Coming in at #8 is a familiar face: Fernando Martinez. Considering that he made his major league debut in 2009, it may not seem to be a good sign that he is still considered a prospect, but he is still just 22 years old and has plenty of time left to fulfill his once great potential. Martinez is placed lower down on the prospect rankings than he has in past years primarily because of his health. During the offseason, Martinez was diagnosed with arthritis in his knee, which is something he will have to deal with the rest of his life, and that will impact the rest of his career. Any chance of him playing centerfield is all but eliminated, which decreases his value as a prospect. Having arthritis also makes it more likely that he could end up being a one half of a platoon rather than an everyday player, and that he may not be able to avoid stints on the disabled list, two factors that also decrease his value.
Still, it is important to remember why Martinez was once a top prospect. Despite his struggles with staying healthy, he does still have lots of talent, and he still has his youth. Martinez won’t turn 23 until October, and he did hit 12 home runs and 16 doubles in 71 games at AAA Buffalo last year; however, he did hit just .253, down from the .290 he hit in 45 games at AAA the previous year. The potential to be a quality major leaguer is still there, and there’s still time left for him to get there. Luckily for Martinez, the Mets now have some outfield depth in the upper levels of the organization, so he will not have to be the first or second option to be brought to Queens if there are injuries in the Mets outfield. This will allow Martinez to focus on his minor league season without worrying about a possible major league promotion. Instead he will be able to figure a way to play with his arthritis: what adjustments he has to make, how does he handle the pain, and how often he can play without having to sit for long periods of time. This should make for an important and telling season in the career of Fernando Martinez, and maybe, just maybe, Martinez will get himself into the mix in 2012.
6 comments
darknova306
2/20/2011-5:32pm at 5:32 pm (UTC -4)
Man, it seems like he’s been around for a long time, then you realize how young he still is. You have to wonder just how much the Omar regime’s minor league system impacted his health. With all the health related issues with the team the past few years, it’s become evident that the training and conditioning regimens in this organization have been pretty subpar. Of course, that could have nothing to do with it at all. He could just be predisposed to injury. I don’t know, but it’s all worth considering.
stickguy
2/20/2011-5:44pm at 5:44 pm (UTC -4)
right on about the age. Mart is barely older than Vaughn, and younger than guys like Kirk N that barely made it to AA. Menahile he has spent time in the majors, and actually had some productive stretches in AAA.
I have not given up hope he finally puts it together. Also not sorried about the arthritis scare (i think that one comment was overblown). He could easily have his break out year this seaosn in the minors, and be a viable ML next year at a still tender age of 23.
darknova306
2/20/2011-5:58pm at 5:58 pm (UTC -4)
I’ve never really known where to place my expectations for him, talent-wise. My only observations of him playing have been on the MLB level during his call up, where he seemed a bit overmatched at this point in his development.
metsfan4decades
2/20/2011-6:48pm at 6:48 pm (UTC -4)
Wouldn’t most agree though that it’s almost imperative that FMart remain relatively healthy for this entire upcoming year? Very hard to gauge his ML potential, if any, if he doesn’t play a good chunk of this season.
The diagnosis of arthritis in that knee for someone so young does not bode well, IMO. Not saying it’s a career ending problem but it’s only going to get worse. He’ll need to make adjustments accordingly to slow the progression as much as possible. I’m willing to bet Beltran was diagnosed young as well and he’s had a very good career, injuries notwithstanding, so it is possible.
darknova306
2/20/2011-7:12pm at 7:12 pm (UTC -4)
I wonder how big a deal that really is, though. Every major leaguer battles all sorts of aches and pains throughout their careers, and I’m sure lots of them have arthritis in various joints developing at various points in their careers. I’m in agreement with Stick on this, I think the whole thing is a bit overblown by media goons that desperately want to keep up with more “Mets’ farm system is terrible” stuff to sell more stories.
Who knows, though. As you say, we need to see how he holds up through a full year.
njstuckintx
2/21/2011-8:06pm at 8:06 pm (UTC -4)
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