Mood Music - Roadhouse Blues by The Doors
I must admit, I was never really sold on Russell Martin. Reasonably speaking, his torrid April was one of the biggest reasons that the Yankees currently sit in first place, but I have found myself continually waiting for the other shoe to drop with him. Here is his career wRC+ by month:
March/April - 120
May - 112
June - 99
July - 107
August - 94
Sept/Oct - 96
Now, as a catcher, and a catcher who spent a fair part of his career getting run into the ground by Joe Torre, it's not entirely surprising to see Martin's numbers tail off later in the season. While Francisco Cervelli was injured, I stood behind Joe Girardi's "never let Gustavo Molina see the field" strategy, but as of right now, Martin has caught 400 of the 493 innings thrown by Yankee pitching, and has already started playing through pain and injury.
After a .293/.376/.587 April, Martin hit .192/.330/.330 in May (although he was distinctly hindered by a .207 BABIP). Martin's May was by no means terrible, but I have to think that the best way to keep him healthy and productive is to not subject him to the season long grind of starting the vast majority of games behind the plate.
It's after June 1st and we need someone to catch two or three games a week and work their way into the lineup while getting used to working with the pitching staff. All roads lead to Jesus Montero.