Defensive Indifference

Andy Marte is a bit like one of those girls you had a crush on in high school, but weren’t really friends with. You go away to college (win the World Series again and witness the resurgence of Mike Lowell) and forget all about them, then you come home for Thanksgiving (try to see what’s up with the Giants) and remember they exist.

Marte, once named the top prospect in the game by Baseball Prospectus, was traded twice in the 2005 offseason, once for Edgar Renteria and again for Coco Crisp. I was not happy when the Red Sox traded him for Crisp and the hype was understandable. Playing well above his age level, Marte, just 21, had an .878 OPS and drew 64 walks at Triple-A Richmond. Since then, he’s drawn a total of 70 walks in two seasons between Triple-A and some abortive stints in the major leagues and grown some Charlie Weis manboobs. Anyway, the Giants are interested in him as a solution at third base, and actually this seems like a moment of at least quasi-sanity for veteran-obsessed GM Brian Sabean. Better a flier on Marte, who could turn into something great, than another trip on the Pedro Feliz BDC Express.