Martinez In The Swing, Again
After two terrible seasons, Edgar Martinez has finally regained the form that produced a .343 batting average in 1992.
“I can see now why he won a batting title,” Seattle Mariners manager Lou Piniella says.
Following Tuesday night’s game in Chicago, Martinez is hitting .358. He is third in the A.L. in batting, first in runs scored (43), second in RBIs (44), tied for fifth in hits (63) and tied for fourth in doubles (15).
“I feel good, I feel healthy,” he said. “I feel the way I felt in ‘92.”
Martinez, 32, needed two years to fully recover from a pulled left hamstring, which he hurt in loose dirt around first base during a 1993 exhibition game at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was limited to 42 games that season.
Last year, Martinez was hit by a pitch from Dennis Martinez in his first at-bat and spent April and part of May on the disabled list with a severely bruised right wrist. He wound up hitting .285 in 89 games.
He began to feel 100 percent healthy when he played winter baseball in Puerto Rico.
“It was very tough,” Martinez said. “Last year my legs were weak.”
“Flexibility has always been a problem with Edgar,” Griffin said. “He’s extremely tight.”Martinez, in his 13th season with
the Mariners organization, almost wasn’t in Seattle this year. Some in management wanted to trade away a big salary and Martinez was a prime candidate. But Piniella convinced the front office he needed Martinez.
“I didn’t want to get traded, but it was hard this spring because you have to forget all the talk and go out and play,” he said. “But I’m still here so everything is fine.”
Martinez, Seattle’s opening day third baseman from 1989-92 and again last season, is now a designated hitter who gets an occasional start at third and first.
“He accepted it,” hitting coach Lee Elia said. “He recognizes he’s a little older and probably doesn’t have quite the agility he had three or four years ago.”
Piniella is impressed with the way Martinez has adjusted to the role.
“A DH has to be an experienced, battle-tested guy who can concentrate on the game instead of letting his mind wander,” he said. “Edgar fits the bill perfectly.”
Without Griffey and injured Jay Buhner, Martinez is not seeing as many good pitches.Martinez said the pressure of not having a Griffey in the lineup doesn’t bother him. Elia knows otherwise. “It might just take a little bit more mental toughness and Edgar has that,” Elia said.
Griffey’s cast off
The hard cast is off, the rehabilitation process begun, but the Mariners know there’s a long way to go before they get Ken Griffey Jr. back.
On Tuesday, the team moved Griffey from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from a fractured left wrist.
No matter how impatient he gets, no matter how much progress he makes, Griffey won’t be eligible to play before July 27.
The Mariners are 11-12 in their first 23 games without Griffey.
On the move
The Mariners recalled outfielder Gary Thurman and optioned outfielder Darren Bragg to Tacoma.
The move was made to add offense, but also to give Bragg the chance to refine his swing.
Bragg, 25, batted .212 in 39 games, with more strikeouts (30) than hits (24). Thurman, 30, was batting .308 in 63 games in Tacoma, with 14 stolen bases in 21 attempts.
Short hops
Catcher Chad Kreuter was again unavailable Tuesday with a hyperextended right elbow, though he could play as soon as tonight… . Seattle pinch-hitters are batting .317 with eight RBIs, and hitting .400 in their last 15 at-bats. The best of the lot are Kreuter (4 for 5), Doug Strange (4 for 9) and Alex Diaz (3 for 7)… . As a reliever, Dave Fleming has inherited six base runners and allowed each to score.