No, I have not seen Fernando Martinez play...ever. But just looking at his numbers, I am not too convinced this guy is everything he is cracked up to be.
F-Mart is supposedly the Mets blue chip prospect, the best we have, the savior of the farm system. Why? Let's take a look at his statistics through his first three seasons in the minor leagues. Granted, he is only 19 years old and still growing and maturing, but it just doesn't seem he's as groomed as Nick Evans or Daniel Murphy seem to be.
His first season, split between one game at the Rookie level, A, and A+ ball, at the young age of 17, he hit .279/.336/.457/.793 (AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS). He hit 10 home runs, drove in 39 runs, and scored 43 times in 76 games. He walked 21 times while striking out in 61 AB's.
Nothing really special there. He played decent in the field, only committing two errors. Again, he was only 17 years old this season.
Moving on to his second season in the minor leagues, where he saw three games at Rookie ball and 60 games in AA Binghamton. Last season he hit .265/.331/.376/.707 while hitting only four home runs. In the 63 combined games, Martinez only drove in 22 runs, while scoring 33 times.
In the field, he committed six errors for a fielding percentage of .975. Not a great season at all. Still, only 18 and seeing a higher level of competition in AA.
Onto this season, where he is 19 years old. Again, Martinez seen time at the Rookie level, playing four games, but he is mainly playing in AA where he has appeared in 61 games. He tore up Rookie ball while he was there, to the tune of .429/.467/.643/1.110 in those four games.
Back at AA, Martinez is hitting .292/.332/.420/.752. Martinez has hit five dingers, driven in 25, and scored 37 times. He has walked only 14 times while striking out in 56 at bats. He's committed two errors in the field this season, both at the Rookie level. At AA, he's sporting a 1.000 fielding percentage.
Let's run under the assumption that an average player should hit .275/.330/.410/.750 or so. In his career, only 204 games due to injuries, F-Mart is hitting .282/.336/.420/.761. He's hit only 19 home runs in his career. He's hit 42 doubles and 10 triples in his short career.
That's not too pretty. That's slightly above average.
Maybe I am missing something on the F-Mart parade. If someone can fill me in on why this kid is supposed to be so good, I'd love to know.
