Martinez has been erratic this season, allowing 15 runs in his past 4.2 innings, but his most recent performance demonstrates the sort of potential he possesses. Over 65 innings, he has a 5.54 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 44:22 K:BB ratio. He will play the Braves later this week.
He was selected to the All-Star Game this year which will be his first career Midsummer Classic appearance. The game will be played on July 14th in Chicago.
Martinez was one of the best pitchers in baseball last season when he had a 13-game stretch from April 26th to May 18th where he did not allow an earned run. He is expected to be one of the top starters for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017.
Carlos Martinez was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2008 out of high school in Puerto Rico. He spent three seasons there before heading over to UCLA. In 2011, he started 30 games for the Bruins and went 9-1 with a 2.13 ERA. He was drafted #10 by the St. Louis Cardinals that same year.
In 2012, Martinez began the season at UCLA, but after going 3-0 with a 0.73 ERA in four starts, the Cardinals called him up a month early. He made his major league debut on April 17th against the Cincinnati Reds.
Martinez's pitching style was as follows: he threw five pitches. His four-seam fastball, power curveball, cutter, two-seam fastball, and circle changeup were all above-average, and when paired with his traditionally superb control, he proved to be an overwhelming package. He also had three different speeds for his four-seam fastball—88-92 mph in the first inning, 93-95 mph in the later innings—which confused hitters and allowed him to maintain leverage on his pitches.
Pedro Martinez' pitch repertoire included a four-seam fastball, power curveball, cutter, two-seam fastball, and circle changeup. His overall effectiveness was due to his ability to locate each of these pitches; however, it was his control that made him so difficult to hit against. With his four-seamer, he would run it up to 95-96 mph, which was faster than most starters at the time. This pitch got more swings and misses than any other during his career.
His curveball was one of the best in baseball history and was used by many as a four-seam equivalent. It had 12-6 break and tended to go down and away from right-handed hitters.
The cutter was another effective pitch for Martinez that he used mostly against left-handers. It had good shape and ran out over the plate, causing batters to swing at it.
Martinez batted.179 (5-for-28) with two RBI, two walks, and one run in 11 Grapefruit League games before spring training was called off. Martinez's track record at the plate during the past three seasons in St. Louis gives validity to the idea that his spring difficulties will be short-lived. He has hit.291 (159-for-552) with 39 home runs and 102 RBI in the previous three years.
The Tigers plan to give Martinez a full season's worth of at-bats this year by starting him in almost every game. His early struggles in Spring Training should not affect that strategy.
In 2014, Martinez finished with 31 homers and 99 RBI while batting.292. In 2013, he had 37 homers and 100 RBI while batting.295. In 2012, he hit 49 homers and drove in 101 while batting.294. The last two seasons have seen him as one of the best hitters in baseball.
His issues in spring training are likely due to fatigue from playing in so many games over the past three seasons. As long as that doesn't carry over into the regular season, then he should be back to his normal self once the dust settles on April 1st.
I'm glad the Tigers decided to give him a chance this year since they could've easily passed on him given their other options behind the plate.
The 32-year-old has swiftly shaken off any rust caused by his late arrival at summer camp on July 17, now having put together back-to-back two-hit games and raising his average to.313 with Tuesday's performance. Martinez was 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI in Atlanta's 14-5 thrashing on Monday. He's still looking for his first major league hit since April 16, 2016.
Martinez debuted on April 16, 2015 vs. Miami (now with San Diego). In his only game that season, he went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. He spent most of 2016 rehabbing from shoulder surgery, making his 2017 debut on June 7 vs. San Francisco (1-for-4) before being sent down to Buffalo on July 6. When the Mets recalled him on August 8, he became the first player this year to appear in a game for both teams. On September 9, he was traded to Atlanta along with Brandon Nimmo and cash considerations in exchange for Dansby Swanson and Preston Tucker.
He played his first game as a Brave on September 11 vs. Chicago-AL (2-for-4 with a double), batting.308 with one homer and 10 RBI through 15 games.
From 1986 to 2001, he was a member of the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Atlanta Braves. Martinez had a.276 career batting average, 1,599 hits, 91 home runs, 795 runs scored, and 580 runs batted in. He played his first game on April 17, 1986, and retired after the 2005 season. During that time, he never missed a game due to injury.
After his retirement, he became the manager of the Boston Red Sox from 2006 to 2009, where they won two World Series titles. Then he managed the Cuban National Team during the 2010 World Baseball Classic. In 2011, he returned to the Red Sox as their president of baseball operations until he was fired in 2018.
Martinez has also worked as a baseball analyst for ESPN and CBS Sports. He currently serves as an advisor to the Miami Marlins.
In 1989, when Dave Winfield was hit by a pitch and injured the tendon in his right wrist, the Cubs decided not to bring him back for another season because they thought he would be unable to play elsewhere. However, after discussing his options with several other teams, Martinez convinced him to come back and play through the pain instead of retiring. At the end of the season, he received the National League's MVP Award.
However, he was later absolved of guilt since the inconsistencies were due to inadequate record keeping. He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2010, and he made his MLB debut on May 3, 2013. Martinez rose to become a consensus top-100 prospect in all of minor league baseball, as well as one of the Cardinals' best prospects. He made his major league debut on April 17, 2015. In 51 games (49 starts), he went 21-25 with a 4.12 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 239 strikeouts in 301 innings pitched.
He is considered one of the best pitching prospects in the Cardinals' system. Martinez made an immediate impact in St. Louis, going 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA in four spring training games (three starts). He became only the second rookie in franchise history to win both their opening day starts after Adam Wainwright.
Martinez's first full season in the majors was cut short after he was suspended for 50 games due to testing positive for testosterone. The suspension began during the 2017 season and ended at the end of the year when he was eligible to return from the disabled list. He returned from the disabled list on June 25 after having surgery to remove a bone spur from his right foot. He finished the season with a 12-10 record and a 3.32 ERA in 32 starts. He led all of baseball with 215 strikeouts and held opponents to a.227 average.
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