Martinez has put a lot of effort into making Phillies

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Shane Victorino has spoken maybe two words to Michael Martinez, yet feels as if he knows him inside and out. "I look at a guy like Martinez and I think energy," he was saying after the Phillies' 7-3 loss to Minnesota yesterday.

David Herndon can't speak Spanish, either, but he's pretty sure he knows what the Phillies' Rule 5 pick from the Dominican Republic feels right about now. "As it got down to the last few weeks of spring training, it started getting in my head a little bit," he said. "Talking to my agent every day. Thinking, 'Man, what's going to happen?' "

There are 6 days between now and Opening Day, 6 days for Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr. and anyone else with a valued opinion to decide whether the 28-year-old Martinez has done enough this camp to include him on the Opening Day roster or offer him back to the Washington Nationals for half of the $50,000 it cost to claim him last December. Last year at this time, it was Herndon's worth debated behind closed doors. Early in his professional career, Victorino underwent the same scrutiny twice.

"I kind of see myself in him," Victorino said. "He's my stature, an undersized guy that everybody kind of overlooked. And he brings that energy into a game. You look at that, you really do."

To watch Martinez in the clubhouse, around the batting cage, in the field, you would not guess that his grasp of English is in the formative stages. Pete Mackanin, the Phillies' bench coach, cracked a joke and he smiled broadly. Jimmy Rollins says something and the smile is there again. He does nothing at half-speed, taking the field each inning as if he had taken lessons from Pete Rose.

"He doesn't want to go back," said Wilson Valdez, translating Martinez' answers. "He's trying to do a good job. Anytime he has an opportunity to show he can stay here, that's what he tries to do."

There is no fear in his game. His age is a handicap he knows, but it's also a byproduct of the tenacity he exhibits. Martinez was a two-sport guy in the Dominican. For a long time, he didn't care whether he hit or dribbled his way off the island, and he was good enough to make scouts wary.

"He was playing both the same time and he would go to see a scout to see if he could sign," said Valdez, translating. "He would make a good impression, but they always said different things. He was disappointed. He decided he would get ready to play baseball when he had a chance to play baseball."

An offshoot of the injuries and uncertainty surrounding the Phillies' lineup these days, Martinez again played a full game yesterday, this time at third base. A day after stealing a base and diving for a line drive to end a bases-loaded threat, he batted four times without a hit, pushing his total number of plate appearances to 64, second only to Rollins on the club.

A switch-hitter, he is batting .274 with 17 hits, five for extra bases. Is it enough to make this team? It's sure a lot of at-bats for a guy you might send back. But if the Phillies do keep him, it will be at the expense of someone like Pete Orr or Josh Barfield or maybe even Luis Castillo. Martinez' strength is that he can play the outfield, middle infield and third base. His weakness is that he has played none of these positions at the major league level, while the other three have.

"You have to establish yourself," Manuel said this week. "We've developed players at the major league level but it's become pretty tough here. And when expectations are on you to win, I want the best players that we can possibly put out there. Because experience counts."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but Manuel wasn't busting up the Liberty Bell when the immensely experienced Castillo strolled into camp earlier this week. You will also receive tepid endorsements about the others vying for those final spots on the roster. Orr, whose spring training average sits at .295 after an 0-fer yesterday, can play as many positions and "handles the bat well," said Manuel. Hitting .302, Barfield "has proven he can do it on this level," although not since 2007.

None have "energy" repeatedly attached to their name as Martinez does. "Yeah, you can have tools and all that," said Victorino. "But if you don't bring another aspect to your game . . . "

Martinez also has that Rule 5 designation on his side. The Phillies must bring him north or risk losing him. Barfield, Orr and the others can begin the season in the minor leagues while Manuel decides whether what he has seen over the last 6 weeks translates on the major league level.

"Honestly, I would be shocked if he doesn't make this team," Victorino said. "I'm not making the decisions, but I think this kid has done enough to prove he should be on the team."

Does Martinez feel that way?

Valdez was asked to relay the question.

"He feels good about what he's done," was the response that came back. "He feels like a Phillie now. And he wants to play ball." *

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