This week we are catching up with former Waterloo Bucks pitcher, Blake Martin. The Minnesota Twins selected the Gadsden, Alabama native in 17th round of 2008 First-Year Player Draft. Martin played his collegiate ball at Birmingham-Southern College and LSU. Since then he has bounced around the minor leagues.
In 2008, Martin started the season of playing for the Elizabethton Twins, from the Appalachian league; and later that season played for the Twins Single-A team, the Beloit Snappers. He went a combined 1-2 with a 3.06 ERA with two saves in 22 relief outings. Martin allowed one earned run over four innings in two appearances for Elizabethton. He went 1-0 with two saves and a 1.10 ERA in nine July appearances for Snappers.
In 2009, Blake Martin was solid at Beloit, where he had a 3-1 record with a 4.06 ERA in 31.0 innings.
In 2010 Martin split time between the single A Fort Myers club where he appeared in 28 games and pitched 56.1 innings and compiled a 4-3 record with a 4.79 ERA. During this time he struck out 47 batters and walked 28. He was then called up to AA New Brunswick where he appeared in 8 games and picthed 13.1 innings. In this time he had a 0-1 record with a 8.10 ERA, while striking out 10 batters and walking 6.
Martin was a member of the Waterloo Bucks in the ’05 season. The Alumnus had a 2.39 ERA, went was 5-5 and had two saves as a Buck.