Southridge slugger Martin signed by LA Angels. Watch him now with Tri-City Dust Devils

Mason Martin had just finished his fourth day of preseason work last week with the York Revolution, an independent baseball team from Pennsylvania in the Atlantic League.

He had signed with the team on April 16.

“I played in one preseason game, and my roommates and I were getting our house ready for the season,” said Martin, a 2017 Southridge High School graduate.

But then his agent called him.

“He said, ‘Baseball is a crazy game sometimes,’” said Martin.

The agent told Martin that he had a deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

Martin — who has seven minor-league seasons under his belt with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, but was a free agent after the 2023 season — agreed to the contract.

Martin, 24, spent a few days at the Angels’ Arizona complex working out in scrimmages. Then the Angels brass told Martin they wanted him to play for the Tri-City Dust Devils.

That was Monday.

On Tuesday, he boarded an early-morning flight and got to Pasco just before the Dust Devils’ 3:30 p.m. game against the Everett AquaSox. He spent the game on the bench, in uniform, and after the game, he was signing autographs for youngsters. Martin has barely been able to catch his breath.

“It’s just been such a whirlwind,” said Martin on Tuesday night. “I got to meet all my new teammates.”

Wednesday night the Dust Devils play the AquaSox at 6:30 p.m. at Gesa Stadium and he could be in the starting lineup.

He will become the first local product to play for the Tri-City Dust Devils franchise since it began in 2001.

The long offseason

Martin elected free agency after last season, when he spent time in both Double-A and Triple-A with the Pirates organization.

“I was pretty confident I was going to spring training (back in January) with a certain team,” he said.

But it never happened.

“There was a lot of excitement, then a little of a letdown. The offer didn’t come,” said Martin.

When spring training games started, Martin was at his family’s home in Kennewick, watching games on TV while lifting weights with his dad and his younger brother, Maxton.

He admits that was tough to take.

It got even tougher when Maxton, a Texas Rangers draft pick last summer, left for spring training.

But it also lit a fire under him.

“It was the ultimate motivation watching other guys take the field,” he said. “I became extremely motivated.”

When it looked like no offer was coming, Martin decided to try the independent ball option out, and he signed with York. Maybe a good start to the season would catch a scout’s eye, and a major-league team might sign him.

Then the Angels came calling.

The irony is Martin has already sat in the stands at a Dust Devils game this season, watching as a fan.

“Two weeks ago, my best friend and I bought tickets and came out to watch a Dust Devils game. It’s crazy to think now I get to play for them.”

Making changes

There is an X (formerly Twitter) note that came out in January, where it shows Martin as the active home run leader among minor leaguers who have not played in the big leagues.

For Martin, that number is 122 home runs.

Pirates officials loved Martin’s home run numbers. But the strikeouts that came with it? Not so much.

Martin knows that.

“There is something called the Three True Outcomes player,” said Martin. “It means he’ll hit a home run, strikeout, or take a walk. There were a few seasons where I’d be considered that type of player.”

Things, he said, changed in baseball last season when the defensive shift was banned. Before then, managers would move infielders over to the opposite side of the field — based on a hitter’s scouting reports. It cut down on base hits.

Major League Baseball banned the shift, forcing infielders to stay in their respective areas.

“It used to be that players could beat the shift by hitting home runs,” said Martin. “Now, there are holes out there. Now the priority is contact.”

Players are now being evaluated not just on every at-bat, but every pitch.

Don’t take a lot of pitches in the zone. What was your swing decision? What is your contact rate within the zone?

This is what advanced analytics is about in 2024.

Martin is on board with it.

“The game of baseball sometimes nudges you to make adjustments. It’s given me a new perspective on what to adjust,” he said. “I’ve made adjustments in my mechanics these past six months, and it feels so good. I have confidence in my swing. And you know how much confidence means when you’re at the plate.

“I’m a big stay-in-the-moment guy. I wake up every day and get to play baseball. I get to come back to Mason Martin 2.0.”

Coming home

This is a win-win situation for both parties.

“The Angels want me to come in and help the Dust Devils,” said Martin. “It’s the perfect storm of opportunity. I can offer them my experience. I have seven seasons under my belt played. I’ve seen top-end pitchers in baseball.”

Martin has been with the Pittsburgh Pirates in a few spring training seasons, as well as played in both Triple-A Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona.

What the Angels offer him is another chance to make a run at reaching the major leagues.

And right now, he gets the chance to play with his hometown team — one that he has followed over the years.

“The Tri-City Dust Devils looked like they were done a few years ago. They weren’t going to make the cut as one of the minor league teams at one point. And now they’re the Angels’ High-A team. My family can come see me play a lot. My grandfather has never seen me play professionally in person. My friends can come out. It’s good to see everyone supporting me.”

The Martin family is a baseball family.

Grandfather Neil Martin played a season for the Tri-City Braves (ironically, an Angels affiliate back then) in 1962.

Father Chad Martin played college ball at Lower Columbia Community College and Texas State in the 1990s.

Brother Maxton is just getting his pro career going.

And Mason gets another chance to take the field, after a long six months off.

“Baseball is a game of opportunity, and sometimes you need a stroke of luck. It’s a blessing from God.”

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.