If Fernando Martinez Can Stay Healthy, Astros Made Good Call

Astro Move on Martinez Worth a Chance...Even if it Fails

The Astros acquired outfielder Fernando Martinez on waivers from the Mets Wednesday afternoon. While the move only irritated some fans writing in to the Chronicle and other web pages who saw it as another case in which the club was trying to spend as little as possible on players other teams did not want, that suggestion definitely does not fit in this case.


What GM Jeff Luhnow and his men did this time is an almost no risk gamble on a player that is only 23 and was once rated as one of the top prospects not only for the Mets, but all of baseball. Signed at sixteen out of the Dominican Republic he didn’t start his professional career in the U.S. until 2006. Omar Minaya of the Mets, his scouts and scouts of other clubs rated him as a five tool player. He could run, hit, hit with power, field and throw. In that first season he hit .333 in 45 games at low A Hagerstown with five home runs and 28 RBIs. His free swinging left handed style resulted in 36 strikeouts in just 192 at bats, but he was only seventeen years old. He was ranked the 20th best prospect in all of minor league baseball.


Then the injuries began.


He suffered a hand injury in 2007 that limited him to 67 games. In 2008 his injury for the year was with a hamstring. He was limited to just 90 games, but in double A at Binghamton he hit .287 with eight home runs and 43 runs batted in. Elevated for the 2009 season to Buffalo and triple A in he hit an even better .290 with eight home runs and 28 runs batted in. But he was hurt again and only appeared in 45 games. His injury in that season was to his right knee which required arthroscopic surgery. While he recovered from the repair, he developed arthritis which apparently is still a continuing problem.


It must be instructive to note that since he suffered the knee injury his game has declined primarily defensively and in base running. In 2010 he hurt his other hamstring and only played 82 games. Seventy one of them were with Buffalo where his average fell to .253. He did hit 12 homers in that less than half season and drove in 33 runs. He still showed some power, but he missed the ball a lot with sixty five strikeouts in just 257 at bats.


In 2011 still battling the arthritic knee Martinez’ new “injury of the year” was to a wrist. He only played in 63 games at Buffalo. He did raise his average to .260 to go with eight homers and 30 RBIs. Defensively his days as a primary center fielder are likely over due to his arthritic knee.


He has had some unsuccessful “cups of coffee” in the major leagues with the Mets and even hit a home run last season against the Astros Bud Norris. His .136 major league average is not pretty, but he only has had 109 at bats.


Even with the discouraging injury story the Astros took a good chance on acquiring Martinez. It may be a big “IF”, but if he can hold together for a full season he conceivably could turn out to be a very good hitter. The Astros only will be on the hook for the waiver fee and will sign Martinez to a minimum wage major/minor league contract. He still has one waiver year left so if he does not make the club in the spring he can be farmed to Oklahoma City or Corpus Christi. Then, if his physical problems can be over come and the potential set for him years back can be reached then Jeff Luhnow and his staff will have pulled off a coup.


In 2013 the Astros will need an extra hitter in the regular lineup. Maybe that is a good spot for a young player who can hit, but due to that arthritic knee isn’t as agile an outfielder as he once was. And in 2013 Fernando Martinez will still only be 24 years old.


Let us see how it works out. If he can’t win a job in the outfield this spring don’t be too surprised if he doesn’t become a trivia answer in 2013. Who was the first regular DH for Houston when they moved to the AL?

Odds ‘N Ends…
Apologies to Sam Houston State football fans who felt I had insulted them last week. I did not mean to. I was only pointing out that since the BCS is the “end all” in college football it is hard to remember who is FBS and who is FCS because many fans can’t ever remember what the initials stand for and liked the old Division I and IA and IAA designations. I also realize that by inference, but not intention, pointing out the six winners of what I called the “big boy bowls” rubbed the wrong way. I should have called them the “major division bowls”….


Many fans took me to task which once again proved the best way to find out who is out there reading is to either make a mistake or say something, intentional or not, to make them mad.