MadFriars Q&A: Nathan Martorella

SAN ANTONIO –  On Friday night, Nathan Martorella, Jakob Marsee, and Woo-Suk Go, along with Dillon Head from the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm, were included in a trade to the Miami Marlins for last year’s batting champion, Luis Arraez.

Before being traded, we had an opportunity to chat with Martorella about dropping twenty pounds in the offseason, improving in the field and at the plate, and hitting in one of the most challenging parks in the minor leagues, Nelson Wolff Stadium.

Martorella, 23, was drafted by the Padres in the fifth round of the 2022 draft out of the University of California at Berkeley. He hit .269/.373/.446 in two and a half years in the San Diego organization, with his best production coming last year in High-A Fort Wayne, where he blasted 16 home runs and posted an .820 OPS.

This year, he was off to a solid start in Double-A, hitting .292/.393/.427 in the middle of the Missions lineup.

We have always enjoyed chatting with Nathan and wish him the best in his professional career.

The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

MadFriars: I thought you had a good year in Fort Wayne last year, particularly for power, before coming to San Antonio. This offseason, you lost 20 pounds. Were you worried it could affect your power numbers?

Nathan Martorella: I just wanted to be the best athlete I could be, and losing weight would put me in the best position to be healthy for 140 and play every day.

It made me feel good to show up to the yard, knowing I was as prepared as possible to play.

As someone who saw you last year, I know you weren’t fat—just thick, like the former defensive end you were in high school.

Nathan Martorella: That’s true, but I thought losing the weight would help me move better and continue to sharpen up my game.  Defensively, I feel great, and it was an emphasis.

I want to play both sides of the ball at an elite level. I will make that happen if I can maximize my skills and goals.

Two things that stood out in terms of improvements from last year are your scoops at first and your ability to get to the inside pitch.

Nathan Martorella: I can see that. Yeah, it’s just a testament to hard work and being the best version of myself.

Is it just about losing weight? Last year, you clarified that what we see in the game is a product of much off-the-field work. What did you do to work on those two things?

Nathan Martorella: I try to work on everything defensively in early work. I felt like I could turn on the ball pretty well last year, and I always try to use the whole field. I’m not sure anything directly correlated with getting a learner affected my hitting, but being more athletic in the box will always help.

Last year, you mentioned how you work out during the season when you have a game to play that night compared to working out in the offseason. You lost the weight – but what were you working skill-wise in the offseason?

Nathan Martorella: I want to be a complete hitter, not just a power hitter.  I need to sharpen every tool to be a better player, not one-dimensional. It is much more about consistency at this level.

One thing I notice is that you are a reasonably intense guy out there. It is clear when someone beats you with a pitch for a strikeout; you don’t like it, but it seems you can live with it as being fair.

However, when you walk—and I’m not sure you are aware—you have a semi-defiant bat flip, and you see batting gloves get tossed. I don’t think you are trying to show anyone up, but you want to be challenged and hit.

Nathan Martorella: [smiles] I’m not aware of that.  I love getting on base.  What I get upset about is chasing a pitcher around the zone. There are a lot of things that can bother you,  but you must move on to the next at-bat.

Coming to Double-A is supposed to be the most significant jump in the minors. Did you notice a big difference in the pitching from A-ball to here?

Nathan Martorella: We faced good arms in the Midwest League, and I look at it this way: the best arms in High-A are in Double-A. The consistency stands out more because you tend to face someone good every night here.

I don’t see a crazy difference because I try to focus on where I am right now. As you move up, people get better.  The raw skill level has always been there, but you are expected to hit that level more often.

Does your ability to have a good routine become more critical to navigating the season’s ups and downs?

Nathan Martorella: You are trying to refine your skills to be your best. So when you get that one pitch in that at-bat, you don’t want to miss it, and you need to be on time for everything that he throws at you.

You are off to a good start; your batting average is good, and your on-base percentage is excellent. The only thing that is somewhat down is your power. Is there anything you can work on, or is it just how they pitch you and the park you are in?

Nathan Martorella: A significant factor is the home field. I have nothing against the Wolff, but when the wind blows in every night at 30 miles per hour from right field, there is no point in hitting up into that wind because you will be out every time.

You have to play where you are playing.  At home, your hits will be low-line drives in the gaps.  The reality of the Wolf is you need to be able to hit for average here. It would help if you drove in runs with line drives because you aren’t going to beat the wind.

The park is what it is. I don’t have any complaints, and I love being in San Antonio, but you need to make solid contact with the barrel of the bat to succeed here.