Pedro Martinez is quickly becoming a coach and mentor

Not only is Daniel Bard showing signs of returning to his 2010 form, but he now has former Red Sox pitcher and special assistant to Ben Cherington Pedro Martinez working with him one-on-one. When the Red Sox announced the signing of Jason Varitek and Pedro Martinez as special assistants to general manager Ben Cherington everyone, including Red Sox Nation, thought this was some sort of public relations gimmick. However after watching Martinez work with Bard on Monday that perception could change.

As Pedro worked with Bard on mechanics (and other things) it’s clear that the signing of Martinez, as a special assistant, was more than just a hopeful memory wipe of last season - Bobby V's legacy lives on, damn. If Martinez can add value by coaching and mentoring the Red Sox rotation/bullpen then it will have been well worth the hire.

Right now this is all speculation, but if the Red Sox have a resurgence in 2013 - due in part to solid pitching - don't be surprised if they thank Coach Martinez for their success (even if he's only a small part of that success). At that point we can all agree that maybe the Red Sox are smarter than we give management credit for - the first and only time I'll say that, maybe.

(Video courtesy of Mike Petraglia)

Follow Scott Levesque on Twitter at @scottlevesque.