The Twitterverse is aflutter today with rumors of the Phillies most recent roster move:
Hearing Michael Martinez on his way to Minn. Looks like he could replace Hernandez in simple bench move. Nothing official, tho. #Phillies
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) June 13, 2013
If Salisbury is right, in the midst of this team-wide futility, the Phillies are adding the worst hitter they've had since the start of 1999. Yes, Michael Martinez is that bad a hitter.
Here's how it breaks down. Since the start of the 1999 season, the Phillies have had 59 position players who have accumulated more than 200 plate appearances as Phillies. Of those 59 players, not a single one has a lower cumulative OPS as a Philadelphia Phillie. Here are the bottom ten Phillies hitters since 1999:
Player | PA | From | To | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Kevin Jordan | 865 | 1999 | 2001 | 0.251 | 0.303 | 0.349 | 0.652 |
Wilson Valdez | 663 | 2010 | 2011 | 0.254 | 0.300 | 0.351 | 0.652 |
Mickey Morandini | 341 | 2000 | 2000 | 0.252 | 0.324 | 0.315 | 0.639 |
Freddy Galvis | 344 | 2012 | 2013 | 0.221 | 0.265 | 0.364 | 0.629 |
Brian Schneider | 384 | 2010 | 2012 | 0.212 | 0.295 | 0.327 | 0.622 |
Johnny Estrada | 343 | 2001 | 2002 | 0.222 | 0.270 | 0.349 | 0.619 |
Abraham Nunez | 656 | 2006 | 2007 | 0.221 | 0.310 | 0.277 | 0.587 |
Ben Revere | 217 | 2013 | 2013 | 0.254 | 0.296 | 0.284 | 0.579 |
Eric Bruntlett | 356 | 2008 | 2009 | 0.202 | 0.273 | 0.278 | 0.550 |
Michael Martinez | 358 | 2011 | 2013 | 0.187 | 0.239 | 0.270 | 0.509 |
Only four players on this list have a cumulative Phillies OPS under .600 (including current centerfield wunderkind Ben Revere). What makes Martinez so special, though, is that not only is his OPS one of those 4, but his OPS is the only one under .550, and only .009 above .500. This is a truly horrendous offensive player.
Yet, here he is, most likely joining the Phillies yet again. What was it that George Bush II said?
And now for three trivia questions about this measure:
- I stopped at 1999 because from 1997 to 1998, someone else posted a horrendous .469 OPS in 247 plate appearances. That is the worst OPS since 1990 (I didn't go back before then) out of the 99 position players with at least 200 plate appearances as a Phillie. Martinez is second worst to this player. Can you name him?
- Two pitchers with 200 Phillies plate appearances since 1990 have a cumulative OPS higher than Martinez. Can you guess them? Answers in the comments below.
- Bobby Abreu has the second highest Phillies OPS since 1990 with a .928 OPS. Can you name number 1 - almost .050 higher than Abreu? Answer also in the comments.