Mariners Noon Number: Leonys Martin back in the big leagues with a vengeance
Martin has hits in all three games since returning from his exile at AAA-Tacoma. He went 2 for 4 with a homer on Saturday and 1 for 4 with a triple and two RBIs on Sunday.
Martin, a 29-year-old veteran of seven MLB seasons, was – to be polite – not very good the first three weeks of the season, compiling a .111/.172/.130 line. It’s not surprising he was sent out. The team tried to tinker with his swing during spring training and there were whispers of discontent on both sides, but Martin is popular in the clubhouse and took his demotion in stride.
What was surprising is just how long he spent in the minors before getting another chance.
Martin is a Major League caliber player. He got off to a rough start, and with the Mariners really struggling out of the gate, he was the one that bore the brunt of it with the demotion.
Robinson Cano was only hitting .242/.324/.394 with two homers on April 20 when Martin was demoted. Nelson Cruz was .238/.329/.397 with two homers. Kyle Seager went .228/.343/.298 with no homers and Danny Valencia was .164/.242/.255 with no homers. It wasn’t just Martin off to a rough start.
But Martin went to Tacoma and did his work. Over 84 games he put in his time, watched lesser players with lesser pedigrees get chances at the big league level when injuries happened and bided his time. He hit .312/.352/.506 with five homers and 24 stolen bases for the Rainiers, proving to anyone paying attention he belonged in the big leagues.
Because of Mitch Haniger’s injury, Martin is back now. It’s peculiar why he was kept in Triple-A as long as he was, but in just a couple of games he’s reminding folks why the M’s penned him into the starting lineup in center field on opening day to begin with.