Tag Archives: Fernando Martinez

Mar 23

March 23.10: Is it so bad to go with the kids?

Posted on by

Fernando Martinez (shown here), Jenrry Mejia, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada and Jon Niese. That is the future core of the Mets, along with David Wright, Jose Reyes and Jason Bay. That’s your team over the next few years.

But, should the future be now?

All spring I’ve been saying these guys aren’t ready and should open the season in the minor leagues where they’ll fine tune their games. That they for the most part have played well this spring makes me wonder if I should reconsider.

There have been players who played a minimum in the minor leagues and became stars in the major leagues. Maybe, if these guys are as special as the Mets are saying, they’ll adapt right away and become productive.

Afterall, it’s not written in stone anywhere that if they start out in the majors they’ll fizzle out. It’s also not written anywhere that going to the minor leagues now guarantees future success.

I just look at the team now, and despite all the bluster early, they are playing near a listless .500.

Why is that?

Ok, it’s spring, and results aren’t supposed to matter, but the following ERAs make me wonder about this year, and that if it’s a lost year, why not give the kids a chance?

* Johan Santana has a 9.00 ERA in three starts, but I’m not worried so much about him. However, he is coming off a surgery, and you just can’t throw out 20 wins for him.

* Mike Pelfrey has a 7.36 ERA in four starts, including four homers yesterday. Pelfrey said he wanted to start being a pitcher. Now is as good a time as any to start.

* Oliver Perez has a 5.73 ERA in three starts. He’s had good and bad moments, which is the way it always has been for him. The only thing given about him is the roller coaster.

* John Maine has an 11.37 ERA in three starts. He had a good first start, but three bad appearances (don’t forget that relief effort when he said he wasn’t in it). I just wonder about Maine, and it isn’t a good wonder.

So, if the starting pitching holds true to form from last year and this spring, and with Reyes and Beltran out for at least the first month, the Mets aren’t exactly poised to sprint out of the gate.

If another listless season is in the making, then seeing the young players should come sooner than later.

Mar 21

March 21.10: The plans for Davis?

Posted on by

Daniel Murphy has not had a good spring, but Ike Davis has been sizzling non-stop. Makes me think that if Murphy’s troubles continue Davis could be with the team earlier than expected.

By all accounts, Davis has the chance to be a special player and the timetable for him is next year. The plans for Murphy appear to be a position switch to second base.

Davis hit a game-tying homer yesterday, his third of the spring. It’s too soon to say Davis, despite hitting .500, is ready to start the season with the Mets. After all, his window has only been 24 at-bats. Davis will start today against the Astros’ Roy Oswalt in Kissimmee.

But next season, along with Jenrry Mejia and Fernando Martinez, the Mets have the potential for an outstanding young core.

FIFTH STARTER AUDITIONS CONTINUE: Nelson Figueroa will start today’s exhibition against the University of Michigan, followed by Fernando Nieve and Hisanori Takahashi, all up for the fifth-starter role.

Another fifth-starter candidate, Jon Niese, will start in the split-squad game vs. Houston.

Here’s today’s lineup vs. Michigan:

Luis Castillo, 2B
Alex Cora, SS
David Wright, 3B
Mike Jacobs, DH
Jason Bay, LF
Gary Matthews, CF
Chris Carter, RF
Daniel Murphy, 1B
Chris Coste, C

Here’s the lineup against Houston:

Jordany Valdespin, 2B
Ruben Tejada, SS
Ike Davis, 1B
Jeff Francoeur, RF
Fernando Martinez, CF
Fernando Tatis, 3B
Frank Catalanotto, LF
Omir Santos, C
Jon Niese, LP

ESCOBAR TO THROW: Kelvim Escobar, who has been shut down this spring with shoulder soreness, said he hopes to begin throwing tomorrow. But, that’s just him talking and it hasn’t been confirmed by the Mets.

Even if Escobar is cleared to throw, there’s no way he could catch up in time for the start of the season. The best guess would be early May.

Escobar was acquired with the idea of being the set-up reliever for Francisco Rodriguez. Right now that’s still an unanswered questions.

NOTES: Reliever Sean Green has a blister on his right big toe (push off leg) and is day-to-day. … It appears lefty reliever Joe Beimel won’t sign with the Mets. His agent, Joe Sroba, told The Post he’s been getting mixed signals from the Mets. What a surprise.

Mar 20

March 20.10: Grooming Mejia?

Posted on by

It would be nice if the Mets would just come out and say it with Jenrry Mejia, but things don’t work that way. However, Jerry Manuel has given a good indication the Mets are considering him for this year out of the bullpen right out of the gate.

Mejia pitched yesterday, and is also scheduled to work today against the Cardinals out of the pen. It will be the first time he’s worked this season on consecutive days – always a test for a reliever – and it is coming off a bad outing, which is another test.

John Maine gets the start today, and it will be interesting to see how he does. Maine was hammered in his last appearance, which was out of the pen, and later he said he “wasn’t into it.” Here’s hoping he’s into it today.

Here’s today’s lineup:

Gary Matthews, CF
Luis Castillo, 2B
Fernando Tatis, 3B
Mike Jacobs, 1B
Fernando Martinez, RF
Alex Cora, SS
Jason Pridle, LF
Chris Coste, C
John Maine, RP

Mar 16

March 16.10: Where will F-Mart be Opening Day?

Posted on by

It would be funny if it weren’t so sad. When the topic was Fernando Martinez on Monday, GM Omar Minaya said the young centerfielder would not be on the Opening Day roster, specifying the importance of consistent at-bats in the minor leagues over sporadic playing time as the fourth outfielder in the major leagues.

However, when posed with the same question, Jerry Manuel said Martinez could be the Opening Day center fielder.

It’s not the first time these two haven’t been on the same page. There’s been different sentiments on Jenrry Mejia, also.

There doesn’t always seem to be a united front with the general manager and manager, and that can’t be described as a good thing.

Angel Pagan deserves the opportunity and with Gary Matthews, there’s a capable back-up. And, it should stay that way until Carlos Beltran returns, presumably in May.

Mar 15

March 15.10: Not pleased with Maine.

Posted on by

Not at all pleased with John Maine’s explanation for his horrendous performance yesterday afternoon. Maine gave up five runs on three hits and three walks while facing only eight Marlins.

“My mechanics felt fine. I just I wasn’t into it,’’ Maine told reporters.

Huh?

“The feeling that it wasn’t my game as a starter – that was the hardest thing. It’s a waste of a day… I was up, down, I can’t put my finger on exactly what was wrong. My delivery was fine. I was rushing a little. But that’s normal when you haven’t pitched in a while.’’

It might not have been his day as a starter, but it was his day as a Mets pitcher and there can never be any excuse for going through the motions. Never.

There was too much of that last year and if this spring is about starting fresh, there can’t be that kind of attitude.

The Mets’ pitching is suspect enough as it is and they can’t afford to have pitchers throw away their games even if it isn’t in the role they desire.

Maine is supposed to be one of the pitchers the team is looking up to and he has to come up bigger than this.

NOTEBOOK: Francisco Rodriguez, out with pink eye, will make his debut today. … The following were sent to the minor league camp: R.A. Dickey, Josh Fogg, Josh Thole and Eric Neissen.

Here’s today’s line-up vs. St. Louis:

Luis Castillo, 2B
Ruben Tejada, SS
David Wright, 3B
Mike Jacobs, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
Fernando Martinez, CF
Jeff Francoeur, RF
Rod Barajas, C
Fernando Nieve, RP

Followed by: Jon Niese, Francisco Rodriguez, Pat Misch, Sean Green, Tobi Stoner and Elmer Dessens.

Mar 14

March 14.10: Mets play two; line-up and roster thoughts.

Posted on by

With Jose Reyes down, it looks as if Jerry Manuel has settled on David Wright-Jason Bay as the 3-4 hitters, which is the way to go. Wright is the better overall hitter and should be in the three hole. Also, separating Bay and Jeff Francoeur, two strikeout guys, is the way to go.

There’s no surprise, that with Reyes out it will either be Matthews or Angel Pagan leading off. Just leave Luis Castillo alone in the two slot.

Bobby Parnell will get time in the “A” game and has been working on a cutter. Curious to see it because the rap on him is the need to develop a secondary pitch.

It is obvious Omir Santos won’t go north with the team, so it appears they are showcasing him by giving him the start with Johan Santana in the “A” game. (The “B” game was at 10 this morning.) Otherwise, why not give Rod Barajas the time with Santana?

As good a spring training Fernando Martinez is having, the Mets won’t carry him unless there’s another injury. He needs consistent at-bats and he’ll get them at Triple-A and not at the fourth outfielder with the Mets.

Both Santana and John Maine go today against the Marlins in the “A’’ at Jupiter.

Santana is coming off a rocky first start, and Maine was solid in his first outing. They will try to duplicate what Oliver Perez did yesterday against the Detroit. Hit hard in his first start, Perez rebounded yesterday with four hitless innings against the Tigers. He did walk three, which is always a red flag with him, but as I said several times with Perez, I’ll take what I can get and hope for the best.

Manuel said the most encouraging sign with Perez has been a simplification with his mechanics, with the result a more consistent release point.

Here’s today’s line-up against the Marlins:

Gary Matthews, CF
Luis Castillo, 2B
David Wright, 3B
Jason Bay, LF
Daniel Murphy, 1B
Jeff Francoeur, RF
Alex Cora, SS
Omir Santos, C
Johan Santana, LP

Santana will be followed by Maine, Bobby Parnell, Kiko Calero and Ryota Igarashi.

Mar 08

March 8.10: Maine goes today.

Posted on by

John Maine isn’t a project the way Mike Pelfrey and Oliver are, but he’s a question nonetheless. When healthy, the Mets have a reasonable idea what to expect from Maine, once considered a throw-in in the Kris Benson with Baltimore.

But, how healthy is Maine?

“It feels fine,’’ Maine said at the start of spring training when asked about his surgically repaired shoulder. “It feels like it did three, four years ago.’’

Three years ago appeared to be a breakout year for Maine, who made 32 starts and went 15-10 with a 3.91 ERA. However, Maine complained of fatigue in his shoulder the following summer and eventually missed his last seven starts because of surgery to remove bone spurs in his shoulder.

Surgery was deemed successful, but by his own admission he rushed his comeback saying “maybe I was trying to make up for lost time.’’

Maine made only 15 starts last season and went 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA. Maine’s biggest problem last year was an inability to amp it up and pitch out of trouble. He came back at the end of the year to show he was recovering, then modified his off-season program by starting later and throwing less.

Today’s start against the Florida Marlins won’t be about getting people out as it will be another test for his shoulder and to see what he might have picked up working with Sandy Koufax earlier this spring.

Koufax had Maine using a longer stride when delivering his fastball and concentrating on working on the inner half of the plate.

When healthy the Mets have a good idea from what to expect from Maine, although the organization believes the potential ceiling is higher with Pelfrey and Perez.

“I think being able to go out there every five days,’’ Maine said when asked the key for a successful season from him. “When I do go out there I generally give the team a chance to win.’’

Here’s the line-up behind Maine:

Angel Pagan CF
Fernando Martinez RF
David Wright 3B
Jason Bay LF
Daniel Murphy 1B
Rod Barajas C
Russ Adams 2B
Ruben Tejada SS
John Maine RP

Feb 08

Feb. 8.10: Let’s not get carried away.

Posted on by

The Mets got some positive news when 21–year-old outfield prospect Fernando Martinez was named MVP of the Caribbean Series. They should, however, resist the temptation to say he’s ready because it was a 23-at-bat sampling in which he hit .348 with two home runs. The Mets have rushed prospects before and I don’t want to see them toy with Martinez’s confidence.

Assuming the best on Carlos Beltran, I’m sure center field will be safe with Angel Pagan and Gary Matthews Jr., in the interim, which should be a couple of months. Martinez wouldn’t get regular at-bats and would only be sent down once Beltran is ready.

I’m still thinking the prudent decision would be for him to get regular playing time in Triple-A and then make an evaluation around the All-Star break whether he should be promoted for the second half.