J.D. Martinez Proving His 2020 Was a Fluke
It may be early in the season, but Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez is proving to both players and fans that his 2020 was a fluke. Martinez, 33, is currently sporting a .533 batting average and a 1.721 OPS, after going 2-3 with a home run in last night’s victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
JD Martinez has 8 hits, 6 RBIs and 2 homers already in just 4 games. He’s back and the Red Sox are good again. pic.twitter.com/oXsaxVlSLq
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) April 6, 2021
Now granted, it has only been four games, but last season was so rough for Martinez that were questions as to whether or not the 3-time all-star would return to form. I mean, after hitting .213 in 54 games in 2020, it is understandable that questions began to be asked.
From 2014 to 2019, Martinez averaged 34 homers, 98 RBIs, and a .307/.373/.954 split in 136 games. Obviously Martinez wasn’t given the chance to play that same amount of games in 2020, but him dropping his batting average by almost a whole .100 over the span of year had to be nerve-racking to the Red Sox and their fans.
| Year | Age | Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | Pos | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 26 | DET | 123 | 480 | 441 | 57 | 139 | 30 | 3 | 23 | 76 | 6 | 30 | 126 | .315 | .358 | .553 | .912 | 244 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 5 | *79/HD | |
| 2015 | 27 | DET | 158 | 657 | 596 | 93 | 168 | 33 | 2 | 38 | 102 | 3 | 53 | 178 | .282 | .344 | .535 | .879 | 319 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 7 | *9D/H | AS,MVP-15,SS |
| 2016 | 28 | DET | 120 | 517 | 460 | 69 | 141 | 35 | 2 | 22 | 68 | 1 | 49 | 128 | .307 | .373 | .535 | .908 | 246 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | *9/DH | |
| 2017 | 29 | TOT | 119 | 489 | 432 | 85 | 131 | 26 | 3 | 45 | 104 | 4 | 53 | 128 | .303 | .376 | .690 | 1.066 | 298 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | *9/DH | MVP-14 |
| 2017 | 29 | DET | 57 | 232 | 200 | 38 | 61 | 13 | 2 | 16 | 39 | 2 | 29 | 54 | .305 | .388 | .630 | 1.018 | 126 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9/DH | |
| 2017 | 29 | ARI | 62 | 257 | 232 | 47 | 70 | 13 | 1 | 29 | 65 | 2 | 24 | 74 | .302 | .366 | .741 | 1.107 | 172 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9/DH | |
| 2018 | 30 | BOS | 150 | 649 | 569 | 111 | 188 | 37 | 2 | 43 | 130 | 6 | 69 | 146 | .330 | .402 | .629 | 1.031 | 358 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 11 | D79 | AS,MVP-4,SS,SS |
| 2019 | 31 | BOS | 146 | 657 | 575 | 98 | 175 | 33 | 2 | 36 | 105 | 2 | 72 | 138 | .304 | .383 | .557 | .939 | 320 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 9 | D97/H | AS,MVP-21 |
But luckily for Boston, Martinez looks like he is back in the form he was in for his first two seasons with the Sox. A great hitter that’s presence in the middle of the lineup is hard to come by.
Still, what happened in 2020 that made Martinez fall-off to the extent he did? Could it have been that Alex Cora was no longer at the helm? Did the pandemic have a huge impact of Martinez’s mental health? Maybe so, but the most likely factor is that the DH had to go without in-game video all of last year.
JD Martinez says access to in-game video has already had “a lot” of benefit for him. “It’s definitely cooled my anxiety,” and has allowed him to make adjustments at-bat to at-bat.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) April 5, 2021
With that back 2021, Martinez is set up to have another monster season and regain his form as the hitter that opposing pitchers have feared since 2014.
– Jarrod Ribaudo (@jarrod_ribaudo on Twitter)
Featured image courtesy of Twitter / @NBCSBoston