WHY THE YANKEES NEED RUSSELL MARTIN BACK

I remember the first words I said after I found out Russell Martin signed a contract to be the Yankee starting catcher:”What? You’re kidding me right?” I questioned how replacing Jorge Posada with an injury prone, struggling player from the Dodgers was supposed to be a smart move, but, in the end, it was. I’m sure it wasn’t exactly easy for Martin to come in from the outside and take over a role that had been held by someone else for such a long time, but he made it look easy. The Yankees did make the right move by signing Martin and they need to sign him again for 2012. We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue have noticed that most of the great photographs featuring Martin are action packed, usually always a play at the plate, so, we wanted to use a few great shots in this post. The guy means business.

Adding Martin behind the plate brought three major changes; a tighter defense, consistency, and effective leadership. The Yankees have not had a defensive catcher in a long time, and Martin only made the infield stronger. He successfully threw out 30% of all base runners this year and only allowed 4 passed balls, which is an improvement from previous years. Martin was also durable throughout the season playing in 125 games. Although Martin struggled with some various issues towards the end of the season he did not spend time on the disabled list.

Most importantly, Martin did a great job with the pitching staff, they all trusted him and they gave him rave reviews. He went into Spring Training and took the time to get to know each pitcher’s comfort zone and he used that knowledge to call a good game as the season progressed. The pitchers trusted him, and listened to his ideas.

AJ Burnett is a perfect example. He is known for having one of the best curve balls in the game, but his changeup is also a good weapon when he has command on it. AJ’s even credited Martin on his judgment saying he once tried to shake off Martin’s signals for a changeup but, “he put the same sign down, so I went with it. He's got me believing.” Read that HERE. If Martin can get a struggling AJ Burnett believing, then this is the man we need working with our pitchers. All of the trust from his pitching staff also explains the improved performance of the pitching staff’s team ERA which fell from 4.06 (2010) to a 3.73 (2011). The numbers do not lie, Martin knows how to handle a pitching staff and he knows how to get the best performance from them. And yes, I didn’t forget Larry Rothschild, he helped tremendously as well.Russell Martin is more than just a defensive catcher; he had several offensive moments throughout the season unlike previous years. During Martin’s last year as a Dodger he only hit five home runs with 26 RBI’s in 331 plate appearances, but that did not follow him to the Bronx. Martin made a good introduction early in the season by hitting two home runs in one game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Martin had a strong first half which helped send him to the All-Star game this season, which was his first time since 2008. And of course, who can forget Russell’s Grand Slam in the historic August 25th where he helped his team become the first team in history to hit three grand slams in one game. Martin ended the season with a .237 AVG, 65 RBI and 18 HR and even though he did not end the season with the great batting average that he had back in the first half, he contributed and rebounded from previous years.I think the change from wearing Dodger blue to pinstripes agrees with Martin, and it has brought back the spark he had years ago when he started in 2006. Sometimes a player just needs a change of scenery to rebound again. Once the Yankees re-sign Cashman, they need to offer Martin a new contract. Russell Martin and the Yankees are a good fit together, and I don’t think we have seen him at his best yet. The Yankees have a lot of options in the minor leagues as Jesus Montero and Austin Romine continue to work their way up to the big leagues, but Martin has already established himself on this team. He has proven that he can be a leader and works well with our pitchers, which will prove to be an asset as we promote new young pitching in 2012. There will come a time for the kids on the farm, but for now the Yankees know what they are going to get with Martin, and it is a winning formula that we need again for 2012.

--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor



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