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What are the Philadelphia Phillies going to do with former-Rule 5 Draft pick Michael Martinez?
It seemed that Martinez was going to be an okay utility player for the Phillies once he became adjusted to the MLB. He even showed a few glimpses of greatness, like his strong arm and great defense for example.
But for every good thing Martinez has done, he has done five times as many bad things. Martinez has seen declines in his batting average from .196 in 2011 to .174 in 2012, on-base percentage from .258 to .208, and slugging percentage from .282 to .252. He also has shown an increase in strikeout percentage in his two seasons with the Phillies.
These stats show that Martinez, who is 30 years of age, may be past his prime and may not have a spot on the Phillies major league roster in the future.
With the emergence of other talent across the diamond from players such as Freddy Galvis, Kevin Frandsen, Domonic Brown, and John Mayberry Jr. as well as the signing of Ben Revere, there is limited space for playing time in the upcoming season.
Galvis, despite the problems of injury and suspension a season ago, is likely going to be on the Opening Day roster. Manager Charlie Manuel has shown his appreciation for Galvis’ defense and hustle in the past, which could give him a slight edge over the aforementioned Martinez.
‘Mini-Mart’, as the fans have nicknamed him in Philadelphia, has not hit very well in the winter league during the offseason. In 23 games, Martinez hit .205 with zero home runs and only drove in nine runs. His counterpart for the utility position, Galvis, has been tearing up the Arizona Fall League with a .300 batting average in 58 games with five home runs, 29 RBI, and an OPS of .783.
Martinez may struggle to find a spot on the 25-man 2013 Opening Day roster. He does have the rest of the offseason and the entire Spring Training to impress the Phillies staff. Keep an eye out for a determined Martinez. If not, then you may have seen him for the last time in a Phillies uniform.
David A. Cattai is a featured journalist with Rant Sports & Buzz On Broad.
Follow me on Twitter (@DCattaiSports), Facebook, and Google+ for sports updates.
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