Mookie Betts is having a brilliant year so far. He leads the league in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS while playing at a Gold-Glove level in right field. His WAR is second only to the greatest player of our generation in Mike Trout. But a few batters after the Red Sox leadoff hitter, one player is quietly putting together a great season of his own.
J.D. Martinez was one of the big prizes of this offseason, signing with the Red Sox for five years and $110 million dollars after spring training had already started. The deal is a good salary but not at the level of the top modern-day contracts, and many teams passed on a great slugger to have in the middle of their order until late in February.
Front offices must have forgotten his brilliant year last year, and frankly, most of the United States missed it as well. Between being traded in the middle of the season and playing for the struggling Tigers and then going out west to play for the Diamondbacks, who don’t get many national TV appearances, we missed the player with the third-most home runs in the league. Martinez was often injured, only playing 120 games. But he still smashed 45 home runs, behind only the 50-home run hitters in Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, who had historic seasons in 2017.
That’s not to mention that, had Martinez qualified, his single-season slugging percentage would have been the highest in 13 years since the inflated numbers of the steroid-era. After being the Tigers’ main offensive threat, he was plugged into an Arizona lineup that was stacked with RBI machines in Jake Lamb and Paul Goldschmidt last year. In the desert, he hit for an astounding 29 home runs and 65 RBIs in 62 games while slugging .741. Arizona won the wild card game, but wasn’t able to get past the NL champion Dodgers. Their pitching struggled, and Martinez tried to carry the offense that did not get much offense from Goldschmidt or Lamb.
This season, Martinez is now an integral part of the most potent lineup in the league. With Betts leading it off, second-year phenom Andrew Benintendi in the two hole, and Martinez batting cleanup, the group leads the league in runs. Boston is currently tied for the best record in the league at 41-19.
-
Ep 162: Joe Flacco, Dak Prescott and The MVP, Week 13 Discussion
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 3:58 pm
Martinez continues to be a home run machine, tied for the league lead with 19 big flies, hitting it to all fields seemingly effortlessly. At the same time, his 50 RBIs lead the league as well. His swing is a thing of beauty, and it allows him to hit the ball to the opposite field all the time, including a league-leading 19 home runs there last season.
His combined stats from the last two years add up to an absurd pace of 59 home runs and 142 RBIs per 162 games, with a 1.052 OPS; the first two best in the league and the latter just behind the brilliant Trout. In a year with record-pace stats, most people are missing the best hitter of the last two years.
You would think that, with all the mind-blowing stats, Martinez would have garnered some MVP votes. But the trade between leagues made it impossible last season. And there are the other knocks on him related to his defensive performance and his durability. His WAR is always negatively affected by his defense, with a career defensive WAR of -7.1. And he his missed more than 39 games in all but one of his seven seasons.
This year, though, those weaknesses are being neutralized. With Boston’s brilliant outfield of Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Betts, Martinez doesn’t get to play the field that much, taking that negative out of the game as the former Tiger shifts to designated hitter. And with the Red Sox designating Hanley Ramirez for assignment, Martinez will now be the primary option at designated hitter. Similarly, Martinez’s durability, which needed a clause in his contract due to his frequent injuries, has been very good this season. The slugger has missed just three games on his way to the sixth-best offensive WAR in the league.
Sure, a player who primarily plays DH has never won MVP before (Don Baylor played 65 games at DH in 1979), and the American League is stacked with players having historic seasons. But we often forget one of the catalysts of the best offense in the league. The Red Sox will surely make a run into the playoffs, and the acquisition of Martinez could help this stacked roster get over the hump of the ALDS and past the rival Yankees.
-
Ep 180: Hall of Fame Class Of 2024 Semifinalists Discussionby Full Press Coverage on November 28, 2023 at 7:02 pm
Ira and Clark dissect the 2024 Hall of Fame class semifinalists. Learn […]
-
Ep 179: Hall of Famer Drew Pearson Joins The Showby Full Press Coverage on November 22, 2023 at 5:14 pm
Hall of Fame wide receiver Drew Pearson returns to the show to talk to […]
-
Ep 178: Patriots, Eagles, 49ers, and More With Joe Bannerby Full Press Coverage on November 18, 2023 at 3:00 am
Former NFL executive Joe Banner returns to the show to talk with Clark and […]
-
Ep 177: Hall of Famer Mel Blount Joins The Showby Full Press Coverage on November 11, 2023 at 1:00 am
Former Steeler and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mel Blount joins Clark and […]
-
Reaction to College Football Playoff Rankingsby LandryFootball.com on December 3, 2023 at 8:00 pm
The College Football Playoff Committee has spoken and given us the 4 teams […]
-
A Film Room game preview breakdown of week 13 in the NFLby LandryFootball.com on December 2, 2023 at 5:00 pm
This is a great week of football. Hopefully that means a great week of […]
-
Ep 316: Week 13 Fantasy Football Previewby Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 4:08 am
-
Ep 315: Week 12 Fantasy Football Previewby Full Press Coverage on November 22, 2023 at 3:46 am
-
Ep 314: Week 11 Fantasy Football Previewby Full Press Coverage on November 15, 2023 at 3:18 am
-
Ep 313: Week 10 Fantasy Football Previewby Full Press Coverage on November 9, 2023 at 1:53 am
-
Ep 198: Week 13 vs Chiefsby Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 8:20 pm
In this episode, co-hosts Kyle Senra and Jesse Hall are joined by Braden […]
-
Ep 197: Recapping Weeks 11 & 12by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 11:26 pm
This episode is a double-dip in a good way. Kyle Senra and Jesse Hall […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 829by Charlie Saunier on December 3, 2023 at 9:11 am
Ep 829 The Renegades Of Puck Recap 4-3 L Vs Rangers Preview Sabres & […]
-
ROP Recap Rangers 4 Preds 3 Game 23 2023-24 NHL Seasonby Charlie Saunier on December 3, 2023 at 5:55 am
ROP Recap Rangers 4 Preds 3 Game 23 2023-24 NHL Season Learn more about […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 828by Charlie Saunier on December 1, 2023 at 6:59 pm
Ep 828 The Renegades Of Puck Recap 6-1 L Vs Wild Preview Rangers & […]
-
Full Press Islanders - 12-1 - Take the 2 points and runby Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 4:55 pm
Last night wasn't pretty but they found a way to win and that's what […]
-
Full Press Hurricanes - 12-1 - Carolina Falls 5-4 in Overtime Against the Islanders.by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 4:30 pm
The Hurricanes thoroughly outshot the New York Islanders 43-16, but the […]
-
Full Press Kraken - 12-1 - Shootout loss, Maple Leafs, Marnerby Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 2:40 pm
Recapping the shootout loss to Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. […]
-
12/1 - NFL MVP, Week 13 Picksby Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 2:18 am
Ian and John discuss the ever-changing MVP race and give their predictions […]
-
11/28 - MNF Reaction, State Of The NFLby Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 3:49 am
Ian and John react to Monday Night Football and discuss more of the state […]
-
11/27 - Thanksgiving Recap; Jalen Hurts, NFL News and Notesby Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Ian and John recap Thanksgiving weekend, discuss Jalen Hurts' moment, and […]
-
11/24 - Thanksgiving Recap, Jets/Dolphins, Week 12 Picksby Full Press Coverage on November 24, 2023 at 3:47 pm
Ian and John react to all of the action on Thanksgiving Day and look ahead […]
-
11/23 - Thanksgiving Day Preview, Tom Brady, Top 5 NFL Teamsby Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 3:11 pm
Ian and John discuss the Thanksgiving Day slate of games in the NFL, Tom […]
-
11/21- MNF Reaction, Eagles Handle Chiefs, NFL MVPby Full Press Coverage on November 22, 2023 at 3:31 am
Ian and John react to the Eagles win over the Chiefs on Monday Night […]
-
Ep 2: Top 5 Super Bowls Of All Timeby Full Press Coverage on February 7, 2023 at 3:26 pm
Ian Glendon and John Sapochetti give their Top 5 Super Bowls of all time. […]
-
Ep 1: The Top 10 Quarterbacks Of All Timeby Full Press Coverage on January 12, 2023 at 8:42 pm
On the first episode of 'According To Who?', host Ian Glendon and John […]
-
Ep 162: Joe Flacco, Dak Prescott and The MVP, Week 13 Discussionby Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 3:58 pm
-
12/1 - NFL MVP, Week 13 Picksby Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 2:18 am
-
Warriors at Clippers - Timberwolves at Pelicans - Cavaliers at Pistons - Magic at Netsby Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 4:00 pm
-
Thunder at Mavericks - Trail Blazers at Jazz - Nuggets at Kings - Rockets at Lakersby Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 4:00 pm
-
Hawks at Bucks - Pelicans at Bulls - Pacers at Heat - Grizzlies at Sunsby Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 4:00 pm
-
Ep 193: Ayako Hamadaby Full Press Coverage on December 2, 2023 at 3:00 pm
-
Full Press MMA - 12-1 - UFC Heavyweight Championship re-unified?by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 4:15 pm
-
76ers at Celtics - Spurs at Pelicans - Nuggets at Sunsby Broken Controller Media on December 1, 2023 at 3:00 pm
-
Chiefs at Packers - Bengals at Jaguarsby Broken Controller Media on December 1, 2023 at 2:15 pm
-
Wizards at Magic - Grizzlies at Mavericks - Knicks at Raptorsby Broken Controller Media on December 1, 2023 at 2:10 pm
-
AEW Full Gear 2023 Review and Roman Reigns Inflated Title Streakby Full Press Coverage on November 22, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again as he breaks down AEW Full Gear 2023. What […]
-
AEW Full Gear 2023 Previewby Full Press Coverage on November 17, 2023 at 8:08 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again getting you ready for AEW 2023 Full Gear […]
-
Ep 193: Ayako Hamadaby Full Press Coverage on December 2, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Ayako Hamada has had a wide and varied career through AAA, SHIMMER, TNA, […]