Blue Jays: Takeaways from Russell Martin’s Adventure in the Outfield

Russell Martin, lately serving as a utilityman, was in left field for Monday’s Memorial Day contest against the Boston Red Sox. So, what did we learn from this mini-experiment?

When Russell Martin stepped onto the field at Fenway Park, he did not do so in a catcher’s mask, nor did he do so with a middle infielder’s glove. On Monday, he jogged out to the outfield, yes, the outfield.

Apparently, a lot of us missed the memo that Russell Martin is this year’s Ben Zobrist, a super-utilityman who would play every day, just never two days in a row in the same position. It’s hard to believe that a guy with a .161/.293/.315 slash line is filling that role.

When asked about Martin out in left, skipper John Gibbons nonchalantly replied that since David Price (a lefty) was on the hill for the Red Sox, the Jays needed another right-handed bat in their lineup, thus opting to go with Martin over Curtis Granderson or Dwight Smith Jr., who are both lefties.

While the above explanation makes some sense, simply playing the handedness card does not seem to be enough of a concrete reason to validate what now seems to be becoming a ridiculous and comical series of events.

So, what can we distill from Martin’s venture beyond the infield? Not much, really. The reality is, we don’t know what John Gibbons will do with Martin in the future. We had no idea he was going to put him in left – Curtis Granderson was even shocked at the placement of his backstop in his normal position.

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Will Russell Martin become an everyday utilityman? I sure hope not. While there’s limited information available on Martin’s recent defensive endeavours, he’s put up a 0.3 UZR at third base this year, which Fangraphs considers to be slightly above average. In 31.0 innings, he’s made one play OOZ (out of zone) and has committed no errors.

Could Martin be a viable option if there’s a glaring hole at third base? Sure. Should he continue to bounce around the infield and potentially venture out to left once again? No.

Defensive metrics first suggest that Russell Martin is an excellent defensive catcher. He has 118 career DRS (defensive runs saved) as a catcher, and has 25 stolen base runs saved above average, according to Fangraphs. On its own, shifting Martin around the infield would limit the impact he could possibly be having by playing behind the plate. Also, small sample sizes indicate that while Martin knows how to throw out runners behind the plate, his arm in the field is less than stellar. His career UZR in the outfield is 0.3, and his ARM rating sits at a paltry 0.1.

From these stats, however insignificant they may seem, I think it’s safe to assume that Martin’s best position is behind the plate. I’ll give them this though – it has been rather intriguing to see an older catcher take some shots in the outfield. He’s given the team some energy and has provided fans with something interesting to watch as the team continues to scuffle.

However, Gibbons did give us some reason to worry. When asked if he would ever consider playing Martin in center field, the laid-back Texan casually replied: “It’s not that bad yet”. Who knows what Gibby meant by this, but let’s hope that he’s not taking the lineup decisions lightly.

At the end of the day, Martin’s defensive adventures are not the difference between wins and losses…yet. Constant shifting and shuffling of men around the field could impede on season-long progression that this team desperately needs. All I can say is, when I check the lineup card tonight, I’d like to see Russell Martin playing the position he was signed to play.

Next: Blue Jays need to find room for Danny Jansen