Michael Martinez: Where Does the Philadelphia Phillies Infielder Fit Into the Team’s Plans for the Future?
Michael Martinez entered spring training in 2011 as a long shot to make the big league team. Not only did he end up earning a spot on the 25-man roster, Martinez started at five different games throughout the season, logging as many as 234 plate appearances.
The positives stop there though: Martinez was overmatched offensively, hitting .196/.258/.282 with three home runs and 24 runs batted in. What was made worse was Charlie Manuel’s insistence to use Martinez at the number two spot in the lineup for the majority of his plate appearances. At least that was better than the handful of games Manuel hit Martinez leadoff.
According to FanGraphs, Martinez posted an offensive WAR of -0.4, meaning the Phillies would have been better off calling up almost any player from Triple-A to get equal or greater value at the plate. Defensively, Martinez had some value, namely his ability to play multiple positions – second base, third base, shortstop, and all three outfield positions.
His versatility wasn’t enough to make up for his awful offensive numbers though. Martinez is fast on the basepaths, and was used as a pinch runner when needed, although one would think a player with Martinez’s speed would have more than three stolen bases this season.
The Phillies have a slew of backups for next year already – Jim Thome, Laynce Nix, Ty Wigginton, John Mayberry, Jr., Brian Schneider, and Wilson Valdez. Valdez is the utility infielder, and Wigginton can play first, second, and third base, plus the outfielder, and he even saw a little time at shortstop in 2009. There’s just no room for the 29-year old Martinez.
Martinez may get a chance somewhere else, or maybe he will be happy to contribute with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at the Triple-A level. He’s fast and can play enough positions that a team may give him a chance, but his numbers at the plate will be his demise.
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[...] With Valdez coming back and another corner infielder on the roster in Ty Wigginton, the Phillies likely won’t have room on their active 25-man roster for Michael Martinez. Buy Philadelphia Phillies Tickets | Buy Philadelphia Phillies Apparel Connect with Rant Sports [...]
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