I said yesterday that a Hunter Pence trade would likely necessitate a J. D. Martinez callup and the 24-year-old was duly pulled from the Corpus Chrsti lineup as soon as the move was announced.
Ever since he was drafted in the 20th round of the 2009 draft, a disappointment for Martinez, he has done nothing but hit, putting up a minor-league slash line of .342/.407/.552. But has he received any sort of attention from national scouts? Not at all. Alyson Footer spoke to the prospect earlier this season about his emotions on draft day:
"I was bummed out," Martinez said. "I wasn't as excited as you should be."
Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he used it as motivation. Every day he tells himself, "You're not supposed to be where you're at right now, according to everybody."
His power disappeared in 2010 after being promoted from Lexington to Corpus Christi but it has reappeared, raising his ISO from .106 in AA last year to .208.
More to follow.
Martinez has played with a major chip on his shoulder ever since being told by Greeneville manager Rodney Linares that he wasn't expected to play a lot. Footer also revealed that a major part of his success was down to a session he had with now Astros hitting coach Mike Barnett, which fixed a problem with his swing.
He joins Jose Altuve and Jordan Lyles as Astros prospects called up to the big leagues this season to make their major league debuts. Martinez and Lyles spent a month together in Corpus Christ last season, while Altuve and Martinez spent time together at Greeneville and Tri-City in 2009 and Lexington in 2010.
It has not been announced whether Martinez will start in today's game against the Brewers.