Marte trying too hard to impress new employers

The result has been a slow start with Indians' AAA affiliate Buffalo.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Andy Marte insists he's not pressing.
Marte, who was the centerpiece of the trade that sent charismatic Tribe outfielder Coco Crisp to the Boston Red Sox, won't admit to falling into the trap of trying too hard to impress his new employers.
Marte, a third baseman, was traded twice in the offseason. The Atlanta Braves (who originally signed him as a free agent in 2000) traded Marte to the Red Sox during the winter meetings and the Red Sox sent him to the Indians just before spring training.
Marte won't blame his slow start at Triple-A Buffalo on trying too hard to swing for the fences.
"No, no, there's no pressure," said Marte, 22. "I feel fine."
Instead, Marte talked about the frigid weather that greets the Bisons at Dunn Tire Park in April and often into May, and how he always seems to get off to a slow start.
Swing mechanics
Despite his polite denials, the statistics and the mechanics of his swing are indicative of Marte's struggles.
"He has been getting in good hitters' counts, but then he'll try to drive the ball too often," Indians Director of Player Development John Farrell said.
For the first month and a half of the season, Marte was batting .232, but has raised his average to .257 in his past nine games.
During that stretch, Marte, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound right-handed hitter, has batted .368 (14-for-38) -- numbers more befitting a player that Baseball America had ranked as the Red Sox's top prospect heading into the season.
"Fundamentally, there was a breakdown on the back side of his swing, which resulted in a lack of bat speed," Bisons manager Torey Lovullo said.
"Mentally, he was dealing with the heavy expectations of being traded twice in a short period of time and feeling like he had a new set of eyes he had to open."
Power disappeared
Suddenly, the power that had come so easily for Marte in the past was nowhere to be found. He didn't hit his first home run until May 12 -- in his 138th plate appearance.
Marte hit 23 home runs in 2004 with Double-A Greenville and then 20 more in his first exposure to Triple-A in Richmond last season.
Indians officials say they are not concerned about Marte's slow start. Veteran Aaron Boone is likely to remain the Indians' third baseman for the rest of the season.
With time on his side, Marte is getting plenty of attention from coaches in Buffalo.
"The first thing I noticed when I got here is that his swing looks very long," said Ellis Burks, a special assistant to baseball operations for Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro. "And I could tell he wasn't picking up the ball well because he's checking his swing a lot."
Burks has suggestion
Burks suggested that Marte might see the ball better if he focuses on the bill of the pitcher's cap until he sees the ball coming out of the pitcher's hand.
Burks also warned Marte that a long swing in Triple-A won't be exposed as quickly as it will in the major leagues.
"He was putting too much weight on his back leg and that causes him to swing upward," Burks said. "With a shorter swing, he's going to the pitch and hitting down on the ball."
Marte, who grew up in Villa Tapia in the Dominican Republic, said he followed the Indians as a youngster because he liked a young power hitter named Richie Sexson.
"I saw this tall guy hitting balls very far," Marte said with a grin. "That's how I wanted to be."
When Marte first met Sexson in 2003 at the All-Star Futures Game, his agent noticed that the laid-back Marte seemed nervous to meet his boyhood idol.
"I was nervous," said Marte, who was playing with Class-A Myrtle Beach. "But he was nice, and took a picture with me that I still have back home."
Wants to help family
If Marte is pressing to get back to the major leagues (he hit .140 in 24 games with the Braves last year), it has much to do with the people back home.
He is comforted by the fact that his girlfriend, Priscila Riva, attained a visa and is living with him in Buffalo, but Marte misses his parents.
"I am doing better now, but my first year, in short season, I called home and told my dad I was quitting," he said. "It was so tough. I missed home and especially my mom's food -- the chicken and rice and the beans. Oh, how I love her beans."