Fernando Martinez

While we have been talking about Martinez for years, he is still just 22, as he was signed by New York as a 16-year-old. Injuries have been the story with F-Mart. First a hamstring injury cost him a month, then a right knee injury in August ended his season. Martinez has plus power to all fields, but struggles with his plate coverage and offspeed stuff. His leg injuries have sapped some of his speed, and while he is solid defensively and can handle either corner, he is no longer a center fielder. Martinez can't be considered a top-five prospect for the Mets because of his health issues.

Martinez, who was the Mets' top prospect heading into 2009, got off to a hot start at Triple-A Buffalo and was promoted to New York in mid-May due to injuries at the big league level. Despite his struggles in the majors, those same injuries and his ability to play left and center field, coupled with the determination that he would benefit more from part-time duty with the Mets than in the minors kept him with the parent club. This lasted until he was sidelined in early July with what was finally diagnosed as a torn meniscus cartilage in his right knee, an injury that required what turned out to be season-ending surgery. Martinez played winter ball and there are whispers that the Mets may be thinking of dealing him since they believe that he will never reach what they believe to be his full potential. If he does return to the team, look for him to open 2010 at Triple-A Buffalo.

Martinez, who entered 2008 as the Mets' top hitting prospect, had his second straight disappointing year in the minors. After a slow start at Double-A Binghamton, Martinez seemed to right the ship in May before a strained right hamstring cost him six weeks of action. Two more injuries to that same hamstring limited him to just 80 games. Martinez had a strong early Dominican Winter League session and is slated to open 2009 at Triple-A Buffalo, where a strong campaign would get the hype machine buzzing again. He's still just 20 years old, so don't be too concerned about the results thus far. Martinez is still very advanced for his age and even though his plate discipline shows clear signs of needing work, there's plenty of time for him to get back on track and affirm his status as a potential star.

Martinez, one of the Mets' top prospects, was limited to just 60 games in 2007, hitting .271, due to a right hand contusion that never healed properly after he was first injured in May. Martinez has excellent tools including power and speed, with good strike-zone judgment, though none of those tools were fully on display at Double-A Binghamton, either due to the injury or his youth as an 18-year-old in the league. Martinez's power numbers, plate discipline, and baseball awareness figure to improve as he physically and mentally matures, and he projects to be a middle of the order hitter. He also is expected to be "an above-average defensive player, with a very good arm," though he needs to improve his route taking, and he may end up in a corner spot with Carlos Beltran locked into center field. Martinez should open the year back at Binghamton due to the missed time and with the Mets choosing to be aggressive in promoting their young players, he could get a late-season callup to Triple-A New Orleans.

If Carlos Gomez is the Mets' best hitting prospect, Martinez is definitely 1A. Martinez showed why New York signed him for $1.4 million as a 17-year old, displaying excellent tools, including power and speed, with good strike zone judgment, for Low-A Hagerstown. Despite missing a month due to thumb and knee injuries, he showed enough to earn a promotion High-A St. Lucie, though he struggled at that higher level. Martinez's power figures to improve as he physically matures and his plate approach projects him to post a solid on-base average. Martinez should open the year back at St. Lucie and see Double-A Savannah during the season with the majors a possibility in late-2008.