Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez is hoping his maturity will help him win a spot in the team's rotation, according to the Associated Press.
The 23-year-old Martinez has already been the talk of camp, and it has nothing to do with his pitching. "A year ago you'd just see a kid bounding around here. It's amazing the transformation," manager Mike Matheny said. "In general there's a whole different demeanor to him."
Martinez believes there's a reason for that. After getting some time in the rotation last year, Martinez pitched well in winter ball during the offseason. He believes that experience will help him this season. "What I want to let everyone know is that I do have a little more experience, and with experience comes a little maturity," he said. "I hope to build off of that."
Martinez seems to be the favorite for the team's fifth starter job, but he'll have to perform in order to win that role. "He's going to be given a lot of opportunities to win that spot, but he has to earn it," general manager John Mozeliak said.
Martinez posted a 4.03 ERA over 89 1/3 innings last year.