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RUSSELL MARTIN- THE INSIDE STORY

MLB reports: Imagine living the life of Russell Martin. The starting catcher for the New York Yankees. Nine games into the 2011 season, having a .300 batting average, three home runs, eight RBIs, two stolen bases and a .977 OPS. At the tender age of twenty-eight years older, with two all-star game appearances, a gold glove and silver slugger award under this belt, the world should be at Martin’s feet. Any person that had not followed baseball for the last couple of years and saw these statistics would be in awe of Martin. The second coming of Munson or Berra they may ask? Certainly would seem so, as Martin’s star appears to have been rekindled to its peak levels from 2006 and 2007. However the road for Martin from baseball obscurity to stardom, to bottoming out and a rebirth is a rocky and fascinating one to say the least. I present to you an inside look into Russell Martin, catcher for the New York Yankees.

My first real exposure to Russell Martin was in March 2006. As Major League Baseball was gearing up for it’s ever World Baseball Classic (“WBC”), all of the countries involved finalizing and tweaking their rosters in anticipation of the inaugural event. Residing in Toronto, I was reading a great deal of information and stories on the Canadian contingent. News travelled that the expected starting catcher for Canada, a relatively unknown 17^th round draft pick in 2002 for the Los Angeles Dodgers by name of Russell Martin had declined his roster spot at the last minute. Reports indicated that Martin felt that going into spring training he had a strong chance of winning a spot on the Dodgers roster and did not want to hurt his chances by camp and auditioning for his spot in front of the Dodgers’ brass. Dioner Navarro, the catching incumbent, was seen as a declining player and the chance to unseat him was too great for Martin to pass up. Max St. Pierre and Pete LaForest were the catching tandem for Canada in 2006 that came within a hair of advancing to the second round (only the runs allowed to South Africa in a blowout win sealed their fate). Martin ended up making his major league debut on May 5, 2006 and took a stranglehold of the starting catching position for the next five years in LA.

While Canadian fans were clearly disappointed with his decision, Martin obviously made the right choice for his career. While representing one’s country in international play is an honor and somewhat of an obligation, fighting for one’s livelihood and paycheque when it is unsettled takes the ultimate priority. In the 2009 edition of the WBC, Martin kept his word to play for his country and finally suited up for Canada for the first round in Toronto in front of his hometown crowd. After almost upsetting the United States in game one, Martin and his Canadian teammates went down fairly quietly in another WBC first round exit. But with his Dodgers catching role firmly secure, it was a thrill to watch Martin play in the 2009 WBC and perform at a high level. Having attended all the first round games in Toronto personally, my scouting report is that Martin played an excellent series. He showed tremendous hustle and heart, playing solid defense behind the plate and grinding out at-bats. Russell Martin left a tremendous impression on me during that series has lasted with me to this date.

Before getting into Martin’s playing career with the Dodgers, I wanted to share several interesting inside perspectives on Russell Martin, the person. Born in Ontario, Martin grew up in Quebec and lived for a period in France. Coming from talented bloodlines, his mother is an actress and singer while his father is a saxophone player. Martin’s full name is actually Russell Nathan Jeans on Coltrane Martin Junior. His father named him after the famous jazz musician John Coltrane. Martin for the 2009 season changed the name on the back of his jersey from “Martin” to “J. Martin”. Hailed as a classy move, Martin was paying homage to his mother as an inspiration and force in his life. From honoring his mother and country, to playing with heart and inspiration to win both a gold glove and silver slugger in 2007, Martin appeared to have everything on his side. That is where the move from Los Angeles to New York is a confusing and unsettled story, even to-date.

From all accounts, Russell Martin, the baseball player, was on top of the world in 2006 and 2007. From earning the starting catching job on the Dodgers to become one of the top two-way catchers in the game in 2007, Martin appeared to be able to do no wrong. 2008 appeared to be a blip for Martin, as his OPS dropped from .843 to .781. Going into the 2009 season, Martin was seen at 26 to be a player just coming into his own and due for a huge rebound. Looking back at 2009 and 2010, everything that had gone so right for Martin quickly soured. Somehow in the span of two years Martin became a scapegoat and noted malcontent in Los Angeles. From a gold glove catcher, Martin began to be known through baseball circles as lazy and unmotivated behind the plate. While previously seen as a growing leader on his team, Martin and the other younger stars on the Dodgers were labeled as disrespectful and cancerous in the clubhouse. While playing nearly full seasons and being durable from 2007-2009, Martin tore the labrum in right hip in 2010 and cast a doubt over his future in the game. From a catcher that was walk ninety times in 2008 and steal twenty-one and eighteen bases respectively in 2007 and 2008, the Russell Martin of the last two seasons appeared to have little pop or spark in his game. At 5’10” and 230 lbs, Martin went from a stocky and agile catcher to an out-of-shape player on the decline. All at the tender age of twenty-eight. Clearly a change was in order.

The Dodgers, not always known for protecting their prized prospects well, had traded away highly regarded up-and-coming catcher Carlos Santana to the Cleveland Indians for the seasoned veteran third baseman Casey Blake. The logic at the time? The Indians gave the Dodgers the choice of absorbing salary or giving up a top prospect. The Dodgers chose to sacrifice Santana and save a couple of dollars. Having had the loss of Santana still fresh in fans’ minds, the Dodgers chose not to tender Martin a contract after the 2010 season in the fear that his hip had not recovered and to save approximately six million dollars in salary. Now a free agent in the last offseason, Martin had the choice of signing with any team of his liking.

The top noted suitors for Martin’s services all lied in the AL East: The Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees. Reports had indicated that other suitors were calling on Martin but looking at him at third base rather than catcher. After being drafted at the hot corner and moved to catcher early in his career, some teams apparently were nervous about Martin’s abilities behind the plate. The three finalist teams for Martin were apparently comfortable enough the former gold glover still had abilities to catch in the majors and all offered him apparently deals in the one year, four million dollar range. Toronto was Martin’s hometown but had a strong up-and-coming catcher themselves by the name of J.P. Arencebia. Sensing apparently the roadblock in Toronto, Martin from all accounts narrowed his choice to his best opportunity at a full-time catching gig and to win, the Red Sox and the Yankees. A tough decision I’m sure, the lure of the big apple and pinstripes was too much for Martin to turn down. With Jorge Posada newly installed as the designated hitter and the Yankees have catching prospects themselves that were not seen as ready, Martin finally with the Yankees in December, 2010. The baseball world had no idea what to expect from Martin and anticipated his debut in the Bronx in 2011.

Off to a solid start to the year, all reports have been solid thus far on Martin. Showing a strong presence behind the plate and with the Yankee sluggers protecting him in the lineup, his bat has been reborn. I see Martin’s keys to success as keeping quiet, playing hard and going back to the basics that led to his successes back in 2006 and 2007. In an environment filled with hundreds of reporters, Martin will need to be careful of what he says in New York. It was one thing to be a confident rookie in Los Angeles, as that type of attitude quickly became seen as cocky and arrogant in later years and would be no different in New York. As long as Martin plays hard and lets the Yankee veterans police the clubhouse, we could see Martin reinvigorate himself back to being one of the top catchers in the game. With a track record like Martin’s, it is difficult to predict where Martin will be in the next year or two, let alone ten years. But given what has been seen so far, I am confident to say that I see good things happening for him. It has been a wild ride for Russell Martin; let’s hope for his sake that consistency becomes his new calling card.

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Posted in MLB Player Profiles

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Tags: arencebia, baseball, canada, jays, martin, mlb, navarro, redsox, wbc, worldbaseballclassic, yankees

The Toronto Blue Jays Reinvented

Apr 4

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

MLB reports: 2011 has been one of the most anticipated seasons in Blue Jays history. A young GM in Alex Anthopoulos has reinvented the organization from the top-down. From the hiring of experienced front office advisors, new scouts, John Farrell as manager, strong drafting and trades/ free agent signings, this is certainly not your father’s Blue Jays.

With three games already in the books, let’s take a look at some key aspects of the newest incarnation of the Jays:

1) Farrell plays to win. From switching up his lineups, getting his bench involved, pinch hits, pinch runners, pitching changes- John Farrell is an active manager. Whereas Cito Gaston was criticized for sitting on his hands, it is doubtful that Farrell sits for a moment during a game. I really like Farrell’s managing approach. If nothing else, the Jays of 2011 will never be boring.

2) Kyle Drabek is for real. All Drabek did to start the year was take a no-hitter into the 6th and consistently throw strikes. Showing maturity beyond his years, Drabek looks to be a fixture in the Jays rotation for the next decade or so.

3) The Jays catching will be solid. J.P. Arencebia crushed 2 home runs on opening day and Molina hit one of his own in the 2nd game of the series. Both catchers have looked comfortable behind the plate and working well with the pitching staff. Arencebia is no Johnny Bench yet, but he hits the ball hard every time out. He looks to be the next MLB catching superstar.

4) Jose is worth every penny. For the doubters of Jose Bautista, he has picked up where he left off last year. From crushing big home runs, taking walks and playing solid D, Bautista has become the face of the franchise. He is a threat every time at the plate and is receiving the respect of opposing teams. For those keeping score, Vernon Wells is hitting about .150 for the Angels thus far.

5) Adam Lind is getting there. Brian Butterfield has clearly worked hard with Lind at 1st and he is becoming above average to good in the field. Lind has also become a great clean up hitter for the Jays and should benefit from hitting behind Jose. A note to Adam though: no more first pitch ground outs with the bases loaded and two outs in the 9th inning anymore please.

6) Travis Snider is truly a superstar in the making. Please see my post on Travis from Saturday. Snider has a new stance and is much more patient at the plate. Snider had key walks and hits all weekend long. He also showcased his cannon in left on Sunday and I can see gold gloves and silver sluggers in his future.

7) The bullpen is stocked. Farrell has many weapons in his pen on any given night. From Francisco, Camp, Janssen, Rauch etc, the Jays have one of their deepest pens in history. Any starter that can give the Jays lead after 6 innings will give the team a high chance of victory. The Jays strong pen makes the team a force every game.

8) Speed. When healthy, the combination of Rajai Davis and Yunel Escobar gives the Jays boppers with an abundance of chances to drive in runs. Both Davis and Escobar are strong with their bats and legs. Having a running game gives the home run happy Jays a better balanced offense and nightmares for opposing pitchers.

9) Edwin Encarnacion and Juan Rivera. The weak link of the 2011 Jays, both men look lost at the plate. Worse, EE looks even more clueless in the field. After three games it is safe to say that no ball hit to third is safe when Encarnacion is out there. A better filler is in order until the Lawrie era begins. Rivera further is another frustration case who is only in Toronto as a salary dump by the Angels in the Vernon Wells deal. A free agent at year’s end, the rope for Rivera should be very short.

10) The atmosphere and vibe. I have not seen Toronto this excited about the Jays in 18 years. The Jays shop had lineups all weekend and fans were cheering and on their feet throughout all of the games. With all of Toronto’s other sports teams in the gutter, the Blue Jays have a prime opportunity to become Toronto’s #1 team as well as reclaim its status as the face of Canadian sports.

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

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Tags: anthopoulos, arencebia, baseball, bautista, davis, drabek, encarnacion, escobar, farrell, jays, lind, mlb, molina, snider, toronto, twins

TRAVIS SNIDER – FROM PROSPECT TO SUPERSTAR

Apr 2

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

MLB reports: What a difference a year makes. 2010 was a season where essentially nothing went right for Travis Snider. From batting at the bottom of the Jays lineup all year to frequent trips to the disabled list and the minors, the then twenty-two year outfielder was beginning to lose the lustre from his prospect star status. Rumors of immaturity and attitude haunted the young man, as well as frequent disagreements with then Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston. Now healthy and part of the newly constructed Toronto team, Travis Snider is ready to take his game to the next level.

In my estimation, no Toronto player will benefit greater from the hiring of John Farrell as manager than Snider. The previous regime under Gaston was not seen as “rookie friendly” to say the least. While Snider got off to a quick start last year, he quickly started to fade early on. In whatever approach Gaston was trying to preach to the kid, clearly it was not working. From there, spending time in the minors and on the DL has a way of shattering a young player’s confidence. Remember, Snider a year ago was one of the top hitting prospects in baseball and the future face of the franchise. Watching his approach at the plate, Snider appeared to be overly aggressive to me. A common symptom of being a young hitter, few hitters can go up to the plate and wait for their pitch in the manner that Jason Heyward does. But after two years of less than 300 hundred at-bats and lifetime MLB avg of .255, clearly a change was needed to Snider’s game. That change has arrived and I saw it last night.

I was expecting to see Snider hitting 8th last night but was pleasantly surprised to see him in the 7th spot. Although not a huge difference, Farrell had Snider hitting between Encarnacion and Rivera, two veteran hitters who would be able to give him protection in the lineup. The higher slot in the lineup to me translates to a vote of confidence for the kid. After some solid games, I expect Snider to move up to #6 and even as high as 5th as the season progresses. He has that much talent and hopefully the Jays let him showcase his abilities. However, the biggest change I saw in Snider was his stance and approach at the plate. Snider finished the night 0-2 with 2 BB and 2 runs scored. The tone of the night for him was set in his first at-bat, when Travis was able to reach first on an error. Snider gave a nice little fist pump after reaching base- showing his heart and desire to play the game the right way. Although not getting credit for a hit, Travis did show great hustle and determination in that at-bat. The rest of the night for me centered around his new stance. The “superstar” stance as I call it.

Dwayne Murphy has clearly invested a great deal of time in working with Snider. His mechanics and approach at the plate are much better in 2011. Last year, Snider looked extremely lost at the plate to me. Last night, Snider showcased his new approach which clearly is starting to work for him. Snider is taking more pitches and seeing the ball much better. Both walks he took last night were hard-fought and well-earned. It appeared to me that Travis watching video of Nick Swisher in the off-season and starting to follow his approach at the plate. Snider has a nice fluid stroke and in opening his stance, he is able to see pitches better and wait for the right ones. I expect to see Snider’s walk rate spike and his home run totals proportionately. My sense is that Farrell and Murphy have much faith in the kid and he will be rewarding them with a solid breakout season in 2011.

I won’t sit and blame Cito Gaston for all of Travis Snider’s woes in 2010. Snider has to take responsibility for his own actions and results in the process. But clearly the relationship between manager and player did not work in that case and a change was needed. John Farrell has vast experience working with young players, from being a farm director with the Indians to being the pitching coach in Boston. Farrell to win over Snider will need to play him day-in and day-out. The greatest mistake that a young player can make is to press too hard early on, afraid that any mistakes could lead to a demotion to the bench or minors. If Snider is allowed to play through mistakes and slumps, the law of probability will result in success coming through the flip side. The Travis Snider that I saw on opening night was excited to be a part of the team. He did not press at the plate and did the little things necessary to contribute to his team’s success. Watch out for Travis Snider, the next superstar and franchise of the Toronto Blue Jays.

MLB REPORTS FROM FRIDAY APRIL 1ST:

1) The Toronto Blue Jays got off to a fast start on the season, crushing the Twins 13-3 in the Rogers Centre. Ricky Romero had an impressive opening day, pitching 6.1 innings, giving up 7 hits, 1 ER and 7 SO. The key telling stat of the night was 0 walks given up by the young lefty. Carl Pavano, on the other hand, gave up 7 runs in 4 innings of work. Looking like the Pavano from the Yankees days, the night was simply brutal for the veteran. Bautista and Lind had huge games for the Jays but the star of the night was the #9 hitting catcher J.P. Arencebia, going 3-4 with 5 rbis, 2 hr’s and a triple to boot. For one day at least, the Jays look like the team to beat in the East.

2) The Phillies squeaked out a close one in Philadelphia in their opener, with Halladay and Myers facing in a strong pitching duel. Halladay was stellar in the 5-4 Phillies win, with 6 IP, 7 hits, 1 ER, o BB and 6 SO. Roy is just scary good and its only the start of the season. In the “closer implosion” series, Brandon Lyon in 1/3 of an inning gave up 6 hits and 3 ER. Perhaps trading Lidstrom was not the brightest move for the Astros. Baez finished with the save in this one but only because of the late 9th inning magic by the Phillies bats. Madson pitching a clean 8th with 2 SO is still the closer at this point. Rollins and Howard both had 2 hits in the win for the Phillies.

3) The Pirates played their hearts out in a 6-3 win over the Cubs in Wrigley. Kevin Correia pitched 6 solid innings, 2 ER, 1 BB and 3 SO. Dempster on the other hand, gave up 6 ER in his 6.2 IP. Meek and Hanrahan were lock down in the 8th and 9th for the Pirates, with 2 SO each in their respective innings of work. For all the closer debates in Pittsburgh, that is a great situation to have. But if opening day is an indication, Hanrahan is definitely the closer for now. Any sign of falter though and Meek becomes the new Matt Capps for Pittsburgh. Neil Walker at 2B and batting second had the game of his life, with a grand slam home run and walk. McCutchen also homered and looked solid. Castro had 3 hits in the lone bright spot for the Cubs on this day.

4) The White Sox beat the Indians in a barn burner in Cleveland, 15-10. Mark Buehrle had a typical outing, 6 IP, 4 ER, 1 BB and 0 SO. Fausto Carmona got destroyed to the tune of 10 ER in 3.0 IP to get the worst start line of any pitcher on opening day. Many players had nice stats lines in a blowout game on this day, with Santana pacing the Indians in the cleanup spot with 3 hits and a home run. Dunn and Quentin were the beasts for the White Sox, each with a home run, Dunn with 4 ribbies and Quentin with 5.

5) The Rangers won their opener, 9-5 against the Red Sox. C.J. Wilson solidified his ace status with the win, giving up 2 ER in 6.2 IP and 6 SO. Jon Lester did not have it on this day, giving up 5 ER in 5.1 IP. The Rangers had 3 bombs, with Mike Napoli (see my article on him earlier in the offseason) leading the way with 2 hits, 3 rbis and a walk. Crawford was hitless in his Red Sox debut and Adrian Gonzalez had 2 hits and 3 rbis.

6) The Diamondbacks won a wild one in Coors, beating the Rockies 7-6. Ubaldo was off tonight, giving up 5 ER in 6.0 IP. Not what Rockies fans expected from their ace. J.J. Putz had a clean save in the win, 1.0 IP and 2 SO. Upton and Montero had nice games for the winners with a home run apiece.

7) In the upset of the night, the Orioles stunned the Rays 4-1 in Tampa. David Price, despite giving up only 5 hits and 1 BB in 7.0 IP with 7 SO gave up all 4 runs. Guthrie shut out the Rays during his 8.0 IP, giving up only 3 hits and 1 BB. With only 5 hits on the night, the Orioles were able to beat David Price even when he was on his game…signs that the AL East will be as tough as many expect in 2011.

8) The New York Mets began their dismissal season with a 6-2 loss to the Marlins. Josh Johnson was unhittable early on and finished with 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 hits and 2 BB allowed. The stars of the night for the Marlins were Logan Morrison and John Buck, both with a home run (Buck with the grand slam). Gaby Sanchez also had 2 hits for the strong Marlins opening game.

9) In the final opening game of the season, King Felix had the season’s only complete game to-date in the Mariners 6-2 win. Felix gave up 2 ER, 5 hits and 0 BB in 108 pitches thrown, with 5 SO. The AL West has been put on notice. Willingham in the cleanup spot had a home run for the A’s while the light-hitting Chone Figgins countered with a jack of his own for the M’s. With every team getting a game into the record books, opening day is now complete!