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J.D. Martinez

Discussion in 'Houston Astros' started by chrisjent, Apr 24, 2014.

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  1. chrisjent

    chrisjent Member

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    I understand JD had not progressed, and has been injury prone...but he came in ST with a new 'improved' batting stance, was given very few opportunities to prove himself and was then released.

    Curious to then find out that the Tigers where interested in trading for him in the off-season but the Astros refused. http://www.astroscounty.com/2014/04/detroit-tried-to-trade-for-jd-martinez.html If the team had already given up on him, why would the front office not even explore a potential trade? The fact that the Astros did not entertain a trade could only lead to a presumption that they still wanted to give him the opportunity to win a job in ST. Then, curiously, he wasn't given the opportunity to do so. Finally, the team releases him for no compensation in favor of Alex Presley (or other already in-house options, Grossman and/or Hoes)?

    I am on board with the big picture of the rebuild, but these small roster tinkers and a large percentage of free agent moves, while not franchise altering, really lead to some head-scratching as to the FO's thought-process in these decisions.

    Martinez is now starting and batting 5th after being called up by the Tigers. I have no expectations that he will set the world on fire, but again, he is a starting OF'er in a good Tigers line-up (granted they are thin in the OF), and the Astros essentially refused to at least get a low-level prospect or two from a team that was clearly willing to part w/ players a few months prior. I also question giving up a player with clear, though limited, upside in favor of players that are fourth OF'ers at best.

    Here are Martinez's numbers at Toledo prior to the promotion.

    2014 -26
    DET-min
    AAA
    AB 65
    R 16
    H 20
    2B 3
    3B 1
    HR 10
    RBI 22
    BB 3
    K 17
    BA .308
    OBP .366
    SLG .846
    OPS 1.212
     
    #1 chrisjent, Apr 24, 2014
  2. BrownBeast99

    BrownBeast99 Member

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    I don't get it either. I'd MUCH rather roll with JD even with his inconsistency and struggles in the past than Presley. He can hit and still has potential. Presley is nothing special at all.
     
    #2 BrownBeast99, Apr 24, 2014
  3. xcrunner51

    xcrunner51 Contributing Member

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    Every mediocre player comes into ST with something they've been working on or tinkered with. Brett Wallace working a new hitting coach and changing his swing was the quintessential 'hope springs eternal' news headline.

    Bottom line is JD got almost 1000 plate appearances with the Astros. That was more than enough time to prove himself.

    Basically what I'm reading is "the honeymoon is over, we need results Luhnow". It looks like its gonna be way harder (and unlikely) for the Astros to get back to respectability without a massive investment into the free agent market. We simply can't compete with below average players at 7-8 positions.
     
    #3 xcrunner51, Apr 24, 2014
  4. NotInMyHouse

    NotInMyHouse Contributing Member

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    Bizarre. Maybe he slept with someone's wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend.
     
    #4 NotInMyHouse, Apr 24, 2014
  5. chrisjent

    chrisjent Member

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    #5 chrisjent, Apr 24, 2014
  6. juicystream

    juicystream Contributing Member

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    They also have former Astros star Trevor Crowe. Turns out we've had great players the whole time.:eek:

    FWIW, Grossman is batting .455/.522/.700 in AAA.

    Would I take him over Presley? Yes, but I'd be calling Grossman back up over both.
     
    #6 juicystream, Apr 24, 2014
  7. sealclubber1016

    sealclubber1016 Member
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    I know you may find this surprising, but I knew all along JD Martinez could hit AAA pitching. For that same reason I'm still mad we let JR Towles and Brett Wallace go.

    Because we all know hitting AAA pitching is what really judges a player.
     
    #7 sealclubber1016, Apr 24, 2014
  8. chrisjent

    chrisjent Member

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    Again, the merits of JD Martinez as a player was a minor diversion from a post made to illustrate an Astros FO move that, assessed in conjunction w/ the information provided recently be Astros Country, did not appear to be well-thought out and/or executed behind the scenes.
     
    #8 chrisjent, Apr 24, 2014
  9. xcrunner51

    xcrunner51 Contributing Member

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    Any team could have had him for free at multiple times. He passed through waivers when he was removed from the 40 man and then was available in the rule v draft.

    If detroit's gonna say they would have given us a low-level prospect to stash him in their system well i say big whoop. We already have the most minor league depth in baseball.
     
    #9 xcrunner51, Apr 24, 2014
  10. Buck Turgidson

    Buck Turgidson Member

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    One writer in one Detroit paper says, now the JD is in the majors and hitting, hey we tried to trade for him this offseason, it must be those silly Astros making yet another mistake. Has anyone, anywhere, heard this trade rumor before?
     
    #10 Buck Turgidson, Apr 25, 2014
  11. AlexnotElvis

    AlexnotElvis New Member

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    Give Presley time

    Alex Presley can hit. He has power. He is an asset to the Astros.
     
    #11 AlexnotElvis, Apr 25, 2014
  12. juicystream

    juicystream Contributing Member

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    Nobody wanted him taking a 40-man spot.
     
    #12 juicystream, Apr 25, 2014
  13. No Worries

    No Worries Contributing Member

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    Presley can also field his position.
     
    #13 No Worries, Apr 25, 2014
  14. bobrek

    bobrek Politics belong in the D & D

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    Presley's lifetime average, slugging and OPS are higher than Martinez. OBP is virtually identical. That is meant more to extol the failure of Martinez than the success of Presley.
     
    #14 bobrek, Apr 25, 2014
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