Chris Watkins advocated that Martinez should be brought up immediately last weekend, and while I haven't been in that camp completely, it does start to make sense when you look at the numbers. John Sickels over at Minor League Ball checked in on Martinez's prowess yesterday and decided he doesn't have much left to prove as a hitter:
↵↵↵**Houston Astros outfield prospect J.D. Martinez is hitting .321/.398/.518 so far in 31 games for Double-A Corpus Christi, very much in line with what he did last year. A 20th round pick in 2009 from Nova Southeastern University, Martinez doesn't have the prettiest swing in the world, but still generates plenty of bat speed, controls the strike zone well, and so far has hit excellently in pro ball despite his lack of a big draft pedigree. He is now a career .341/.403/.549 hitter in 241 games, including .309/.374/.449 in 81 Double-A contests. His below average range and mediocre arm strength limit him defensively and kept him from a high draft slot, but he can hit.
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Martinez could flop in the big leagues. He's no sure thing to be the next star Astros prospect. Maybe his ceiling is a .280/.350/.450 guy and not that of a real franchise player. But Houston doesn't have much to lose at this point by trying him out, and I reckon it's going to come sooner rather than later.
↵It's not like he could be worse than Carlos Lee.
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