Michael Martinez Breaks Foot
Posted by Ian Riccaboni, Tue, March 20, 2012 05:26 PM | Comments: 29
Injuries, Posts
Martinez joins the parade of injured Phils infielders.
The hits just keep coming for the Phillies. Utility infielder Michael Martinez broke a bone in his right foot after being hit by a Jim Johnson pitch leaving Hector Luna and Pete Orr as the only utility infield options as Kevin Frandsen was optioned to the Minor League camp shortly after the game.
Luna has 313.1 career innings at shortstop but none since 2006; Orr has only played 44 innings at short and has not played there since playing 43 innings there for the Nats in 2008. Martinez’s injury leaves the club presumably without a back-up shortstop for the immediate future and very thin up the middle. John Finger of Comcast reports that while no timetable has been given for recovery, this type of injury sidelines athletes for approximately 4-6 weeks.
Posts: 0 Terry Harmon
Galvis could shift to 2b… and they could play Orr or Wiggy at 2b… Not ideal… but it’s the truth.
Posted: 05:42 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 0 Terry Harmon
Sorry… meant to say Galvis moves to SS not 2b.
Posted: 05:43 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 0 Matt
Galvis is a SS.
Posted: 11:04 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 2542 Chuck A.
I’m no MiniMart fan but Je_us Chr__t!!! And again this makes the Valdez trade look pretty dumb (even though they would have no way to know this was going to happen). Galvis better be the real deal.
Posted: 06:34 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 0 BART SHART
It may be a blessing in disguise that Mini Mart is going to be out. It gives Galvis a window to strut his stuff. He may be way, way better than Mini Mart. And Mini Mart will only be out about six weeks anyway. Also, Hector Luna swings a much more potent bat than “Mart” and could be a solid offensive asset.
Posted: 07:33 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 74 Tom
I guess all those years of minimal injuries are evening out in one Spring!! The baseball guides always balance things out, but why all at once? YIKES!!
Posted: 07:41 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 74 Tom
I meant to say the baseball gods not guides!
Posted: 08:05 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 0 Chris
Minimal injuries? we’re working on 3 years in a row of almost every position player getting injured at one point or another.
Posted: 09:03 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 0 Grismundo
His bat sucks and I don’t trust his fielding, so my feelings are nothing more than “meh….”
Posted: 08:30 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 770 betasigmadeltashag
I know you can know something like this is going to happen, but all along I would take Valdez over Mini Mart. Said it before this happened did not coast that much more and yea he was older, better clutch hitter and could play anywhere on the infeild better them MM. I guess the up side is more ab’s for Freddy, cause now if you want to give Jimmy a day off you are going to have to move him to SS, And outside of the fact that Orr probablly is not a SS I liked him better then MM. More speed and I think his bat is slightly better.
Posted: 09:37 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 0 Grismundo
Cliff Lee’s bat is probably better than Martinez’s. Valdez was a better fielder and hitter, but he also hit into a ton of double plays. I just hope that our bench is actually productive this year. When it comes to hitting, Thome, Wigginton, Nix, and Pierre/Podsednik are an upgrade over Valdez, Bowker, Francisco, and Gross Load. How much of an upgrade remains to be seen. I am curious to see who’s going to make the roster with Martinez on the DL. My guess is Orr. I guess we’ll know in two weeks or so.
Posted: 10:48 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 1079 EricL
…and nothing of value was lost.
Posted: 11:34 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 1057 Manny
If we all agree Mini-mart is at best an average minor leaguer, why are we so worried about this? We can get another minor-leaguer to replace him.. and the dividends might be bigger.
Posted: 11:41 PM on March 20, 2012
Posts: 93 Ted Bell
No offense to Mini Mart, but Ted Bell cutting himself shaving this morning will have the exact same impact on the Phillies’ W-L record this year as Martinez breaking his foot, and by that I mean NONE.
I’m Ted Bell.
Posted: 01:23 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 442 Bruce
Sorry to be contrary but I see Michael Martinez as having some value as a multi-position utility player who is at least adequate on defense (both infield and outfield). A forty man roster needs to be fill out before the season starts. With Utley, Howard and now Martinez going on the DL, I think Amaro is shopping for another utility infielder.
Posted: 02:17 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 93 Ted Bell
Light-hitting middle infielders with a decent glove are fairly easy to find. Bringing in someone to hit a buck ninety won’t be difficult at all…this is the least of the team’s problems.
I’m Ted Bell.
Posted: 02:34 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 3483 Lefty
I see no big loss in Michael Martinez, but the bitter criticism toward him has puzzled me in his short time here. Has he done something to the fans locally that maybe I didn’t catch because I’m down here in Baltimore? Is he not running out bases? Not giving it his all in the field?Have I missed something?
Or isn’t he a guy that tries but just is not very good. IMO- He’s just taking advantage of an opportunity given to him by Charlie and RA Jr. They are the reason he is here. Shouldn’t the vitriol directed at him (to borrow Corey’s word) be aimed at them?
Posted: 07:46 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 0 schmenkman
No, he hasn’t done anything to warrant the criticism, and yes it is also often directed at Charlie for relying on him, and at Amaro for keeping him on the the roster all year last year.
The animosity is mostly because:
1) he was such an awful hitter last year (.540 OPS)
2) he is a decent but not great fielder, and not particularly speedy
3) he is 29 and not likely to get much better
4) he took up a roster spot that could have been better utilized
5) it’s all multiplied because Manuel has given him too many at bats and even put him in the two-hole, inexplicably
6) he was named as the likely replacement for a local folk hero and “team MVP” with “a gun for an arm” who will forever be remembered for his 19th inning heroics
However Martinez is probably a better hitter than he showed last year (he had a .220 BABIP which all almost certainly go up). Projection systems have him in the .600-.640 OPS range, which coincidentally is where they also have Valdez, who at 34 is expect to start declining. I think it’s very likely that two will have similar seasons with the bat in 2012.
Martinez is certainly extremely replaceable, but the vitriol can get over the top sometimes.
Posted: 08:09 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 2542 Chuck A.
Funny, but I will remember him more for that “gun for an arm” and his very good defense and really not for the pitching performance in the 19th inning.
Posted: 09:49 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 0 George
25th roster spots are trivial matters, and so I nominate a trivial matter as one of the reasons for the dislike of Martinez. That reason is…drum roll, please…THAT RIDICULOUS GIRLY LOOKING HAIRDO!!
Posted: 10:00 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 2542 Chuck A.
I KNEW there was something about his hair that I thought was funny!
Posted: 10:15 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 3483 Lefty
Ok so basically, it isn’t him in particular that no one likes, it’s the fact that he is chosen over others to be the 25th man. I’m fine with that. I just was wondering if he was an a-hole to fans or something.
As far as the hair, maybe he’s just a throwback- Schmidt, Maddox, McBride, Kruk, Wildthing, heck even Rose had hair down his neck at one time.
When he’s better, Charlie should probably throw him back to LV. http://instantrimshot.com/
Posted: 01:19 PM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 0 loupossehl
Lefty, I don’t have a problem with that vitriol. George has rightly pointed out the Martinez hairdo – it certainly does need improvement. I’ve used vitriol on my hair for years, and it’s done wonders.
Posted: 01:20 PM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 3483 Lefty
When I was a kid, I remember my father putting Vitalis on my hair!
Posted: 01:21 PM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 0 bacardipr05
Since he will only miss about 3 weeks of regular season time they come up with something. As teams make their cuts Rube could pick up someone if they think its necessary. Luna who looks to possibly make the team, more so now with the Chase and Mini Mart injuries has played SS. They could slide him over there in a pinch. Orr will probably get on the team as well.
Posted: 07:51 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 93 Ted Bell
There are a few middle infielders around the league who are out of options and who aren’t locks to make their respective teams. That’s probably what RAJ is looking at right now.
I’m Ted Bell.
Posted: 07:56 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 0 Bbusch
I saw Galvis play alot in reading the last few years his glove is unlike any I have ever seen his bat wil probably leave something to be desired but he will be better than mini mart or valdez just based on his feilding
Posted: 09:46 AM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 0 EricL
Signs of the apocalypse: A thread about a Michael Martinez injury generates >25 comments.
Posted: 01:43 PM on March 21, 2012
Posts: 0 schmenkman
And after that, no more comments — on anything — for the next 3 and a half hours.
Posted: 05:34 PM on March 21, 2012