Sunday night was a big night for Leonys Martin, who was tabbed by Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington as the Opening Night starter in center field over Craig Gentry, mainly because right-handed pitcher Bud Norris was on the hill for the Astros.
Martin's big night in the spotlight didn't go very well as the Cuban prospect went 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts, including one where he looked absolutely lost at the plate with some bad swings only to walk back to the dugout instead of running to first on a dropped third strike. He was tagged out easily.
That kind of mental lapse won't play well with Washington, who has always been big on doing the small things right and respecting the game and all of that stuff.
Martin had a great spring and, despite Gentry's great spring, seems to be the frontrunner to get the majority of playing time in center. In Cactus League play, Martin hit .359 with a .411 on-base percentage and 13 RBIs.
Gentry also had a stellar spring and actually drew praise from Washington for being the most surprising player in all of camp, so he should expect to get his fair share of playing time as well, and Sunday's outing for Martin certainly will help Gentry.
"Both he and Gentry have done a good job in spring training," Washington told ESPN Dallas before Sunday's game . "I couldn't have gone wrong with either guy. I picked Martin. It's a day-to-day situation right now."
