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.
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Martinez has repeatedly stated that he wants to be a starter, but one look at his stuff emphatically points to a bullpen role. That much should be clear. Setup man minimum, closer upside. My view of the closer title having inflated value has been noted before, but quite simply, Martinez belongs in a late-innings role of importance.
The cheese averages over 97 mph and his mid-to-high-80s slider has major downward bite. He featured it 26.1% of the time in 2014 as it’s already a developed secondary pitch. If he’s given an entire MLB season in this role, perhaps manager Mike Matheny won’t be so shy to use him in crucial playoff situations.
For Matheny and Cardinals’ management, it’s their job to determine Martinez’s most optimal role. So what if he wants to start? Players covet and desire roles and responsibilities all the time that fail to suit organizational interest. Beyond this need to take charge and place Martinez in at least a relatively structured spot, how about waking up and determining a role for Martinez simply by watching him throw?
Yes, Martinez is a tad wild. He has a 1.41 career WHIP and 45 walks in 117 2/3 innings pitched. But his arm, a specimen similar to Craig Kimbrel‘s and Kelvin Herrera‘s in terms of eye-popping power, belongs in meaningful relief.
This might be the age of relievers. The perceived value of aces might be high on the market, but relievers, even non-closing ones, are also receiving mountains of cash. Why is this the case? Because teams are blowing games–even losing seasons–in relief. Relievers are commodities.
What’s Martinez? Not only a reliever, but one who nearly throws 100 mph and already has a wickedly foul slider despite being an infant in the world of professional pitchers. This isn’t a knock on the Cardinals’ masterfully orchestrated franchise. It’s a voice for Martinez and his need for structure. Structure is underrated. Pure bullpen gas though, that value is known. It just needs to be harnessed.