter, and the more that I've been using it it's been getting better. 

You've been transitioned from starter to reliever. Do you feel like that's permanent or would you still like to start again?

"Right now the goal is to make it to the bigs [MLB], so I'm ok if I make it as either a reliever or a starter. Now it seems though I'm in my sweet spot as a relief pitcher, so if that's the way that I'm going to get there I'm going to continue."

You got pretty fired up last time I saw you get out of a bases loaded nobody out jam. Do you get fired up like that often or was it more of a special case ?

"It's happened several times. It's definitely something like my adrenaline is going. It's almost like I transform, and I see that the bases are loaded, and I'm coming in to take them out. The adrenaline is a normal thing for me, the transformation is normal."

Where do you think you will start in 2023, in AA or AAA?

"I'm not sure what the team has planned for me, but I think I'm going to start at AAA and continue to work hard and then move up from there."

Pitching coach Brent Strom said with so many minor league parks that are hitter and home run friendly, they look for guys that are not afraid to come back in the strike zone after giving up a homer. How do you handle those types of challenges ?

"That's what makes you a pitcher. Even if they knock one out or hit one off of you, to come back and throw it right through the strike zone is something that I like to do, and I'm not afraid to do, because that's what makes you a pitcher, that's what a pitcher is!"