Nick Martinez’s All-Star breakthrough came with a little bit of timing and a lot of appreciation from inside the Rays’ clubhouse.
The 35-year-old Tampa Bay starter was named to his first career All-Star team on Friday, filling a spot on the AL pitching staff after the Red Sox placed left-hander Ranger Suarez on the 15-day injured list with a left groin strain. Martinez learned the news before starting against the Mariners in the series opener Friday night at Tropicana Field, with one more outing left before Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic at Citizens Bank Park.
It was a fitting reward for a pitcher who has quietly done the work all season. Martinez entered Friday with a 7-2 record, 2.9 WAR and a 2.61 ERA, which ranked third in the AL and ninth among qualified starters in the Majors.
Through his first 17 starts, he had logged 100 innings and allowed three runs or fewer in 16 of them. The Rays had won 13 of his outings.
He doesn’t overwhelm hitters with strikeouts or eye-popping velocity, but he wins with command, precision and a presence that teammates notice every day. Shane McClanahan summed it up this way: he “throws like he’s 10 feet tall and throws 150 [mph]."
That kind of reputation explains why Martinez’s All-Star selection landed so well in Tampa Bay. Junior Caminero had already been voted into the starting lineup, and Yandy Díaz, Drew Rasmussen and Bryan Baker also earned recognition. Still, Martinez’s omission had stood out.
“I would really like to see him on that flight,” Rasmussen said Wednesday.
The feeling around the clubhouse was clear once the news arrived. Martinez, who will turn 36 on Aug. 5, has long been the sort of veteran teammates gravitate toward, dating back to his debut with the Rangers in 2014. Since signing with the Rays as a free agent in February, he has become a central figure in the room, the kind of player who connects different corners of a clubhouse with his easygoing personality and experience.
“He’s incredible. I don’t know if any one individual has come in as a free agent and impacted this clubhouse like he has,” Rasmussen said. “To have him around every day is truly a blessing.”
When asked what Martinez has meant to the Rays this season, Rasmussen answered, “Everything.”
He kept going from there.
“It’s his personality. It’s who he is as a human being.
It’s his experience,” Rasmussen added. “He’s been really good.
He’s struggled at times. And he just understands how to bounce back from all of it, not ride the roller coaster too high or too low.
“Can we always have a positive attitude? Can we always bring energy and excitement to be here?
Then on top of that, can you just be the best teammate ever? Because he is, man.”
Manager Kevin Cash echoed that praise, pointing to the veteran pitchers the Rays have added over the years, including Charlie Morton, Michael Wacha and Corey Kluber. Martinez, Cash said, has made his own mark.
“Nick has just really embraced his teammates. I think he’s beloved by everybody,” Cash said.
“He’s embraced his teammates also by what he’s done on the mound. Definitely think he’s worthy.”
In Other News...
Rays Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious Over This Pitching Disrespect
The Rays have spent the first half of the season doing what they usually do best, piling up wins and sitting atop the AL East while turning a roster full of questions into one of the leagues better stories. A few Tampa Bay players are headed to the All-Star Game, which is no surprise given how well the club has played, but the recognition has not landed evenly across the roster.
Nick Martinez is the one that jumps out. Signed last winter to provide depth, he has become much more than that, going 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 100 innings and leading Rays pitchers in WAR. For a team that has squeezed value out of every corner of the roster, leaving out its most productive arm feels like the kind of oversight that will linger in Tampa Bay until the second half gives Martinez another chance to make the point himself. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Hold The Draft's First Domino At No. 1
With the draft board still taking shape, the Rays are watching the first pick closely from a position of strength in the AL East. Holding the No. 2 selection gives Tampa Bay a chance to react to what Chicago does at No. 1, and the early read is that the White Sox could set the tone for the rest of the top of the draft.
For the Rays, the most likely path appears to run through the shortstops at the top of the class, with UCLAs Roch Cholowsky and Texas prep standout Grady Emerson both in the mix if they are still on the board. Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey is also part of the early conversation, and while Tampa Bay could always steer in a different direction, the front offices real decision may come down to how the board falls in front of it. [Read more 🡒]
Rays May Finally Be Ready To Pay The Price At Deadline
The Rays have spent plenty of recent deadlines threading the needle between contention and caution, but this years approach sounds more aggressive. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, Tampa Bay is expected to shop as a buyer, with the front office looking to add a big outfield bat and a front-end starter to deepen a roster that has stayed in the mix and wants more security for the stretch run.
What makes the possibility more notable is the price the Rays may be willing to pay. Bowdens reporting suggests Tampa Bay is open to moving from its prospect depth to improve the lineup and rotation, a sign the club may be ready to treat this deadline less like a balancing act and more like a push for the postseason. If that stance holds, the Rays could become one of the more intriguing teams to watch in the market. [Read more 🡒]