Victor Martinez – 2009 Report Card A-
Over the next few weeks – besides rooting for the Angels to beat the Yankees – we’re going to take a detailed look at the performance of certain Red Sox players during the 2009 MLB schedule. First up – the catchers:
And 1st up in the Catcher category – Victor Martinez.
Victor Martinez lived up to the hype:
In 211 at-bats in 56 games for the Red Sox, Martinez batted .336 with 8 HR’s, 41 RBI’s and 32 runs scored. Martinez had a spectacular .405 on-base percentage as he walked 24 times with just 25 K’s. Pretty damn good. Overall, if you count his 99 games and 377 at-bats with the Indians, his 2009 numbers were great:
.303 batting average; 23 HR’s; 108 RBI’s and 88 runs scored.
His 2008 stats: .278 batting average; .337 on-base percentage; 2 HR’s; 35 RBI’s and 30 runs scored. Martinez played less than half of the season because of injuries, loggin just 266 at-bats n 73 games.
Grade: A-. Martinez was everything and more than expected when the Red Sox sent Justin Masterson and a few prospects to the Indians for the prized catcher/slugger. He is a patient hitter who makes contact and played a vital role in a Red Sox lineup that lacked consistency in 2009.
GM Theo Epstein, Manager Terry Francona and Red Sox Nation can’t wait to see Martinez for a full season in 2010 at Fenway Park…
