The Blue Jays finished off this week in exciting fashion taking 3/4 from the AL East leading Orioles and are now off to play four games against the surprise team of the National League, the Phillies. A key reason behind a successful week in Toronto was because of their rotation and ability of Jason Grilli to close out games. Grinding out one run wins and maintaining a lead are two elements winning teams need to have, and Toronto seems to have found those this week.
The bats of Toronto have also caught on fire and many players are opening eyes to many fans and putting themselves in consideration for an All Star game vote. One of these players in catcher Russell Martin. Although he had a dismal start to his 2016 campaign, he has picked it up over the past week and could earn the backup role at the mid-summer classic behind Royals Salvador Perez.
Drafted 511th in 2002 by the Los Angeles Dodgers it didn’t take long for Martin to make an impact at the MLB level. He soar through their minor league ranks making it to AA in 2005. He hit .311 that season with seventeen doubles and sixty-one RBI’s and began his 2006 in AAA to little surprise. Slightly more shocking may have been the brief 23 games he played their before making his MLB debut on May 5th where he established himself as the Dodgers everyday catcher and showed that the future was now.
His best MLB season came in his sophomore year where he batted .293 with 32 doubles, 19 home runs, and 87 RBI’s. These numbers lead to him earning an All Star appearance and a Silver Slugger award. Not to be overshadowed by his bat alone, Martin grabbed a Gold Glove award in the same season where he converted eleven double plays and threw out 41 of a possible 123 base stealers, good for 33%.
He played the first five years of his MLB career for the Dodgers before a right hip labral tear forced him to miss most of the second half of the 2010 season. He played 667 games with L.A. batting .270 with 115 doubles, 54 HR, and 295 RBI’s. He elected free agency after this injury plagued season and signed a two-year deal with the New York Yankees.
He bounced back exceptionally from his hip injury in his first season with the pinstripes. He played in 125 games that year hitting 18 home runs while driving in 65. His batting average did dip to an uncharacteristic .237, but his power had certainly returned. He earned All Star honours this year and had established himself once again as one of the prolific catchers in baseball.
He followed up his 2011 season with good 2012 campaign as well. He belting 21 HR and recorded 53 RBI’s, but his less than desirable .211 average made him expendable in the eyes of the Yankees and Russell elected free agency and signed a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
His two years with Pittsburgh were near mirror opposites of each other. His first year with the Pirates he batted .226 with 15 HR and 55 RBI’s, while in 2014 he batted .290 with 11 HR and 67 RBI’s. Although the power numbers may have been slightly down compared to his two seasons in New York, I’ll take a .290 bat with less pop over a .220 bat with pop any day. A strained left hamstring did keep him to 111 games that year but he was certainly the most desirable catching free agent in the league.
Then on November 18th, 2014 one of Canada’s most beloved players returned home inking a five-year $82-million-dollar deal with the Blue Jays. His first season with Toronto saw him earn another All Star appearance and he finished the season with the most home runs of his career, 23, along with 77 RBI’s. Nearly a decade after his MLB debut Martin had turned back the clock and looked like the 2007 catcher all of Canada had grown to love.
His presence at the plate often overshadows his ability with the glove. Over his 1291 career games behind the plate Martin has managed to record only 76 errors in this time. That averages out to less than one every 17 games. He has also thrown out 326 out of a possible 1007 base stealers, good for 31%. He may be a great player with a bat in his hands, but when he puts on the pads he is equally as talented.
Having a young rotation with Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, further indicates the value Martin has for the Blue Jays franchise. He has the veteran presence to manage a game and keep the young pitchers’ composure intact. He may have started this 2016 with a .208 average, but his role on this team is not to hit home runs and drive in balls, it is to be the catcher and control the game. Any production he has at the plate is fantastic, but that is secondary.
He has heated up over the past week, batting .316 over his last seven games with two home runs and five RBI’s. A strong June showing may earn him his fifth appearance at the All Star game and we will likely see his 150th career home run before it arrives as he currently sits at 147. He is also closing in on the 700 career RBI mark, and although it is unlikely he has an 83 RBI season this year, he should reach this career milestone by June of 2017.
Russell Martin continues to make Canadian baseball fans, and Jays fans alike, proud everyday he’s on the field. He is one of the best catchers in the game today and we can all look forward to at least another 3.5 years of him in the blue and white, if not more.
You can follow Russell on twitter @russellmartin55 along with myself @GHam614. Next week I’ll look at the Jays DH, Edwin Encarnacion, who has also heated up this week and hopes to stay hot against Philly.
After the tragedy that occurred in Orlando over this past weekend I’d like to end this article by giving my deepest sympathies to all those affected by this horrific act. Stay strong Orlando, my thoughts, and those of many, are with you.
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