Victor Martinez 2016 Outlook: The End is Near
By Bill Pivetz
Baseball players have the longest average career of all four major sports, 5.5 years. Some last a lot longer while others are cut too short. Every year the league welcomes in a new class of rookies while the grizzled old veterans continue to play. However, there comes a time when a career must end. It looks to be the case for Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez.
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Martinez, beginning his career with the Cleveland Indians, was an All-Star catcher. In his first full season, he hit 23 home runs and 108 RBI. Three years later, he crushed 25 homers and 114 RBI. This was when the transition began for him to play first base.
Fast forward to 2015 and the only crushing that is going on is to the heart of fantasy owners that drafted him. After a spectacular 2014 season (32 home runs, 103 RBI, 70 walks, 42 strikeouts, .335 batting average), this season was a big drop off.
In 120 games, he missed 27 games in the middle of the season, Victor Martinez hit 11 home runs and 64 RBI with a .245 batting average. Those power numbers are the lowest since his shortened 2008 season and the average was the lowest of his career.
He tore the medial meniscus in his left knee during Spring Training, but was ready by Opening Day. He reaggrevated the injury early in the season, and the struggle began. On May 18, he landed wrong while running out a ground ball, which made the knee worse. He was placed on the 15-day DL and would return on June 19.
Even with a month off, Victor Martinez was unable to gain back the power he once had. He has a career .307 batting average as a left-handed batter and .299 average as a righty. In 2015, he hit .348 as a righty in 89 at bats while he hit a lowly .219 as a lefty in 351 at bats. He was unable to put any pressure on the left knee, which tanked his power numbers.
This performance was nothing close to what fantasy owners were looking for from Victor Martinez. He was drafted as a fifth-round pick in ESPN leagues. He was the first DH drafted, but also had first base eligibility on ESPN. He finished as the 227th batter on the Player Rater throughout the season, just ahead of Brandon Moss.
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My colleague Brad Kelly wrote about the decline in Martinez’ teammate Miguel Cabrera. He’s been dealing with his own injuries, but was able to put up big numbers. Martinez, on the other hand, has seen a drop in his production.
If Victor Martinez enters the 2016 with a clean bill of health, he can still be a valuable asset to our team. The only issue is the health. I don’t expect him to play 150 games like he did last year. I also don’t expect 11 home runs. He should be the third or fourth DH drafted, but not within the first 100 players.
Projections: 55 runs, 115 hits, 20 home runs, 72 RBI, .260 batting average
Draft: Round 11