It seems that both of the teams competing with the Yankees for the AL East division title are now focused on trading for Victor Martinez. There is little question that the guy is an excellent hitting catcher - in fact, he is second best to Joe Mauer in the baseball.
Because of his catching ability, he will fetch an absolute fortune in prospects.
Here is the problem, among catchers who qualify, Martinez has the fourth highest OPS. Among those above him is Pablo Sandoval who mostly plays 3B.
However, is Martinez going to remain at catcher for much longer? This year he has played half his games at first base. That trend will likely continue. Among first basemen who qualify, Martinez has the 18th highest OPS - just below Lyle Overbay - a guy no one considers 1/2 as good as Victor Martinez.
One could argue that Martinez hits more as a first baseman than as a catcher and in fact that is the case this year. However, the sample is small and in the larger sample that is his entire career, the difference between his OPS as a catcher and his OPS as a 1B is far less significant.
Don't get me wrong, the guy is worth a lot, but I question if he is worth as much as the Red Sox and Rays may have to pay for him.
Yaros
No comments:
Post a Comment