Nick Martinez had a rough 2014 season pitching way above his head when he probably should've spent the entire season at Double-A Frisco before being thrust into the rotation.
On Thursday, Martinez began his 2015 season after winning the No. 5 starter's job that was only open because of Yu Darvish's season-ending surgery, and he came through in a big way to earn the Rangers a series split in Oakland to open the season.
Martinez threw a gem, bumping Colby Lewis' nice outing Tuesday as the Rangers' best start of the year through the first four games. He went seven innings, threw under 100 pitches. He struck out five and walked two — all five hits being singles.
The Rangers were always high on Martinez last year despite his rocky year of peaks and deep valleys. Ron Washington and Jon Daniels always complimented Martinez's grit and the ability to forget about bad things and put bad outings behind him. That's a rare find in a youngster who was pitching above himself last year, but Martinez showed that trait.
Now that he's maybe a little better suited to be pitching in the bigs, Martinez could have a nice year when he's able to put his talent and skill together with his mental stability.
