Fernando Martínez (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Jesús Fernando Martínez Álvarez (born October 10, 1988) is a Dominican professional baseball
outfielder
. He is a current Free agent
, and last played for the orginization o fht eNew York Mets
appearing several times in the majors, in center-field.
, known for his ability to attract Latin American talent to the Mets, lured Martínez with a signing bonus of $1.4 million. Minaya said of the signing "What we saw in [Martinez] was a 16-year-old kid with power, great ability and great character, above everything else.”
Martínez had played center field
in the minor leagues since the 2007 season with Double-A Binghamton. He was selected to both the 2007 and 2008 All-Star Futures Game
s. Martínez is considered by many to be a potential 5-tool player at the major league level.
Baseball America
named him as the Mets Number One Prospect for 2007 and 2008.
Martinez has seen his status as a blue chip prospect decline in the past two years, due in large part to his frequent stints on the disabled list. For example, Martinez was ranked as the Number 1 prospect in the Mets' organization by Scout.com in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, he was dropped to Number 4. Similarly, ESPN Scout Keith Law ranked Martinez as the Number 10 overall prospect in 2008, and then as the Number 16 overall prospect in 2009, but dropped him to Number 73 overall in 2010. Martinez' prospect status expired after 2010.
with 25 extra-base hits
in 42 games with AAA Buffalo
, Martínez was called up to the major leagues on May 26 as José Reyes and Ryan Church were placed on the disabled list
. He went 0–3 with 2 strikeouts, a fielder's choice, a hit by pitch, and an RBI. He hit his first career home run against the Brewers on June 30 in a 6–3 loss.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. He is a current Free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
, and last played for the orginization o fht eNew York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
appearing several times in the majors, in center-field.
Career
Martínez signed with the Mets in July 2005, when he was 16 years old. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed. Mets general manager Omar MinayaOmar Minaya
Omar Teodoro Antonio Minaya y Sánchez is a former baseball executive who served as General Manager for the Montreal Expos and New York Mets.-Early life:...
, known for his ability to attract Latin American talent to the Mets, lured Martínez with a signing bonus of $1.4 million. Minaya said of the signing "What we saw in [Martinez] was a 16-year-old kid with power, great ability and great character, above everything else.”
Martínez had played center field
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
in the minor leagues since the 2007 season with Double-A Binghamton. He was selected to both the 2007 and 2008 All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
s. Martínez is considered by many to be a potential 5-tool player at the major league level.
Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
named him as the Mets Number One Prospect for 2007 and 2008.
Martinez has seen his status as a blue chip prospect decline in the past two years, due in large part to his frequent stints on the disabled list. For example, Martinez was ranked as the Number 1 prospect in the Mets' organization by Scout.com in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, he was dropped to Number 4. Similarly, ESPN Scout Keith Law ranked Martinez as the Number 10 overall prospect in 2008, and then as the Number 16 overall prospect in 2009, but dropped him to Number 73 overall in 2010. Martinez' prospect status expired after 2010.
2009
After batting .291 with 8 home runs and leading the International LeagueInternational League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
with 25 extra-base hits
Extra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
in 42 games with AAA Buffalo
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
, Martínez was called up to the major leagues on May 26 as José Reyes and Ryan Church were placed on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
. He went 0–3 with 2 strikeouts, a fielder's choice, a hit by pitch, and an RBI. He hit his first career home run against the Brewers on June 30 in a 6–3 loss.