You can make an excellent case that Martin, the Mariners’ new starting center fielder, has the best arm in baseball.
PEORIA, Ariz. — Tape-measure home runs and 100-mph fastballs are the most obvious baseball crowd-pleasers, power writ large and unsubtle.
But let’s reserve a spot in the pantheon of gasp-inducing feats for the laser throw from the outfield to gun down a runner. Give bonus points if it’s at home plate; there might not be a more exciting moment in baseball than a charging outfielder uncorking a bullet to the catcher, and the balletic explosion of converging activity — the sliding runner, the arriving ball, the sweeping tag, all punctuated by the umpire’s call.