Monday, April 7, 2008
F-Mart Interview
Jordan Zakarin at Metsblog interviewed top prospect Fernando Martinez so if you are excited about him like many of us are enjoy this read.
"Jordan Zakarin: So you’re now fully healthy; are you excited for this season?
Fernando Martinez: Yeah, you know, I feel very, very, very good, because, really, I want to be healthy, I want to work right here, maybe work for the next level.
Jordan Zakarin: What was it like being in Major League spring training, meeting the guys; what did you learn?
Fernando Martinez: Wow, I learned everything. You know, I see everyday, the guys - Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana -everybody talked to me, you know, about how it’s different there and staying in the minor leagues. I was very happy for that.
Jordan Zakarin: Did seeing guys like Jose Reyes, David Wright, young guys, does that make you excited that you can have a chance to be on the Mets too?
Fernando Martinez: I don’t know, man, [laughing], I don’t know. Like I told you, I’m gonna try to make it to the next level - but you never know.
Jordan Zakarin: What are you working on, over the winter and now, to get better?
Fernando Martinez: In the off-season, I worked on everything. I worked on the outfield, baserunning, hitting. You know, because, that’s my game. If I don’t play baseball, you know, this is the only thing I know: playing baseball.
Jordan Zakarin: What would you say the things you’re best at, your strengths, and what things do you need to get better at?
Fernando Martinez: To be better, I need to work on everything. I work on hitting in the cage, on the field, I work in the outfield, the baserunning. I work on everything.
Jordan Zakarin: In New York, you have a lot of fans already. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but they call you the Teenage Hitting Machine. Do you have anything to say about that?
Fernando Martinez: I don’t know, man, [laughing]. I try, you know, I try."
It is good to see that he knows he still has a lot of hard work ahead of him and is eager to work at it unlike some other top outfield prospect the Mets use to have *cough*Lastings Milledge*cough* It is also nice to see he has a sense of humor about the teenage hitting machine nickname.
