The young phenom out of the Dominican Republic has thus far, lived
up to the $1.4 million that the New York Mets paid for him in 2005. He
is a five-tool outfielder who, at seventeen years old, has already
shown signs of improvement and the flashes of his brilliant potential.
Martinez cruised up the Mets farm system this year, touching in the Gulf Coast League, South Atlantic League, and finally reaching the Florida State League all at the tender age of 17. As Martinez moved up from Low-A to High-A he did show signs of struggling, but he was playing against much older competition.
In Low-A Hagerstown, Martinez was able to hit .333/.389/.505. The statistics are really not as important as the tools he has demonstrated, though. While stats paint him as a real good slugger, at 17 years old there is more to it than simple stats.
Upon his promotion to High-A St. Lucie, Martinez hit a road block. Against the more developed pitchers of the Florida State League, he was only able to muster a .193/.254/.387 line. Though far from impressive, he was able to hit five home runs in 119 at-bats. He hit five in 192 at-bats in Hagerstown.
New York was so impressed with his debut season, that they sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he was able to show his stuff against some of the best prospects in baseball. At the premier prospect showcase, Martinez went .253/.304/.386 and predominantly hit late in the order.
Strengths
Martinez has a developed approach to hitting despite not taking as many pitches as the Mets would like him to. He has good control of the bat and is able to stay inside the ball so he can drive it to right or left field with power. He is a line drive hitter with good power potential.
Martinez certainly has been impressive with the bat at a young age and against older competition – in both his projectable future and his observable results. He has speed but has yet to use it to steal bases effectively. While he has power potential, there are doubts about how high that level actually is. His swing is not very conducive to launching home runs consistently, but that is something that can be changed. His role for the Mets may be anywhere from leading off to hitting fifth.
He also has a plus arm. Very good accuracy and strength in his arm combined with the ability to cover a lot of ground lends him to be molded to become the future center fielder for the New York Mets. While Martinez's routes are sometimes brought to question, it's rare to find a teenager who already is a polished defender. He has the potential to become one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball – speed, range, strong/accurate arm.
Weaknesses
It’s hard to find flaws in a kid who’s shown this much talent and potential. It’s even more complicated by the improvements he’s already shown and the maturity he already possesses.
Martinez , though improving in this, struggles at times with not taking as many pitches as he should. Many young players, him included, can rake based on natural ability alone. Success against advanced pitching can require better pitch selection and patience. In this case it is evidenced by his struggles against High-A and Arizona Fall League pitching. This is not a major concern at this point but is worth noting.
The only other concern with Martinez would be that his swing is too flat and it creates line drive shots without much lift. Again, this isn’t a major concern but if it isn’t rectified it will hinder his ability to hit 30 home runs in a season.
Future Outlook
Any negative comments about Fernando Martinez are really just nit-picking at this point. He is so young and so raw that putting him under a microscope is difficult. Through any analysis of his statistics his tools are lost. Through any analysis of his tools, his accomplishments at his age are lost.
Fernando Martinez has a very high ceiling and should be an all-star caliber centerfielder. His combination of power and speed makes him an incredible asset to the Mets system. He’ll start the season in High-A St. Lucie but could move up to Double-A if he shows he’s ready. At the earliest he’ll be ready for the big show toward the end of 2008 but is more likely to be looking at a 2009 campaign in New York.
Koby Schellenger can be reached at koby.schellenger@gmail.com.