Pedro Martinez is back with the Boston Red Sox, but not as a pitcher.
There is no late career comeback for Martinez.
He is now a special assistant to GM Ben Cherington and will have an impact on the pitching staff, even though Martinez is not going to be the one on the mound.
A fan favorite, Pedro Martinez's experiences around the league and specifically in Boston makes him the perfect pitching mentor for the Red Sox.
Martinez helped the Red Sox to break the 86-year "Curse of the Bambino" by leading Boston to the World Series title in 2004.
He understood the ups and downs of playing in Boston.
Beantown is filled with intensely devoted fans who are never afraid to speak their mind. This Boston mentality places a lot of pressure on the players and staff of the Red Sox organization.
After last year's disaster under manager Bobby Valentine, the Red Sox moved in a new direction that could restore the winning aura of Boston's World Series Championship teams of 2004 and 2007.
Enter Pedro Martinez.
Martinez dealt with the pressure and thrived in Boston, but now he needs to teach young pitchers and other players how to survive in the tough market of Boston.
One of Martinez's first tasks is to mentor Venezuelan pitcher Felix Doubront, who has a lot of potential to have a major role in the Red Sox rotation down the road.
According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, Martinez had this to say about his relationship with Doubront.
One thing I’m going to be with him, just as I was with all of you, I’m going to be straightforward. I’m going to say the way it is, point-blank, the way it is. If he wants to hear it or if he doesn’t, it’s OK. I just know I want the best for him and I want the best for the organization and I would love to help him.
That is the ideal coaching mentality Boston needs right now.
Martinez will be hard on Doubront and other pitchers because he expects a lot out of them and also wants the best for the players and the Red Sox organization.
Martinez also told Edes, "I can’t handle the fact that I have all this knowledge and not give it away. I would love to give it away, and I hope [Doubront] sees me as a good example of hard work and dedication."
With 219 career wins, a career ERA of 2.93, 3,154 strikeouts, and three Cy Young awards, Martinez knows how to be a dominant pitcher and clearly sets a good example of hard work and dedication.
He wants to bring his experiences together and help out Boston's young pitchers.
Martinez wants to preach accountability to Boston's pitching staff because he thinks that the awareness of a young pitcher can lead to great success.
Martinez explained the importance of accountability in players like Doubront to Edes.
Nowadays, these pitchers come up so young and so talented that they don’t realize how much they’re going to be counted on. And I think Doubront is a good example. I think he needs to know that he’s really important to this team, this organization, to the community, to Boston, that they’re counting on him to be one of the big names.
The Boston Red Sox are trying to get back into top form, and Martinez is going to have a major role behind the scenes in the development of the pitching staff.
His first task is mentoring Doubront, but there will be many more special tasks for Martinez to accomplish.
Martinez loves the organization as well as the city of Boston and wants the best for its players and fans. These qualities and experiences make him the perfect pitching mentor for the Boston Red Sox, and the players will have success under his watch.
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