Carlos Martinez: Stellar arm, mishandled role

Carlos Martinez has a lean, wiry build and he looks more like a speedy utility player than a MLB pitcher. Then he throws his four-seam fastball, an offering that has averaged 98.19 mph throughout his first two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. Once that rapidly moving heater slices through the air and hits Yadier Molina‘s glove, Martinez’s position makes sense.

With a blessed right arm and obvious talent, it’s surprising that Martinez’s ERA through 78 career games is 4.28. He’s made eight starts, seven of which were last year, and amassed 108 strikeouts against just five home runs allowed. Sometimes he’s a spot-starter, other times he’s a middle reliever. One day he is pegged as a setup man while the next he finds himself lost in the fold and unused in meaningful circumstances.

By any perspective, Martinez has been mishandled by the Cardinals. This isn’t an indictment on St. Louis though, it’s a screaming stance for Martinez to be properly nurtured. He’s 23-years-old. How can a young hurler thrive when his own manager hasn’t given him a structured presence?

Wade Davis wanted to start for the Kansas City Royals, but Ned Yost firmly placed him in the bullpen and Davis ending up being historically lights-out. With that structure as the basis, everything falls into place. Even if the pitcher struggles, he knows where he’ll be tomorrow. Martinez has never been given this luxury.

As Michael Wacha, a rusty starter who had never appeared in relief during his MLB playoff lifespan, surrendered a walk-off, series-losing home run to Travis Ishikawa of the San Francisco Giants in last year’s National League Championship Series, Martinez sat in the bullpen. He was available. He could’ve at least been called to warm up. Nope.

This game was a microcosm of the Cardinals’ blown approach on its right-hander. St. Louis has kept Martinez in a dizzying confusion of rotating roles, expecting him to fulfill his talent yet promising him nothing other than unpredictability.