Brewer Fanatic Minor League Hitter Of The Month - Mar/Apr 2025

[Harold Hutchison]

Ernesto Martinez has been around for a while. He first played in the Brewers system in 2018 – the same year Christian Yelich led the Brewers to Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. His proximity to MLB and a very productive month of April have made Martinez Brewer Fanatic’s April 2025 Minor League Hitter of the Month.

Martinez hit the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects list in April at the age of 26, but the flashes of potential have been there from his first pro season. They’ve come together in Triple-A Nashville, where Martinez has benefited from getting the bulk of playing time at the cold corner due to Tyler Black suffering a hamate injury.

The numbers, in one sense, speak for themselves: After the games of May 2, Martinez has posted a .303/.390/.485 slash line while at Music City, adding a double, a triple, and three home runs over 66 at-bats in 18 games. For a Brewers team struggling to generate consistent offense – having lost by 24-4 over the last three games – Martinez could be an in-house option for the team searching for an impact bat to help the lineup.

Past profiles on Brewer Fanatic noted the exit velocity Martinez is posting – comparable to figures posted by Giancarlo Stanton, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge. Given the monster years left-handed power hitters have had playing half the time in American Family Field, Martinez looks to be well-suited for the Brewers.

He’s not just provided offense – Martinez has been an outstanding defender at first base, something the Brewers have emphasized in recent years. Martinez is a big target (6’6” tall, 254 pounds per MLB Pipeline), who has been able to do the splits to make some of the plays at first base.

His initial offensive profile seemed a lot like that of Eric Thames, a legitimate three-true outcome threat who played first base and corner outfield spots for the Brewers from 2017-2019. While his size and power have been impressive, Martinez’s offensive profile also includes being a threat on the base paths. Since start of the 2021 minor-league baseball season, Martinez has 75 steals and has been caught only 19 times.

His defensive profile has also expanded. In 2021, he not only mashed an .862 OPS, he stole 30 bases in 34 attempts over 79 games, and saw some limited action in center field. During his 2024 breakout in Double-A Biloxi, he again manned center field.

Given the proximity to MLB, and the Brewers’ need for some serious offensive help, Ernesto Martinez is the April 2025 Minor League Hitter of the Month.

Honorable Mentions
Other major contributors at the plate in April down on the farm:

Cooper Pratt posted a .750 OPS as he excelled defensively at Double-A Biloxi at the age of 20;

Josh Adamczewski posted a .986 OPS as part of a dominating Carolina Mudcats team;

Jesus Made made the leap to full-season Single-A without initial issue with a .948 OPS;

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