3 former NY Mets players who were overhyped by the team

3) Fernando Martinez was projected to be the next big superstar of the Mets, but that star never appeared

Fernando Martinez was going to be the THAT guy. Think Vlad Guerrero, Jr., Fernando Tatis, Jr., or Juan Soto. He was going to be that kind of special.

It took the Mets a few years to figure out he wasn’t that special. Maybe they knew all along, but they kept saying that he just needed more seasoning after they signed Martinez as an amateur free agent in 2005.

Four years of seasoning and he finally made his debut with the big club in 2009 at the age of 20. He hit .176 with one home run in 100 plate appearances. The next season he played in only seven games, with 18 at bats. The following season he had 22 at bats with one home run and struck out seven times.

If you are THAT guy and THAT special how many years do you need?

Martinez hit all of two home runs in his Mets career before he was simply waived prior to the 2012 season. And although he was picked up by a couple of other organizations, apparently no other organization thought as highly of him as the Mets did, and he was out of baseball soon after.

So when you get excited about Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Ronny Mauricio, just remember, they may just be the next Roy Staiger, Gregg Jefferies, or even Fernando Martinez. Don’t get your hopes up too high.