Not many, if any, players can lay claim to having been the top rated position prospect of THREE different big league organizations in a span of two months.
Then again, there have not been many blue chip third baseman like home-run hitting Andy Marte, who was promoted to the Cleveland Indians in late July.
Signed out of the Dominican Republic by Atlanta back in 2000, Marte was groomed by the Braves for five seasons, rising to the top of their prospect list. A brief outing with Atlanta last year was the look that did not excite. Combine that with the urge to sell more Chipper Jones souvenirs, and the Braves re-inked the superstar to another multi-year contract.
The math for Marte was not adding up in Atlanta. His career had shown some inconsistencies and his inability to shine in a handful of major league games was beginning to put a taint on his name in the rotisserie rumor mill.
To their credit, both the Braves management and other club scouts are savvier than the gossip wags on the internet. Marte went on the trading block, and his baseball odyssey began.
Last winter he was swapped to the Boston Red Sox for All-Star shortstop Edgar Renteria. Less than two months later, the Sox gave up Marte to the Cleveland Indians in the Coco Crisp deal. (See: Marte Marches on the Majors, MLN SportsZone, May 10, 2006).
"We're glad to have him in our organization," said Indians' farm director John Farrell. "Our goal had been to get him some exposure at the major league level."
The Indians did just that, elevating Marte and installing him as Cleveland's every day third baseman. Not before Marte, who endured some early season struggles at Triple-A Buffalo, rediscovered his home run swing and went on a tear beginning in the latter part of June.
Just before the July All-Star break, Marte clubbed homers in five straight games. He followed that up with a mammoth display in the All-Star "Home Run Derby", making him the toast of Toledo for a night.
Unlike many minor leaguers who need more looks at Triple-A pitching, the Tribe felt that Marte could be better developed under big league conditions.
"He's not a finished product by any means," said Farrell. "There's some work to do, both offensively and defensively. Some specific needs that we're working on, daily. But he's an exciting bona fide major league prospect."
Marte's refinements came under the hand of Buffalo manager Torey Lovullo, who himself is on the big league fast track.
"We watched him progess as the season went along," Lovullo said. "I think early on, he was trying to impress a whole new set of eyes. Trying to do a little bit too much. As a result, he had a few breakdowns in his game. But he relaxed, he's ironed out some fundamentals, and he's become all that we expected."
For his part, Marte says he's been able to tune out the distractions that come with being a heralded youngster, and just go about his business.
"I just try to go out and play hard every day," he said, "Just try to help my teammates win and not think about (anything else)."
Marte was close to making the MLN FAB50 last year. He debuts, briefly, for a visit at 16 in the 2006 rankings on his way up to the big leagues.
