The Tigers have added the son of a Hall of Famer to the organization as they begin to rebuild.
According to Baseball America's Ben Badler, the Tigers have signed Dominican infielder Pedro Martinez Jr., son of the great Pedro Martinez, There's no word on Pedro Jr.'s signing bonus.
Here is some video of Pedro Jr. taking batting practice with the Red Sox, his father's former team, back in June:
Unlike his father, Pedro Jr. is a position player, not a pitcher. Last year, at the RBI World Series, he told MLB.com's Cody Pace he prefers to hit and looks up to Manny Ramirez. From Pace:
"I don't really like pitching," he said. "I've been keeping up with the bat so far. I don't feel any need to change."
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His father's other nickname -- El Grande -- might be a more appropriate one for Martinez, who has already shown a solid hitting approach with a .500 average, an RBI and a run scored through three games without a strikeout. In that regard, a more apropos nickname might be "Pedro Being Pedro," an homage to his father's former teammate Manny Ramirez, whom the younger Martinez holds in high regard.
"Manny is one of the best hitters I've ever seen," Martinez said. "He's a really good person, and I really want to catch up to him."
For what it's worth, MLB.com did not rank Pedro Jr. among the top 30 prospects available during the 2017-18 international signing period. It would be completely unfair to expect him to have the kind of career he has father had, but now he has a chance to make a name for himself in pro ball.
Pedro Jr. is the latest son of a former big leaguer looking to do big things in the minor leagues. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres) are two of the best prospects in baseball right now. Vlad Jr. might be the best prospect in baseball.
