Former Rays shortstop prospect Brandon Martin has been arrested in the shooting deaths of two men, including his father, Ali Tadayon of the Press-Enterprise writes (via Cork Gaines of Rays Index). Two men were found dead Thursday, and another, Martin’s uncle, was badly injured. Officers apprehended Martin after a chase Friday. Martin was the 38th overall pick in the 2011 draft, but he struggled in the minors — he received good reviews for his defense but batted .211/.281/.371 in parts of three seasons from 2011 through 2013. The Rays technically released Martin this spring, although Baseball America’s Matt Eddy noted at the time that Martin retired before the 2014 season. Here’s more from the American League.
- Of the 15 remaining active Major Leaguers who were drafted in 1997 or earlier, four (LaTroy Hawkins, Torii Hunter, A.J. Pierzynski and Michael Cuddyer) were selected by the Twins, Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out. That doesn’t include Kyle Lohse, who was drafted in 1996 by the Cubs but played his first several big-league seasons with Minnesota.
- Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler has an edge as a candidate for the Angels GM job, Sherman writes. The Angels liked him in 2011, when he was a candidate for the GM position before it eventually went to Jerry Dipoto. “There is a strong sense that Arte [Moreno] and [team president] John Carpino liked [Eppler] a lot then and nothing has changed now four years later,” a source tells Sherman. “That feels like a huge advantage in this process — to have a head start with the people making the decision.”
RaysColoredGlasses,com, a website that follows the team, said Martin missed the entire 2014 season because of what the Rays termed “a personal matter.”
That organization as a whole over the years has had a habit of looking at baseball ability #1 and moral character and everything else a very distant 2nd.