Martinez a nice catch for Indians

www.duluthsuperior.com Posted on Thu, Mar. 13, 2003 Associated Press

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Victor Martinez knows what's coming. The Cleveland Indians catcher is one of the brightest young prospects in baseball.

Some have compared the 24-year-old's potential to that of New York Mets All-Star Mike Piazza. The hard-hitting Martinez has been named Most Valuable Player in the Class A Carolina League and the Class AA Eastern League the last two seasons.

However, any day now, Martinez will be told he's being sent to the minor leagues.

The Indians want him to spend some time at Triple-A Buffalo, sharpening his ability to call the appropriate pitches and improving his prowess for throwing out baserunners and blocking errant deliveries.

But, Martinez also knows he will be back soon. Probably to stay.

"My part is to work hard and let them (the Indians front office) make the decisions," Martinez said. "I think going to Buffalo would be good for me. I need to catch some more veteran pitchers and be around more veteran players. I need to work on my defense and my throwing. That's the main thing for me."

As good as Martinez is, he's not yet a finished product. For Indians opponents, that's a scary thing. He had been a shortstop as a teenager in Venezuela when spotted by Cleveland scout Luis Aponte.

It was during the next summer, 1997, when Martinez was converted to catcher. The transition was not a smooth one.

"The first pitch I ever received, I caught with my eyes closed," Martinez recalled with a grin. "The coach told me that maybe I should keep my eyes open. The first time I saw a pitch hit the ground, I just got out of the way."

Martinez eventually got the hang of his new position. That's why he furrows his brow a bit when asked about being switched to third base. The Indians have no fast-rising young prospect there and they already possess a promising young catcher in Josh Bard.

"They haven't talked to me at all about it," Martinez said. "I feel like I've gotten better as a catcher. And to get there has taken a lot of work."

Indians manager Eric Wedge, a former catcher, said he has seen Martinez come along well this spring.

"Victor has made significant strides defensively," Wedge said. "We're very happy with the progress he's made in a short period of time. Getting better as a hitter won't take a lot of work."

Indians general manager Mark Shapiro has said Martinez is ready to hit in the big leagues. He has accumulated a .281 career average in the minors and has won minor-league batting titles in 2001 (.329) and 2002 (.336).

His power appears to be developing as well, going from four home runs in 1999 to 10 in 2001 and 23 last year. Indians fans will be able to observe that power at some point in 2003. It may not be on opening day, but Martinez's time will come.

"I'm just going to play hard and see what happens," Martinez said. "You just have to wait for your chance."

Notes:@ 2B John McDonald was scheduled to undergo an MRI on his strained left knee. McDonald, battling rookie Brandon Phillips for the starting job, injured his knee during a "B" game on Sunday. McDonald was kept out of action for three days but is still having pain in his knee.