USC junior catcher Jeremy Martinez has been named a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, marking the second consecutive year that a Trojan has been so honored. Martinez took over catching responsibilities from Garrett Stubbs, who won the Johnny Bench Award last season.Like Stubbs, Martinez has been an anchor and leader of his team, orchestrating the game from behind the plate and keying the offense from the middle of the lineup. He has started 47 games behind the dish, throwing out 22 would-be base stealers in 52 attempts, and he is second on the team in hitting (.376 batting average) and RBI (37). Martinez has prodigious power with five home runs and a .554 slugging percentage, but remarkably, he is the 16th toughest hitter in the nation to strike out.
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Jeff Clement, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft, is the only other USC catcher to reach this stage, and he also won the award. Finalists will be announced June 6.
