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2006 season October 18, 2006 In a somewhat odd occurrence, both the Mets and Yankees have sent their top center field prospects to the AFL this year. Fernando Martinez of the Mets is the youngest player ever in the AFL at 18 years old and is on the Mesa roster. He was signed to a tremendous bonus by the Mets straight out of the Dominican along with fellow Dominican prospect Deolis Guerra. Together, their combined bonus money from the Mets was $2.1 million!
Martinez spent most of the season at the Mets Sally League affiliate in Hagerstown and spent some time on the DL with leg problems. He bats in the lead off position and sees a lot of pitches in his at bats. Although he did strike out in 20% of his at bats, his speed is a huge asset at the top of the order and if he can cut down on the strikeouts he has the makings of a top notch lead off hitter. In addition, he can really cover some ground in centerfield. Last night at Scottsdale, he strutted his tremendous range and ran down every ball hit in his general direction. This year he batted a combined .279 at three levels of competition. Brett Gardner is the other New York team’s contribution to the Fall League and is playing with the Peoria Javelinas. He is in his second professional season and began his career last season with the Yankees Staten Island team in the New York Penn league. In one game last year I saw him steal home against the Aberdeen Ironbirds and walked away very impressed with his defensive and offensive skills. Since then, he has done nothing to alter my opinion of him. He started this year in the FSL with the Tampa Bay Yankees where he hit .323 with 30 stolen bases he moved to AA Trenton of the Eastern League to finish the regular season hitting .272.
At 22 years old, Gardner has four years on his cross town rival, which translates to several years of playing experience. He has played four years of college ball plus his two professional seasons. I have seen Gardner face two pitchers here who have major league time, John Koronka and Dustin McGowan. He held his own against both of them and carries the leagues sixth best batting average as of this morning. Martinez is hitting a mere .222! I like both of them, but obviously their value depends upon how you look at them. Gardner is the more advanced player and is closer to the majors. The question is, will the Yankees give him a shot in the next year or two, or will they trade him for a more established player? Martinez has a ton of upside given his defensive skills and speed. It is indeed interesting that the Mets sent him to the AFL at this point in his career. He is playing a league of men, relatively speaking, and is facing more advanced competition than he has seen before. If he can hold his own here, I feel he will fast track it to the majors. Clearly, both are players to watch in the future! --- John
Kazlo All photos on the Arizona Fall League Report are credited to Bill Mitchell, unless noted otherwise, and are not to be used for any other purpose without express permission.
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