Oh, Fernando!

Can you hear the drums Fernando? After making him a millionaire at 16 years old, the Mets finally realized that Fernando Martinez is always going to suck and placed him on waivers. Another in a long, long line of overrated Met prospects, Martinez could never stay healthy long enough to show off any of the 500 tools he supposedly had as an outfielder.

Not sure, Tom, if that was a reference to the band ABBA but it got me thinking. I dated a girl on and off in the 70's whose favorite song was "The Winner Takes It All" by, you guessed it, ABBA. Everytime she heard that song, she would cry her eyes out. Since I was always trying to get into her pants that song became a favorite of mine. After we broke up I never listened to another ABBA song again! You might say that Martinez has reached his own "Waterloo" with the Mets as they've excommunicated him from the 40-man roster. Since a debilitating knee injury back in 2009, Martinez has never been the top prospect the Mets thought they were getting. Maybe they learned to cut bait like they did with a similar type, Lastings Milledge, a few years back. I also enjoy reading where he's called former top prospect Fernando Martinez. Heck, he's only 23 and another team may take a chance on him. And it's not like he hasn't gotten any chances with the big club. In parts of 3 seasons though, Martinez is just 24 for 131 (.183, the same career avg as Kevin Cash) with 2 HR, 12 RBI, 15 R, 2 SB, a 26/7 K/BB, and a .540 OPS. His minor league career of a .274 BA, .776 OPS, and 50 HR is nothing to write home about either. A change of scenery would be best for Martinez as I just heard he got hurt playing chess a few days ago.

Another stupid move by the Mets in my opinion. Getting rid of him does nothing, we don't save anything, and it didn't hurt to keep him around and see if he can get over this injury history. It's hard for me to believe this team has 40 more players worth keeping around. Can't say I'm surprised though, and this isn't like I think Fernando will ever be good anyway, I just feel it was a stupid move. Cut one of the old guys who have no potential and suck anyway.

What's actually stupid is waiting 7 years for the bonus baby to pan out and letting a guy with a chronic and incurable knee problem take a 40 man roster spot from someone who actually plays. I have to say that when Martinez had his miscellaneous cups of coffee, I was never that impressed. He never looked like a young can't miss kind of guy like Reyes or Wright. I haven't agreed with much that the Mets have done in recent years but this time they made the right call. Time to move on.

How does it hurt to keep a 23 year old with at least some sort of potential in the organization? It just makes no sense to let him go. You know he is going to go to another organization and kill us for the rest of his career. It's the Met way.

These are the reasons why you don't keep him: Shawn Abner, Anthony Young, Alex Ochoa, Alex Escobar, Bill Pulsipher, Paul Wilson, Scott Kazmir, Phil Humber, Lastings Milledge. You won't know all those names but they were all ticketed for Mets immortality at some point. The most overrated thing in sports in an "untouchable" baseball prospect. Martinez is so worthless now he can't even be used in a trade. It's been 7 years. It's time. Don't waste a 40 man roster spot.

I actually do know all of those names. I still can't believe Escobar never worked out but then I guess neither did Alomar so that trade was just a whole lot of nothing. I actually also own a Milledge jersey and wore it a little while ago when I heard he had signed a deal in Japan. Also, Humber was pretty good last year. I think we could've used him! 3.75 ERA he would've easily been in our rotation. I just don't think a team with this little amount of talent should be letting go of someone that young. In the end it probably isn't going to matter, but I can't help but think that in the future I'm going to be watching Fernando get a game winning hit against us. It's just how a Met fan thinks.

A couple of former #1 overalls there in Shawn Abner and Paul Wilson. Actually Wilson had some decent seasons with the Reds later on. I loved Generation-K with Pulsipher, Wilson, and Isringhausen. So much promise! Abner was coming around but injuries and ineffectiveness (when he was on the field) short-circuited his career. I kept Alex Ochoa in our $360-NL Tom. I drafted him for a buck in 2000 and, in 244 AB, Ochoa batted .316 for the Reds with 13 HR, 58 RBI, and a .963 OPS. It was his best chunk of time in the show. He went to Colorado midway through the 2001 season and I thought I struck gold! Pat Basile kept trying to lop a now $6 Ochoa from my team. He got up a career high 536 times, hit .276 with 8 HR, 52 RBI, 73 R, and 17 SB. Ochoa was done in the majors after the next season. He resurfaced, I remember, with the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate and then bounced around in Japan drinking saki and giving driving lessons. Fernando Martinez was picked up by the first team who could claim him, the Double-A Houston Astros. If Martinez can stay off the DL, he might even help them. But I agree with Tom that the right move was to cut bait after 7 years and a ton of heartache. It's better for both parties!