The Dynasty Digest: May 28, 2024

Chris Clegg breaks down all of the MiLB action from Memorial Day.

Cover Photo with Image of Walker Martin by Dylan Wright Photography

Happy Tuesday. I hope you all had a great Memorial Day holiday. Yesterday, we had more than just complex league action, which was a rare but fun Monday. A lot of the standouts were at the complex, but several were across all levels.

Let’s break them down.

MiLB Hitters

Walker Martin, SS, SF, 20, ACL

Folks, we have a Walker Martin sighting! The long-awaited Martin is here, and after some initial struggles in his first several games, we have lift-off. Martin homered twice and drove in four runs in the process. Martin also walked and struck out once a piece, but of course, the highlights surround the home runs.

Shoutout to MiLB Central on Twitter for getting this video.

Here is my preseason report on Martin, and if you have read my work you know I have gushed over him for a while:

Walker Martin is the definition of an athlete and is one of the best in the 2023 draft. He is a bit older than most of the prep players in this year’s class, which was one of the reasons why he was not hyped. He broke Loden Sports scale for athletic testing and starred across three sports.

Martin starred as his high-school starting QB, but not any ordinary QB. He helped lead his team to three straight state championships and accounted for 41 touchdowns his senior season. He also led his high school basketball team in scoring and rebounding his junior season.

Now, to the baseball side of things. Martin mashed 20 home runs this season and posted a .636 batting average, a .722 OBP, and a 1.632 slugging percentage. He shows a solid feel to hit and has excellent bat speed through the zone. There is certainly potential for Martin to be a plus hitter with plus power and speed.

Martin fell to pick 52, where the Giants scooped him up and gave him an over-slot deal. It was a great landing spot as the Giants need a future shortstop, and Walker fits that mold well.

Let’s hope this is a catalyst for a big breakout this year that we know he is capable of.

Chandler Simpson, OF, TB, 23, AA

Simpson is as fun of a profile as you will find in the Minors, making contact with legitimately every pitch but also having faster than 80 grade speed. He swipes bases with ease and beats out singles to the first baseman, yes I have seen that in person.

Now in Double-A, Simpson is up to 39 stolen bases in 38 games this year. On Monday, he collected four singles, a walk, and two more stolen bases. It is pretty impressive that he has just two extra-base hits and a .011 ISO on the year.

The good news, Simpson is making contact on over 90 percent of pitches he has seen this year. He legit hits everything. Also, the stolen bases are legit. The question is will he make enough impact with his bat to actually be able to get hits at the MLB level so he can utilize his speed on the base paths.

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