When you rank the best three Pittsburgh Pirates players this season, your top-two players are (interchangeable) utility player Josh Harrison and 2013 MVP outfielder Andrew McCutchen. The player who rounds out that list, either way, is catcher Russell Martin. However, the 31-year-old backstop had to leave Tuesday night's game with tightness in his right hamstring, according to Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune. Sawchick later tweeted out that Russell Martin told him that he was "OK" and that he had not tweaked or strained anything while trying to get back into first base, when he had to leave the ballgame with the hamstring injury. Martin also added that it was just "tightness" and that he would see how he felt today.
With a playoff spot now locked up after the Milwaukee Brewers lost and were officially eliminated from playoff contention, spent 150 days in first place in the National League Central, and the San Francisco Giants clinching at least the Wild Card, the Pirates would be very wise to rest their starting catcher. If they do not rest Martin, he could very easily have his tightness in his right hamstring turn into a strain, which would take a toll on the Pirates, as he would likely be unable to participate in the postseason.
However, there is still home field advantage at stake for the National League Wild Card One-Game Playoff Game. At the moment, the Pirates hold a slim one-game lead over the Giants for the first Wild Card position, and if their lead were to hold, would receive home field advantage for the game. So the question of whether or not to rest Martin before the playoffs is currently up in the air.
Even with playing the least amount of games of his career this season (105) since suffering a torn labrum in his right hip when he was trying to avoid a tag at home plate, when he played in only 97 games back in 2010 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Martin has managed to slash .295/.406/.437 with eleven home runs, twenty doubles and 67 runs batted in. Also, he has produced a career-high 139 OPS+, .341 BABIP, .374 wOBA and 143 wRC+, as well as a .142 ISO and a 5.3 WAR.
With hearing these numbers on Martin, one might argue that the Pirates would need to have Martin in their lineup for the remaining games, so that the team can have home field advantage in the Wild Card game. The problem with that is that it is not worth having him in the lineup and him getting a strained hamstring, just that his team can have home field advantage in a Wild Card game they could lose and have their season end.
The Pirates need to look at the long run and think about if they were to win the Wild Card game and play in the National League Division Series. If there were to move on to the NLDS, the Pirates would, in fact, need Martin in their lineup. With that said, the Pirates should simply rest Martin for most, if not all, of the remaining games, saving him up for the postseason stretch.