RHP JD MARTIN was outrighted to AAA Buffalo today. Martin was designated for assignment on December 8 after the acquisition of INF JAMEY CARROLL from the Colorado Rockies. Martin will be a non-roster invitee to Major League spring training camp in February.
This is good news, as it would have been a shame to lose Martin on waivers in order to pickup a utility player in a trade. Martin has battled injuries throughout his minor league career, but when he is healthy he is an excellent pitching prospect. The Indians farm system is sort of thin in the upper levels as far as starting right-handed pitching goes, so retaining Martin helps in that regard.
Some may ask, if Martin was such a good prospect, why did nobody claim him? Well, there are many reasons this happened. For starters, most every team's 40-man rosters are full, and in order for them to claim him they would have to DFA someone on their 40-man roster to make room for Martin. Also, some of the teams with space on the 40-man likely would rather leave the spot open for a free agent they may sign.
Also, Martin's recent injuries could of scared some teams away. He is reportedly healthy, and pitched well during his time in the Nicaraguan Winter League, but there is no doubt his injury concerns kept teams at a distance. Also, he is not major league ready, and teams claiming guys for the 40-man typically nab players who can help the team now. Martin could help by midseason, but not at the outset.
In the end, this move works out for the Indians. They retain Martin, he is off the 40-man roster which creates room for other players who can help them win now, and most importantly he is not burning up an option this year.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Indians Retain J.D. Martin
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6 comments:
Good! I still do not understand the Carroll move , but at least we did not lose anyone...so far (still waiting the PTBNL).
J.D. will be just fine this year.
Bye from Italy.
Tony, Thanks for your good minor league coverage. Some of us are paying attention, even though it must seems as if you're posting into the void at times.
J.D. might not be major-league ready, but neither was Aaron Laffey 12 months ago. If he could ever get healthy, . . .
Thanks guys. I appreciate the support.
I am breathing a sigh of relief that Martin passed through waivers unclaimed and gets another year in the org. If he stays healthy, I expect a big year from him. All reports say he is healthy and looks good.
Where does JD Martin look to fit into the organization this year?
Rotation in Buffalo? Akron?
Pat,
If you haven't checked it out, go to the left side of this website - Minor League Reference &
Projected 2008 Depth Chart
Looks like TL figures JD to be at Akron to start. I'm wondering why they don't try him for relief pitching if he continues to be injury prone? Is less innings with more frequency as hard as going more innings with longer recovery time?
Webba, yeah, I am with you. I still can't understand the Carroll acquisition. But, this is Shapiro we are talking about and he has an infatuation with utility players. Plus, from what I hear, Carroll is supposed to be this great teammate and has a great attitude and is great in the clubhouse and yadda yadda yadda. If you look at it, it makes sense as he is what Shapiro aspires every player to be off the field.
Ken, thanks for the kind words. It is much appreciated, and nice to know someone is out there "listening.";-)
Pat and StressFree, yeah, from what I can tell J.D. short start the year in Akron. Although, it could be a short stay as he has pretty much been there off and on the last three years. Still, with the starting depth at Buffalo (Miller, Laffey, Sowers, Lofgren, Lewis, etc), J.D. will be hardpressed to start the season in Buffalo.
As for a move to the bullpen, it is possible down the road, but not right now. The Indians like to keep a starter a starter as long as possible and have not given up on J.D. as starting pitching depth. They still see him as valuable, and they value starting pitching so much more, that he likely will stay in the rotation for awhile still. Plus, they prefer their best pitchers stay in the rotation as they can be developed more than if they were pitching in relief. The thinking is they are exposed to a lot more scenarios when they go 5-6 innings and they can also work on their secondary pitches, whereas when you only go one inning an outing you are limited in what you can work on when it comes to game situations and your repertoire.
Happy Holidays guys.
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