In the Omar Minaya era, where every player was seemingly available in trade discussions, Fernando Martinez was the only untouchable.

Manny Ramirez? Nope. Dan Haren, C.C. Sabathia? Double nope. How about Johan Santana? Well you get the picture.

In Minaya’s defense, Martinez was one of the top prospects in all of baseball.

After signing out of the Dominican Republic as a 16 year old for $1.4 million, Baseball America ranked him #22, #20, #30 from 2007 to 2009 respectively. In 2009, at the tender age of 20, he put together a .290/.337/.540 slash line at AAA.

Flat out incredible.

Not only was he competing against former Major Leaguers, he was also competing against the best minor league prospects in a league where the average age was 26.7. Think about it, most 20 year players are in High-A or AA. The other 20 year olds are still in college playing with metal bats, against competition 99% of whom will never even be drafted.

All over baseball, scouts were gushing about his talent and ability to hit. He was being held in the same regard as former top prospects Hanley Ramirez and Cameron Maybin, as well as a young Jose Reyes and Juan Gonzalez. One scout even compared him to Ted Williams! Obviously, comparing any prospect to Ted Williams is a stretch, but the point is, his upside was limitless.

Furthermore, take a look at the current Mets top prospects and their current ages: Matt Harvey (22), Zack Wheeler (21), Jeurys Familia (22), Juan Lagares (22), Reese Havens (25).

Even though none of these players have reached AAA yet, none of these players were being considered to be released. Moreover, they are all older than F-Mart was when he received 281 at bats in AAA and the MLB combined, at the age of 20 in 2009. It shows just how talented he was.

However, the main reason he was officially released today has nothing to do with his talent, but rather his injury riddled past.

Not once in his six minor league seasons has he ever played more than 90 games. To further complicate things, in the 2010 offseason, it was discovered that Martinez has arthritis in his knee.

Arthritis at 22!

I understand his stock is nowhere close to where it was in 2009. I also realize that arthritis is a condition that does not go away with training or rehab. However, when you consider he has a career Iso (isolated slugging percentage) of .200 in AAA, while the AAA-International League average is .140, I have to believe he still has some value.

I have the utmost amount of faith in Sandy Alderson and his staff, but I cannot say I was surprised when Jayson Stark reported that at least five teams put a claim on him.

This type of talent, regardless of the injury history, does not grow on trees. After rooting for him to be successful for so long, I guess I just wished for more in return than let’s say, Scott Hairston.

For all of your Mets updates, be sure to follow Zach @MetsVibe and check out his website, metsvibe.wordpress.com!

Courtesy: Keith Allison (Flickr)

As Adam Rubin reported earlier today, Fernando Martinez has been claimed by the Houston Astros.

Martinez told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com:

“I will always be grateful to the Mets, but now I’m an Astro. I hope the change of scenery will help me revive my career. I’m anxious to begin this new stage. … If I’m healthy and I’m given the opportunity, I’m going to hit. Now I’m healthy and only waiting for my work visa in order to go train in Miami and then spring training. … I’m a young man. Sometimes they say as if I’m a man of 35 years, but I’m only 23 and am ready to begin again.”

Once the Mets top prospect, Martinez has struggled just to stay on the field, battling injury after injury. When he wasn’t on the disabled list, the outfielder hit .183 in 131 at-bats with the Mets, with two home runs and 12 RBIs.

He’s just another example of how there are no guarantees in baseball.

Could he go on to have a decent career? Sure. Will he be as fantastic as people believed he would be during his time with the Mets? No.

Either way, we wish him the best…and good luck running up and down that hill in center field.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York is reporting that Fernando Martinez and Daniel Herrera have been placed on waivers in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Scott Hairston and Ronny Cedeno.

According to Rubin, Herrera can opt for free agency.

Fernando Martinez is a prime example of how a being labeled a top prospect means nothing. It’s just a label. The once highly touted outfielder has never played more than 90 games in a season and now, at 23, he now suffers from arthritis.

After reaching a deal with Scott Hairston and Ronny Cedeno this past week, the Mets will need to make some cuts.

According to Adam Rubin, two players will need to be cut in order to make room on the 40-man roster. His list of possible candidates include:

RHP Armando Rodriguez
RHP D.J. Carrasco
RHP Jeremy Hefner
OF Fernando Martinez
LHP Daniel Herrera
RHP Chris Schwinden
IF Josh Satin
IF Justin Turner

In my opinion, the two who should get the boot are Fernando Martinez and D.J. Carrasco.

At this point, I consider Martinez to be a lost cause. During the summer when Martinez landed on the disabled list again, the NY Post pointed out that, “The outfielder, once considered one of the top prospects in baseball, has never played more than 90 games in any of his five professional seasons due to various injuries.” Time to say goodbye.

Carrasco didn’t impress me at all last season. He finished the 2011 season with a 6.02 ERA, and opponents were hitting .337 off him. Get rid of him and his ugly stirrups.

Before we delve into each minor league team, the big news today is Jordany Valdespin’s promotion to AAA Buffalo from AA Binghamton.

All this kid has done this season is hit, and he has gotten better every month. After starting the year left off of just about every high profile Mets Top Ten Prospects lists, his development has virtually come out of nowhere. The irony with him is that he happens to wear jersey number seven, and plays short stop. So who knows, with an outstanding finish to the season and a strong Spring Training, we may still have a number seven at SS next season, just not the one most Mets fans are hoping for.

» Continue reading “Mets Minor League Update: Wheeler Dominates Again; New Prospects Develop”

For this week’s update, the focus will be on players who, throughout the Mets system, are regarded as their “top prospects” or players that will have an impact at the big league level. In the following weeks, stay tuned for players who have had surprising seasons, good or bad, and updates on how recent draftees and international signings are handling their first taste of professional ball.

In Buffalo, the Mets AAA affiliate, there are not too many top notch prospects. With Kirk Nieuwenhuis injured, the roster is composed mainly of guys who have the potential to be good role players on a major league team, but not high impact stars.

Three guys that come to mind are Ruben Tejada, Fernando Martinez and Nick Evans.

» Continue reading “Mets Minor League Update: A Look At Some Of The Mets Top Prospects”