What a difference an off-season can make.
From September ’15:
Carlos Martinez could not get his fastball above 93 MPH. Looked very stiff. Now out of the game.
— Cards Nation (@CardsNation13) September 26, 2015
From March ’16:
With tying run at third base, Carlos Martinez strikes out Cespedes with a 100 mph fastball. Third time Martinez has touched 100 #Cardinals
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) March 28, 2016
A day after that first Tweet, the Cardinals shut Martinez down for the rest of the ’15 season (including the playoffs) with a ‘shoulder strain’.
It’s hard to say that any season where you’re named an All-Star, win 14 games and post a 4 WAR is anything less than a success. Especially when it’s your first year as an MLB starter.
So I wont. 2015 was an awesome season for Carlos Martinez.
But Martinez was the heart and soul of the ’15 Cardinals. And his absence from the NLDS was a HUGE body blow. Carlos wants more for himself and his team and it looks like he’s ready to go get it.
I can’t wait to watch.
#BabyPedro
Photo: VEB
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