METS PROSPECT FERNANDO MARTINEZ ENJOYING HIS FIRST SERIE DEL CARIBE

 

By Guille Esquivel
Exclusive to www.eBeisbol.com

 

Mexicali, Mexico - Feb. 5th - The New York Mets baseball operations hierarchy are proponents of winter baseball as a place where team prospects can work to improve on certain aspects of their game. In the Dominican Republic, winter baseball is not about development, but competiveness and winning. This also adds to the overall make up of a professional player. Fernando Martinez, a 20-year old Dominican and coveted outfield prospect of the Mets, experienced his winter ball season playing for the leones de Escogido and he had an enviable debut.Martinez batted .314, had 6 homeruns, 26 RBI and 26 runs scored. That was enough to get him an invitation to join the Dominican League champions, the Tigres del Licey to represent the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series.

Martinez felt a pull in his right elbow in practice prior to playing in his first game on Tuesday. It did not seem to affect him as he hit a homerun in his only at bat as a pinch hitter for Licey. It was a 2-run homerun that secured the Dominican Republic’s first and only victory up until the midway point of the Caribbean Series.

Fernando Ravelo, Licey’s GM called the New York Mets and notified them of the injury, leading to the end of Martinez’s winter league season. The Mets are looking to have Fernando rest and heal before the start of spring training.

Martinez will be missed by Licey who will only be carrying 27 players which only four of them are outfielders.

There has been a lot of firsts for Martinez who is participating in his first Caribbean Series and this is also his first time in Mexico. “Mexicali is very pretty and I have enjoyed my time here,” Martinez told ebeisbol.com. He also said that he hopes to keep playing in the winter league in the Dominican Republic and hopes to participate in more Caribbean Series.