HE replaced a Bronx legend and the way it all started, it seemed as if he never would hear the end of the comparisons.
And then, after a month of bad times, Tino Martinez got hot and he didn’t have to endure the comparisons to Don Mattingly ever again.
In fact, there has been more talk during Tino’s run of four World Championships in five seasons about his potential successor than his famous predecessor.
Nick Johnson, the talk goes, will be the first baseman for years to come, and the Yankees can save money by letting Martinez continue his career elsewhere. Martinez didn’t quiet the talk while struggling through an atypically unproductive 2000 season and he endured a long slump this season to fuel fantasies of Johnson arriving from Triple – A to start his journey toward becoming the next Yankee great.
Then Tino got hot again, and now is as good a time as any to pose the following question: If Martinez is hitting major – league pitching better than Johnson is handling Triple – A pitching, why is it such a brilliant idea to force out Martinez to make way for Johnson?
Now is as good a time as any to supply the following answer: It isn’t such a brilliant idea.
To believe that Johnson and Drew Henson are ready to form the corners of the Yankees’ infield as soon as next season is to believe in baseball miracles.
As this season has progressed, at the corners of infields stretching from The Bronx to Columbus, the negotiating leverage has shifted from Yankees management to Yankees players. Henson and Johnson are behind schedule. Scott Brosius and Martinez are having better seasons than they did a year ago.
The easy answer for the Yankees would be to sign both veterans to one – year contracts. This would serve the purpose of giving Henson and Johnson one more year to develop.
That scenario works well for management. But it takes two to execute a contract.
The problem is Brosius and Martinez are playing well enough this season to entice three – year offers from a variety of clubs this coming winter. Why, at their ages, would they accept one – year deals when they can get themselves three years of guaranteed money?
The Yankees don’t kid themselves into believing Henson will be ready by next season. Even if Brosius goes elsewhere, they will need to acquire a stopgap third baseman.
In 31 games for the Clippers, Henson is batting .198 with two home runs and 14 RBIs. He has walked seven times and has 41 strikeouts.
Johnson, given high grades by scouts throughout baseball, draws a ton of walks (60 in 82 games), but hasn’t gone off the charts in any other area, performance – wise. He’s batting .268 with 13 home runs and 38 RBIs.
“They probably are the best in all of baseball at their positions among players who aren’t in the big leagues,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “The questions is: When will they be in the big leagues?”
Cashman isn’t saying whether the Yankees will pursue either Brosius, Martinez or both. The best guess is they definitely will try to keep Brosius and will cross their fingers and give the first base job to Johnson.
In Martinez, the Yankees might find that if they let him walk, they didn’t know what they had until he was gone.
“My attitude is as long as you take care of the present, the future will take care of itself,” Cashman said. “Scott Brosius, Tino and the Yankees will all have to sit down and see where we fit together and where we don’t. I’m a free agent, too.”
So is Joe Torre, though the Yankees’ manager made it clear Sunday after a meeting with George Steinbrenner he expects to be back.
The Cashman/Torre working relationship is a smooth one. Cashman gives Torre the input he deserves.
The Brosius – to – Tino throws across the diamond have made for a smooth working relationship as well. It won’t be easy to keep it together.
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Tino Martinez
G – 99
AB – 388
R – 59
H – 102
2B – 15
HR – 21
RBI – 75
BB – 28
S0 – 55
OBP – .313
SLG – .469
AVG – .263
E – 2
FIELD PCT – .998
Jason Giambi
G – 95
AB – 329
R – 59
H – 109
2B – – 29
HR – 22
RBI – 70
BB – 77
S0 – 55
OBP – .464
SLG – .632
AVG – .331
E – 5
FIELD PCT – .994