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In his excellent now almost daily commentary about minor league performances, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has the following to say about Fernando Martinez:
Look dude, at some point you gotta start hitting
Fernando Martinez, OF, Mets (Triple-A Buffalo)
Wednesday’s stats: 0-for-3, 1 BB, 2 K
Martinez has been much-hyped since signed a seven-figure deal out of the Dominican four years ago. Since then, it’s been mostly mediocre performances, with constant excuses for his youth and constant injuries. Banged up again this spring, Martinez is still just 20, but he hasn’t had a consistent string of success anywhere for about three years now. Currently mired in an 1-for-18 slump that has dropped his triple-slash numbers to .233/.288/.411, it’s impossible to say that someone still under the legal drinking age is running out of time, but it’s fair to say that some out there are running out of patience.
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The Mets don’t care about his prospect status. If they did, they could have him in A+ ball right now, spraying the ball all over the place. It means absolutely nothing to them whether or not he justifies his “ranking” or “hype,” – all they care about is his development. It’s clear that the Mets have no intention of trading him, never had any to begin with, and don’t care about his stock as a prospect.
Seriously, would he be regarded as more of a “prospect” if he were raking in Savannah or PSL right now? I love that there’s so much interest in and information available about minor league baseball these days, but these analysts need to be way more patient with guys like Martinez. I mean, yeah, he’s in a little slump right now, but it’s not like he’s completely crashing and burning in AAA. Despite the recent 1-18, he’s STILL leading the IL in doubles and 10 of his 17 hits have been for extra bases. And when the season ends 5 months from now, he’ll STILL be just 20 years old. Jeez.
Is Goldstein unaware of F-Mart’s age? God what an idiot. And if his bat wasn’t good enough for AAA he would be batting below .100 right now, but instead he leads the league in doubles. Even if he struggles and puts up a .240-.250 or so average by year’s end thats still great for a person at his age in AAA.
Let’s not kill Kevin Goldstein. He has an excellent track record of projecting minor league players, has a wealth of knowledge, and stays as current as most. He knows FMart’s age. I think what Goldstein is suggesting between the lines is that the Mets brass might have made a mistake in not advancing him based on success (The Earl/Tiger Woods way of dominating your age group before moving up) as opposed to skills. F Mart has AAA skills but he perhaps lacks the mental aspect of the game related to success (having good at bats when you’re in a slump, making productive outs when you’re not getting your pitches, confidence in your abilities based on past success, etc.) Only time will tell whether the Mets have made the right decision in how they have handled FMart.