TAMPA — Russell Martin only caught A.J. Burnett for one season, but he knows what he saw.
“I think sometimes he let negative thoughts get into his mind,” Martin said of Burnett, who was traded to the Pirates. “It wasn’t the fact that he didn’t care. He probably cared more than anybody. He’s just very hard on himself and overcritical and sometimes when you do that, things go the wrong way.”
And Martin agreed with Burnett’s theory that he let too many people get into his head.
“He listened to everybody and when you do that it becomes chaotic,” Martin said. “I think it was tough. He had to battle all those outside influences that affected him and it had a snowball effect. … A big part of getting better is knowing what information to retain and knowing what to block out.”
Manager Joe Girardi, who sometimes irritated Burnett by taking him out of games, defended the right-hander.
“He did everything we asked him to,” said Girardi, who texted Burnett after the trade. “He worked hard. He came prepared every day.”
And the manager focused on the few highlights of Burnett’s tenure.
“He won some really important games for us,” Girardi said. “The game against the Tigers [in last year’s ALDS] and Game 2 of the World Series [in 2009]. If not for A.J., we may not win that World Series because of how he pitched in the playoffs.”
* Martin said his agent and the Yankees briefly discussed an extension after last year, which would have been for a total of three years, but the talks didn’t progress. He is also confident a full offseason to train will benefit him, since he was coming off an injury last year.
* Even Brian Cashman has gotten caught in Linsanity.
The Yankees general manager invoked the name of Jeremy Lin yesterday morning in speaking to pitchers and catchers before the first full workout.
He told the players to look at Lin as inspiration that a surprise could happen — even in New York. He pointed out, for example, that no one expected much at this time last year out of Ivan Nova and he won 16 games.
Cashman turned to Pedro Feliciano and reminded the room that Damaso Marte was a possibility to miss all of the 2009 season, but wound up coming back late and being a key figure in a championship run. Feliciano had shoulder surgery and is not expected back before September.
* Girardi indicated there is a competition between Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia for the fifth starter spot. But Cashman seemed to indicate that Hughes is the clear frontrunner.
