Looking Forward to J.D. Martinez in 2018

When J.D. Martinez signed with the Red Sox, it felt awesome no doubt. But it didn’t feel fully real. At least not then. I wouldn’t even say it feels 100% real now, as he has yet to play a regular season game for it to really sink in. But it’s definitely getting to the point where I don’t feel like I’m in a dream anymore.

It was the same way when David Price signed a couple of years back, and Chris Sale last year. They both had to start a few games before it really sunk in that they were here.

J.D. has finally gotten into his first few Spring Training games. I never really thought about it but hearing “J.D. driving in Mookie” is definitely a term we will be hearing all season. And I am here for it.

USA Today

Martinez + Mookie

Mookie Betts was in a 0-16 hole so far in Spring Training going into today’s game against the Rays. He finally got his first hit on a ground ball to third. He pointed to the sky and celebrated with the new first base coach Tom Gooden. But something would happen a few AB’s later that really got me excited.

J.D. Martinez came to the plate with two outs and Mookie on first base. J.D. had played his first game the day before and went 0-2 on two fly outs. On his first at bat in his second game hitting cleanup, he hit a fly ball to right field that got down. It went deep enough for Mookie to come around third and score.

That run didn’t matter much, as it was only a Spring Training run that got the game to a 3-1 deficit. None of that was what I was excited about. But it was the fact that J.D. Martinez had just driven in Mookie Betts. That is for sure a delightful thing to hear and something Sox fans will be hearing all season long. It will be a phrase that I will have no problem getting used to.

 

Cover image courtesy of NESN.