It seems as though the 5-year 110 million dollar man J.D. Martinez is already proving himself worth the money. Last night J.D. hit his 25th home run of the season. This made him the leader in Red Sox history for most home runs before the month of July. He has brought the firework show well before the 4th and it’s been quite the spectacle.
Sigh of Relief
This past couple of months has been nothing short of refreshing. The addition of this slugger has not only elevated the statistics of his own personal career, but it seems to have created intensity around the entire line-up. First, when evaluating this season thus far for Martinez, you have to look at the company he has joined since last night’s milestone missile. Martinez passed players such as Ted Williams (1950), Jose Canseco (1996), Mo Vaughn (1996) and Manny Ramirez (2001). Pretty elite class to say the least, but it sure does make you miss 1996. Regardless, this is something Red Sox nation has not seen in a while, even during Ortiz’s tenure.
Speaking on recent history, this is extra sweet because of the drought of 2017. You may be familiar, but this time last season Aaron Judge racked up 30 home runs before the All-Star break (July, 17). At that time the Red Sox were sending three players to the All-Star game (Sale, Kimbrel, Betts). Yet, they were certainly not the talk of the A.L East. Now the buzz is Boston who currently holds the two leaders in MLB SLG% (Betts .684, Martinez .654) and the current home run leader in Martinez. It is easy to get excited about a team that is red hot in June. But a combination of this with identical pitching which led them to post-season play is a game changer.
So at this point, the acquisition of J.D. Martinez more than an overall success. Even a surprise. In 2013 Chris Davis, somehow, hit an A.L. record 37 home runs before the All-Star break. It would be nice to see that spot be taken by pure expert and student to the craft of his swing.