Detroit Tigers Roster Preview: J.D. Martinez
Feb 28, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder J.D. Martinez (28) poses during Photo day at Joker Merchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Quick hits
Name: J.D. Martinez
Age: 27
Position: Outfield
Salary: $3 million
Height: 6′ 3″
Twitter handle: @JDMartinez14
How the Detroit Tigers got him: March 24, 2014 the Detroit Tigers signed Martinez to a minor league contract.
2014 season recap
At the start of the 2014 season J.D. Martinez was down in the Detroit Tigers minor league system with the Toledo Mud Hens. The Tigers picked Martinez up in March after the Houston Astros released him. While in Toledo Martinez knocked in 10 home runs and 22 RBI in his first 17 games, before he was called up in late April.
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His success continued after he was called up. Martinez had a .315 batting average knocked in 23 home runs, 30 doubles, 3 triples and 76 RBI in 123 games. J.D. was a major breakout player for the Detroit Tigers and became a constant for the Tigers in the lineup.
Some other fantastic stats from Martinez’s season were a .358 OBP, .533 Slugging percentage, along with a .912 OPS.
2015 Season Potential
Martinez will have a full season with the Tigers and that means he could have not only as good as numbers as he did last season, but they might even be better. He may hit above .300, but there is a chance he could be in the high .200’s, so maybe around .270 to .290 and I see him reaching 30 home runs with 70-80 RBI.
Martinez could easily have another good season. He could easily become another power hitter for the Tigers and that would be more than helpful to have him in the lineup after Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez.
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However last season could have been a fluke and we may not see the same good numbers that we saw last season. If anything it will be interesting to see what J.D. Martinez will do this season for the Tigers.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Weaknesses
Well, Martinez strikes out a lot, like 126 times last season, in fact, every year that he has been in the major league, his strikeouts have gone up, which can be due to having more at bats, but at the same time, good hitters don’t typically see their strike outs go up every season.
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Then he also doesn’t walk very much because of those high strike outs. Having a OBP of .912 which should tell you getting on base is sometimes hard for him.
Strengths
He is pretty decent in the field. Martinez had a 0 in defensive runs saved and only committed four errors all while playing left field. In right field he was perfect with a 1.000 fielding percentage and that is more than likely where he will spend most of his time in the 2015 season.
He is a reliable guy in the field and that is a helpful strength to have. He also has the ability to continue to have good numbers, it is just up to him to actually go forth and have those good numbers again and this is the season to prove that last season wasn’t just a fluke season for him.
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Depth Chart
He is listed as the number one in right field and can be moved from left and right field.
Fast fun fact
The J and D stand for Julio Daniel. His full name is Julio Daniel Martinez.
Do you think J.D. Martinez can have a repeat season? Or do you see his numbers taking a step down? Let us know below and don’t forget to stay connected to Detroit Jock City for all your Detroit Tiger news and notes.
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