Marte Making Things Interesting Early

[swerb]

Nice little start to spring training. I can't wait to see this kid play.

7-14 with a HR, 4 2bs, and 4 RBIs

Listen, I understand the Indians stance regarding Boone/Marte. You owe Boone $$$ this season, Marte hit .180 in 45 MLB ABs last year, and if you annoint Marte the starter at 3b, you run the risk of pissing off Boonie and Brandon Phillipsing Marte. You send Marte to AAA regardless of what happens in spring, and Boone gets nowhere near the leash of last year if he gets off to another god awful start.

And it should also be noted that Boone is hitting .313 in Spring.

But if Marte hits .400 in spring with 6-7 bombs, and is playing B+ defense ...

I remember having similar conversations about Grady last year. He was sent to AAA, then immediately recalled when Juan Gone bruised his vagina. The prevailing opinion was the same.

We found out Grady was ready.

If Marte is also ready, can the Indians afford not to plug this kid in? How they start the season off is not only crucial to their playoff hopes, but also to advanced ticket sales, attendance, and Dolans pocketbook.

Should be interesting ...

[consigliere]

One thing about Grady, it isn't like he had a great Spring last year as he only hit .276 with 1 HR and 10 RBIs and a .751 OPS in 19 games. He had a decent Spring. Gonzo didn't fair much better hitting .243 with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs in 13 games, but was hitting the ball hard and for extra base bits (.851 OPS).

No matter what, unless Boone is hurt, Marte goes to Buffalo.

And, for as much as I dislike Boone, this really is the right call in the short-term. I just do not want to risk tabbing Marte as the starting 3B right out of the gates, and then he fails miserably and we are fucked. With Boone, there IS a chance he might play closer to career norms, and if he fails, THEN you have Marte to fall back on. Plus, I think bringing Marte up in May/June is a TON less pressure than opening the season with the team. He'll have time in Buffalo to get his feet wet before coming up.