Miami Marlins fall to the Pirates at warp speed.
MIAMI Jose Fernandez was the first one in the postgame interview room Sunday, and rightly so. He established the organization's single-game rookie strikeout record (13) in a 3-2, series-clinching win over the Pirates.
Per its history, little good that happens to the Marlins
A source confirmed Martinez for months had been at odds with several players and staff members, including manager Mike Redmond. It recently came to Redmond's attention that Martinez engaged rookie Derek Dietrich in an inappropriate physical manner less than a week after his arrival in the big leagues.
Martinez denied reports that he put his hands around Dietrich's neck, saying his grabbed his jersey. The incident was serious enough that the Major League Baseball Players' Association was made aware of it well after the fact.
A stunned Dietrich, who was optioned to Double-A Jacksonville last week, was at a loss about how to handle the situation. He chose to keep quiet and somehow produced despite unimaginable duress. Dietrich ultimately relayed the story to Redmond. One other person witnessed what happened in the batting cage and corroborated Dietrich's account.
"I want to say that I never physically touched anyone by the neck," said Martinez, who apologized for his behavior. "That never happened. I have made some comments to certain players at certain times that I thought were more constructive criticism on separate occasions. Obviously they didn't feel that way and it kind of backfired on me.
"I just thought with some young players you needed to be a little firmer and try to get them on the right track, but obviously I made a mistake and I apologize for that to the Marlins' organization, my family and everyone involved."
Had owner Jeffrey Loria not stepped in and tried to mend the situation, Martinez likely could have avoided a blemish that no doubt will follow him the rest of his baseball life. Instead, Martinez's otherwise fine reputation as a two-time All-Star and 1997 American League Most Valuable Player runner-up is marred. Further, Loria takes the hit for pushing the hire instead of letting Redmond choose.
A source said several hitters complained about Martinez's demeanor and abusive behavior. Martinez and Redmond recently engaged in a verbal altercation. Redmond made it clear to management he wanted Martinez out. That Martinez was not Redmond's hitting coach choice was a point that stuck in his craw.
"[Resigning] was the right thing to do," said Martinez, who forfeits the remainder of a three-year contract. "[Loria] thought there were other options, but no, that's the right thing to do.
"I was frustrated at times the way players were behaving. When I asked them to do something they wouldn't do it. I thought the way to get them to do it was by being firm with them. I probably used some four-letter words. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I obviously wasn't."
The Dietrich incident wasn't isolated, the source said. Martinez in spring training berated minor league infielder Matt Downs for working with then minor league hitting coordinator Greg Norton. Martinez took offense that Downs would take instruction from an unaccomplished big league hitter like Norton, who recently left the organization to become the hitting coach at Auburn.
Since spring training Martinez has displayed erratic behavior and mood swings that prompted some to question whether he is bi-polar. Another person who's received firsthand accounts of Martinez's abuse wondered how a 16-year veteran and core player of the New York Yankees' dynasty of the late 1990s with almost 2,000 career hits could harbor such insecurity.
Martinez also had incidents with several other players, including Chris Valaika and Casey Kotchman, who Martinez at one point challenged to a fight.
Another player with more than a decade in professional baseball told the source he's never had a coach curse at him until Martinez did so this spring.
"We're all disappointed in the outcome and I think we're focusing right now on moving forward," Redmond said.
Tuesday, the Marlins are expected to name minor league field coordinator John Pierson their interim hitting coach.
jcrodriguez@tribune.com or @JCRMarlinsbeat on Twitter.
Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-marlins-notes-0729-20130728,0,3378831.story?track=rss
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