Results tagged ‘ Fernando Martinez ’
Nieve Puts Mets in Prime Position
I would have signed up for this three days ago. The Mets have guaranteed themselves at least a split of a four-game series against the NL Central leading Cardinals with ace Johan Santana slated to pitch the series finale.
Speaking of aces, how about Fernando Nieve?
The diamond in the rough won his third consecutive start by shutting out St. Louis over 6.0 innings Wednesday night.
First, the Yankees (6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER), then the defending AL Champion Rays (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER) and now the NL Central leader (6.0 IP, 3 H , 0 ER). Three up and three down for Nieve, and the longer it continues the less of a fluke it may be.
When will the glass slipper drop? Never? Maybe this guy has simply slipped through the cracks? His fast has above average velocity (92-93) and he has a decent off-speed repertoire.
Click Here for Nieve’s post-game recation (MLB.com)
Jolly for St. Nick: It’s been a tough, tumultuous couple of months for 23-year old outfielder Nick Evans, but hopefully his fourth inning at-bat made that all a distant memory for the fledgling hitter. After being the last man cut from the Opening Day 25-man roster, the right-handed hitting outfielder fell apart in Class AAA before a visit to a shrink and a demotion to AA helped put the youngster back on track. In his first start back with the big club, Evans belted a two-run home run over the left field wall to double the Mets’ lead, 4-0, in the fourth inning.
Evans’ HR (MLB.com)
Now, let me get this right. Evans, who had a decent debut with the Mets in 2008, struggled mightily in the minors this spring, but needed only one MLB start to pop one out of the ballpark. Meanwhile, the man Omar Minaya likes to call Mr. Power, Fernando Martinez, is slugging .246 and batting .174 through 69 at-bats.
I know he’s only 19, but something is suspicious here. If he truly were a can’t miss prospect wouldn’t he have had at least one by now? Andruw Jones was 18 years old when he did it in the World Series. Not to mention, remember David Wright and Jose Reyes. They came up at a very young age and wasted no time in flashing their promise. I’m hoping more than anyone that Martinez turns into the 30-HR hitter Minaya claims he is, but don’t be surprised if he is Alex Escobar Part Deux.
Send Him Back
If Fernando Martinez is the Mets most major league-ready prospect, then their farm system must be in shambles.
His outfield play is a shade better than that of Glenallen Hill and I have yet to see this “great power” Minaya promised the rookie would show at the plate. He was bombing balls during a BP session in Pittsburgh, but even pitchers go deep in bathing practice.
Don’t get me wrong. This kid may hit 30 home runs someday, but so far he looks like the next Alex Escobar.
His young age of 20 requires even the most impatient of critics to give him a pass, but his age is hint that he may not be ready for The Show.
Why the green Martinez (batting .210), and not Ryan Church, was in the lineup against Jamie Moyer Thursday night is a question only Jerry Manuel can attempt to answer.
Not only was he embarrassed at the plate (0-for-3, 2K), but it took him a good four minutes to dig Chase Utley’s game-tying double, which tied the game, out of the corner.
Butch Huskey could have gotten to the ball faster.
This kid needs to learn and play everyday, but the Mets can’t afford beginner’s mistakes at this stage of the game.
The goal is to win a championship. If you want to see young players develop become a Pirates fan.
We all know the Mets are notorious for over-hyping their prospects, few of which ever wind up contributing on the major league level.
Remember Generation K aka the NYPD (New York Pitching Department)? Or how about Alex Ochoa?
Now, let’s go back to the Pirates for a second.
Pittsburgh has been so high on Andrew McCutchen for awhile so much so they traded Nate McClouth.
Does anyone find it funny that when the Pirates brought up McCutcheon he torched the Mets for two hits and blazed around the basepaths in his MLB debut?
Martinez received his first chance in the big leagues a few weeks earlier, and he responded by failing to run out a pop-up.
After that embarrassment, he has managed to play suspect defense, display mediocre speed, and slug .303. The Mets cannot afford this, not with the state their line-up is in.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up on Martinez.
I’m all for giving him a chance to play – in Class AAA that is.
Run Rookie Run
It’s hard to complain about this one, but then again, Jerry Manuel is the manager of the Mets. The short-handed Metropolitans completed the sweep of the Nationals on Wednesday night, but not without another head-scratcher from their manager.
The Mets’ prized prospect Fernando Martinez stood at home plate and watched as his sixth-inning pop-up sent Nationals catcher Will Nieves in circles. Here’s an idea Fernando, RUN. Pulling one from Jose Reyes’ playbook, the 20-year old rookie remained motionless as the ball dropped into fair play and Nieves recovered to throw out Martinez.
Knowing that the Mets have had problems like that in the past, why did Manuel allow Martinez to take the field for the top half of the next inning?
The kid needs to learn that his play was unacceptable, under any circumstance, and what better time to teach him than NOW.
The Citi Field Faithful rightfully let Martinez hear it loud and clear. Personally, I haven’t booed so loudly since Art Howe was still in town. The fans realized it, but it wasn’t apparent that the manager did.
Manuel was caught sleeping just like his rookie right fielder.
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