Fernando Martinez Stats & Scouting Report

AB	282
AVG	.206
OBP	.269
SLG	.362
HR	9

Full name Jesus Fernando Martinez
Born 10/10/1988 in Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Cenapic
Debut 05/26/2009

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Martinez' signing for $1.3 million in 2005 signaled the Mets' intention to be major players on the international market, though they have given a seven-figure bonus only once since ($1.2 million for lefthander Juan Urbina in 2009). Injuries continue to define Martinez, who never has played more than 90 games in any of his five pro seasons. He looked electrifying while winning Caribbean Series MVP honors and batting .383 in big league camp in early 2010, then missed half the season with lower-back, hamstring and knee maladies. He left the Dominican League after one game with mild arthritis in his right knee. Martinez has plus power to all fields, but his pull-only approach makes him susceptible to pitches on the outer half. He has the hand-eye coordination to hit for a decent average, but he's impatient and too often gets out on his front side against offspeed stuff. Repeated injuries to his knees and hamstrings have turned Martinez into a below-average runner. He has worked to improve his range and throwing accuracy, and some scouts see his defense and arm as average tools, fit for right field. When healthy, Martinez has held his own despite being consistently younger than his competition. But unless he improves his selectivity and plate coverage, he seems destined for life as a lefthanded power bat off the bench.
The highest-profile Latin American signing in Omar Minaya's five years as GM, Martinez received a $1.3 million bonus and ranked No. 1 on this list the two previous years. He made his big league debut in 2009, but injuries continued to undermine his career. He had season-ending right knee surgery in July. He also has dealt with persistent hamstring trouble and a broken bone in his right hand in recent years. Martinez has power potential to all fields, though he has gone to left-center less frequently than when he was younger. He slugs mammoth home runs on occasion that offer a reminder as to why he was so highly touted. His bat speed and improved ability to make contact should allow him to hit for a solid average. He has average arm strength and good range for a corner outfielder after moving from center last season. Martinez's once solid-average speed has declined as he has matured and his lower half has become thicker. His throws are inaccurate--some cut, others tail, some are launched, others go into the ground--because his body gets ahead of his arm and his arm slot varies. Though Martinez's stock has slipped, he's still just 21. "He'll show you nothing for four days and you're ready to give up on him," a scout said, "and then out of nowhere he'll do something and you'll go, 'Hmmm, OK. That's what they've been talking about.' " Given the Mets' need for outfield help, Martinez will compete for a big league job in spring training.
Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon once predicted Carlos Gomez and Martinez would flank Carlos Beltran as the outfielders when the team christened its new stadium, Citi Field, in 2009. Gomez since has joined the Twins as part of the Johan Santana trade, and the acclaim for Martinez has diminished a little. Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $1.3 million in 2005, he has been pushed aggressively by New York. Martinez was the youngest player in the Double-A Eastern League in each of the last two seasons, and the youngest player in the history of the Arizona Fall League in 2007. Because of his youth, Martinez hasn't dominated in the minors, but he had a solid return engagement with Binghamton last year, then got off to an excellent start in the Dominican League over the winter. Martinez still has youth on his side. He turned 20 during the offseason, making him the equivalent of a college sophomore or junior, and he'd surely be a first-round pick if he were entering the 2009 draft coming out of a U.S. college. His bat speed helps him catch up to good fastballs, and he has power to all fields. He can hit some monster home runs when he connects. While he profiles to play an outfield corner in the future, Martinez is holding his own in center field. He has improved his defense and now shows average range and arm strength. He has solid-average speed once he gets going on the bases, ramping it up when he goes from first to third base or senses a triple. His attitude is top-notch. Binghamton manager Mako Oliveras noted that Martinez often was the first player at the ballpark so he could get extra work. Martinez has been injury-prone. He missed time in 2006 with a bone bruise in his hand and a knee sprain; in 2007 with a broken hamate bone in his right hand; and in 2008 with recurring trouble with his right hamstring. The lost development time has stymied his efforts to improve his strike-zone discipline. Martinez's outfield routes also need work, though they did get better last season. He'll probably wind up in left field, where he played regularly in the Dominican this winter, though the Mets won't make that move until he reaches the majors. Martinez is slow out of the batter's box and isn't going to steal many bases. When he signed, Martinez acquired the hype that goes with a big signing bonus and being a top prospect for a New York team. He's not going to be the next Beltran because he doesn't have the same package of all-around plus tools. Some scouts outside the organization see Martinez as a tweener, a left fielder who lacks impact power, while others see a gifted hitter with an improving approach who should develop average to plus power. General manager Omar Minaya has said he expects Martinez to begin the year at Triple-A Buffalo.
Martinez was the most coveted Latin American free agent on the market in 2005, and the Mets were positioned perfectly to land him. He received a $1.4 million bonus both for his present and future hitting ability and as a statement that New York intended to be a leader in Latin America and not a follower. The impact of Martinez' signing and that commitment continues, as the Mets led all organizations by signing 15 international amateurs in the July-August 2007 signing period. He became the youngest player in Arizona Fall League history in 2006 and opened 2007 as the youngest player in Double-A by nearly two years. A right hand injury, initially diagnosed as a bruise, lingered and hampered his play at Binghamton. New York finally shut him down in late July after a pair of appearances in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Despite the injury and his tender age, Martinez, 18, ranked as the Double-A Eastern League's No. 3 prospect. He also was the first player selected in the Dominican League draft in October. Latin American players who get seven-figure bonuses get paid to hit, and scouts believe Martinez will hit. He has excellent bat speed and generates easy power to all fields. One scout who saw him this year said Martinez "can do anything he wants offensively." He spent the year batting leadoff or third as the Mets tried to give him more at-bats, and he began recognizing breaking balls and learning when to lay off and when to attack them. He's learning to trust his hands and stay back against lefthanders as well. Martinez has some athleticism and runs well once he's underway. He has average raw arm strength. Martinez is heavy on tools and low on present skills, particularly for a Double-A player, though that's typical for a teenager. His approach at the plate is raw, and some scouts disdain his load (too exaggerated) and spread-out stance (he's not strong enough yet). Defensively, he played a below-average center field across the board in 2007. He needs improvement in running routes, picking up cutoff men and getting his body behind his throws. He profiles better in left field, as many scouts had predicted when he signed. Martinez' baserunning skills are another area where his lack of experience holds him back. Most organizations would have had Martinez in low Class A last season, and the holes in his game were exposed in Double-A. But his upside remains tremendous. From his days as a scout and coach for the Rangers, general manager Omar Minaya learned that Latin American stars usually get to the major leagues at a young age. Minaya says Martinez is on the same track as players such as Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa, all of whom reached the majors by age 20. Martinez' 2008 assignment likely will depend on his spring-training performance, as well as the health of his hand. His bat ultimately will be his calling card, and the Mets see him as a future 30-homer threat.
Martinez received the largest bonus of any international sign in 2005 ($1.4 million) and proved to be a good investment in his debut. Though he missed time with a bone bruise in his hand and a knee sprain, Martinez handled the low Class A South Atlantic League at age 17 and earned a promotion to high Class A. The youngest player in the Arizona Fall League, he recovered from a 1-for-18 start to hit .304 afterward. Martinez has an advanced approach well beyond his years. He has good pitch recognition, strike-zone awareness and power to all fields. He has slightly above-average speed, though he's better underway than down the line or as a basestealer. He has a strong outfield arm. Like many young hitters, Martinez tends to overswing when he gets in a funk but should outgrow that as he gets more reps against advanced pitching. He doesn't have a good first step and can take poor routes in center field, which likely means that he'll end up in right field. Martinez has the highest ceiling of any hitter in the system and will put himself into the discussion of the best prospects in baseball if he can build on his 2006 season. Even if he has to move from center field, his bat could make him an all-star. He should be back in high Class A to begin 2007.
In their first year under Omar Minaya, the Mets were aggressive in mining Latin America. Their biggest splash was Martinez, who signed for $1.4 million. New York, which lacked second- and third-round picks in the draft, believes he matched up with any high school outfielder taken in the draft. Martinez' hitting approach is well beyond his years. He maintains his balance well while keeping his hands back in his stance. His bat and power are both plus tools, and he's a good athlete with solid speed and arm strength. Though he's very advanced for his age, Martinez still will need plenty of time to refine his game and is unproven against pro competition. Currently a center fielder, he projects as a right fielder and his bat will need to carry him if he's to become a star at that position. Because of his precocious hitting skills, the Mets believe Martinez may be able to handle a full-season league in 2006. If they send him to Hagerstown, he'll almost certainly be the youngest player in the South Atlantic League at 17.

Minor League Top Prospects

Staying healthy continues to be Martinez's biggest obstacle. After playing just 90 games because of recurring hamstring injuries in 2008, he was shut down for the season in early July after tearing the meniscus in his right knee. Martinez flashed his five-tool potential while in Buffalo, particularly the ability to hit with power to all fields. During a scorching May, he had 15 extra-base hits (including seven homers) in a 24-game stretch. He can get overly aggressive at the plate, a weakness major league pitchers exploited during his time in New York. A solid-average runner, Martinez shows good range and average arm strength in the outfield. He split time between left and right field in Buffalo, but he has held his own previously in center field.
Martinez continues to elicit a range of reactions. He played his second season in the EL as a teenager, hit for average and did a better job of making use of his raw power. He was more consistent, particularly in center field, where he has solid-average range and a decent arm. Still, some managers and scouts have their doubts. One AL scout called him a below-average runner with a tweener profile, lacking the impact bat for an outfield corner. A manager who said he liked Martinez's bat last year believed that he'd lost some explosiveness in his swing. "I like him a lot better than I did last year," one AL scout summarized, "but he's not Carlos Beltran."
Martinez elicits strong reactions in both directions from scouts and some wonder why they've pushed the 18-year-old so quickly after signing him for $1.4 million in 2005. His detractors question everything from his spread-out stance to the load in his swing to his defense, which may be best suited for left field. His proponents see tremendous upside in his bat and think he'll smooth out the rough edges in his game. Martinez flashed premium bat speed and power prior to getting hurt. He'll need to improve against breaking pitches and lefthanders, but scouts stressed that he would have just graduated high school had he been from the U.S. instead of from the Dominican Republic. "He did a lot of things wrong when I saw him. His defense was extremely rough," the AL scout said. "But you watch batting practice and the guy is hitting balls out to center field easily. You know the guy can do anything he wants offensively."
If the next decade shapes up like the 2006 SAL season, Martinez and Tabata will spark debate New York arguments reminiscent of Mays vs. Mantle in the 1950s. As with Tabata, the only thing that slowed Martinez were injuries, as a bone bruise in his hand and a sprained knee limited him to 189 at-bats. Martinez keeps the bat in the hitting zone for a long time and stays inside the ball while driving it from gap to gap. His approach is advanced for his age, but he doesn't command the strike zone as well as he should and can be a free swinger. Scouts see power potential, though he presently has more of a line-drive swing. With a plus arm and speed, Martinez should be able to stay in center field. His overall performance was all the more impressive considering that he was making his pro debut after signing last summer for $1.4 million--the biggest bonus on the international market in 2005. Both Tabata and Andrus made their U.S. debuts in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League a year ago.