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| Martinez goes yard in 2011 for Corpus Christi. Photo by Tammy Tucker. |
Martinez was a 36th round amateur draftee (Twins) out of high school in June 2006, but he did not sign, opting to continue on to college. After three years at Nova Southeastern University (Florida), the Astros in 2008, picked him in the 20th round. This time, Martinez signed and began his professional career at Greeneville of the Appalachian (Rookie) League, moving up after hitting .403 with 5 home runs in 19 games, to the Short Season A Tri-City Valley Cats. In 2010, he advanced through Lexington (South Atlantic League, Class A), to the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, hitting an impressive .341, with 18 home runs and 89 RBI in 138 games for the two teams.
The 2011 season began for Martinez with the Hooks, and through 88 games, he was hitting .338 with 13 home runs and 72 RBI, earning a Texas League All-Star spot. At the time, the parent Astros were in the midst of a purge – trading off top talent, including Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn, and on July 29, Martinez got the call to skip Triple-A and report to the Astros. His first big league game was the following night, at age 23, in Milwaukee, against the Brewers. He pinch-hit in the top of the 8th and smacked an RBI double to deep center field. The next night, he got his first start, playing left field, and although he went hitless, it appeared to many that he could well be there to stay.
Martinez appeared in 53 games in 2011, hitting a respectable .274 with 13 doubles, 6 home runs, and 35 RBI. The next year, he split time between the Astros and Triple-A Oklahoma City, slipping to .241 with 11 home runs in 113 games for Houston.
The 2013 season wasn't much better, with Martinez playing only 86 games for Houston, hitting .250 with 7 home runs. Two stints on the disabled list and a five game stay back at Corpus Christi in Double-A didn't help, and after the season the Astros removed him from the 40-man roster. Although Martinez spent the winter working on his swing at Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League where he hit .312 in 24 games, the Astros released him in March 2014.
He may have thought that his career was over at age 25, but two days later, on March 24, 2014, the Detroit Tigers called. Signed to a minor league deal, he reported to Triple-A Toledo, and made an immediate statement, proving that he was not finished in baseball. In 17 games with the Mud Hens, he hit .308 and blasted 10 home runs, driving in 22 runs. The Tigers waited no longer, calling Martinez up for good. For 2014, in 123 big league games, he hit .315 with 23 home runs and 76 RBI.
The next year, Martinez' average dipped to .282, but he erupted for 38 home runs and 102 RBI in 158 games, earning an All-Star game appearance and a Silver Slugger award. By now, he was an acknowledged Major League star, and he continued in 2016, hitting .307 with 22 homers, with injuries limiting him to 120 games.
2017 marked Martinez' final contract year, and his attack continued on American League pitching. He started the season on the DL, returning on May 12, and he wasted no time with the bat. For the week of May 15-21, he went on a tear, hitting .389 with 4 homers and 9 RBI, winning Player of the Week honors for the third time. He won the award again for the week ending July 16, and for the season to that point, he was hitting .305 with 16 home runs.
Two days later, the Tigers, knowing that Martinez would be a free agent at year's end, traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks for three minor league prospects. He kept up the pace with Arizona, hitting .302 with 29 home runs and 65 RBI in 62 National League games. In September, he became the first ever Arizona player to hit four homers in a game, winning Player of the Month honors. For the season, Martinez slugged an exceptional 45 home runs in only 119 games, with 104 RBI (both career highs).
The free agent market after the 2017 season was highly competitive, with Martinez at the top of the list for many teams. On February 26, 2018, he accepted a $110 million, five year deal from the Boston Red Sox. The deal more than doubled his annual salary, to $23,750 per year for the first three years.
The 2018 version of J.D. Martinez is even better than in previous seasons. As of this writing, he's hitting at a .326 clip (6th overall); he leads the Major Leagues in home runs (25), RBI (64), and he picked up another Player of the Week award (May 20.) It should be noted that while Martinez has 25 homers before the end of June, no member of the 2017 Red Sox hit more than 24 in the entire season.
Martinez has spent most of the 2018 season at Designated Hitter, leading many to compare him to long time Red Sox Slugger, David Ortiz. At age 30, Martinez continues to thrive, and like Ortiz, he is already a major contributor to the team.
For a man who appeared just four years ago to be on the verge of looking for another job, J.D. Martinez has emerged as a Major League heavyweight. The man who was given up as a lost cause by the Astros, found new life in the Tiger's organization, and has gone on to become one of baseball's best hitters and biggest success stories.
Photo by the exceptionally talented Tammy Tucker (@HooksFanTammy).
Photo by the exceptionally talented Tammy Tucker (@HooksFanTammy).
Statistics courtesy Baseball-Reference.com & MLB.com.
Larry Manchis an author, teacher, guitar player, freelance writer, and columnist. His books include: 'Twisted Logic: 50 Edgy Flash Fiction Stories', 'The Toughest Hundred Dollars & Other Rock & Roll Stories','A Sports Junkie', 'The Avery Appointment', 'Between the Fuzzy Parts'. His books are available in paperback and e-book.
He writes about sports for Season Tickets, food and travel on Miles & Meals, and music/guitars on The Backbeat.
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