Painting the Black: St... (05/12)
4 comments have been left for this article. BP Comment Quick Links
| |
|
|
May 12, 2011 Transaction Analysis BlogMets Place Davis on the DL
New York Mets Davis left Tuesday’s game with an ankle injury severe enough to land him on the disabled list. The injury is an unfortunate setback for the 24-year-old first baseman, as Davis already has seven home runs in 149 plate appearances this season (he hit 19 homers in 601 plate appearances in 2010) to go with a slash line of .302/.383/.543. Amongst Mets batters with at least 75 plate appearances, Davis had the second best batting average (behind Jose Reyes) and the best on-base and slugging percentages. If the Mets Thursday lineup is to be trusted as a glimpse at their immediate plans for the future, then expect Daniel Murphy to get some burn at first base while Justin Turner gets time at second base. With Angel Pagan also on the disabled list, the Mets have Jason Pridie starting in center most days and Scott Hairston as well as Willie Harris serving in reserve. Although Pridie is hitting .250/.345/.500 through his first 57 plate appearances, the Mets may have a new center fielder in the coming days in the form of Martinez. It sure feels like Martinez has been around forever, but his major league legacy is unwritten as he is only 22-years-old despite debuting in May 2009 and having more than 100 big league plate appearances. Martinez is now at 550 career Triple-A plate appearances with a slash line of .271/.330/.488 and 80 more strikeouts than walks to show for it. Martinez’s stock has plummeted over the last several years because of a raw approach at the plate and durability concerns. Under Omar Minaya, the Mets chose to rush Martinez to the major leagues and effectively started his options engine as a 20-year-old. Although Martinez can be optioned up and down freely this season, but his early ascent to the majors may create a situation where the Mets have to keep him in the majors or otherwise lose him on waivers. In the interim, Martinez could help himself—and his team—by showing that his skills are playable at the game’s highest level.
R.J. Anderson is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @r_j_anderson
|
Fantasy Beat: Value Picks in the Bullpen
Terry Collins said before the Thursday Mets game that he has no plans at all to use Fernando Martinez in CF. When he plays it will be mostly as a pinch-hitter and possibly on days off for Beltran and Bay.