Detroit Tigers: J.D. Martinez’s Quick Rise to Stardom
The Detroit Tigers’ low risk acquisition of J.D. Martinez has paid off for both sides, as the slugger quickly rose to stardom.
When J.D. Martinez was released by the Houston Astros in March of 2014, he was just hopeful another team would give him a chance.
Martinez had this to say in an interview with MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart after being released by the Astros in 2014:
"“It’s all right. I’m not really down about it. It is what it is. Obviously, Houston is the team that brought me up and where I want to be. Everything happens for a reason,”"
A prospect that quickly climbed his way through the Astros’ organization, Martinez failed to replicate his torrid minor league numbers when he debuted in 2011.
Over three seasons with the Astros, Martinez only hit 24 home runs. His best season with the club in terms of batting average came in 2011, when he posted an adequate .274.
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Before heading to camp with Houston in 2014, he was already removed from the 40-man roster. Martinez’s 18 spring at-bats in which he hit .167 with one run batted in prompted his release from the team.
Through third base coach Dave Clark, who had previously worked with Martinez in Houston, the Detroit Tigers were able to strike a deal with the struggling outfielder.
The Tigers signed Martinez to a minor-league deal on March 24, 2014, just two days after his release from the Astros. Martinez would not report to major league camp, and he was expected to begin the season with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.
He did start the season with the Mud Hens, and immediately made an impression as a viable candidate for a spot on the Tigers 25-man roster. Through just 17 games with Toledo, Martinez belted 10 home runs, including a four-home run game against the Colombus Clippers.
Martinez’s short-term stint with the Hens ended on April 21, 2014, when he was called up to join the Tigers in place of an injured Luke Putkonen.
The chance that Martinez battled for had finally presented itself, and he was not looking back. Martinez finished 2014 with the big league club batting .315, while hitting 23 home runs and knocking in 76 runs.
His 2015 campaign was far more impressive than his previous breakout season. He hit .282/.344/.535 over 158 games, and connected for 38 home runs, hitting 15 more than he did the year before. Martinez’s 5.0 WAR lead the team in 2015. Martinez would go on to win the first Silver Slugger award of his career following the 2015 season.
His defensive ability in right field is often overlooked by his dominant presence at the plate. Committing just two errors and boasting 15 assists in 2015 allowed Martinez to be a Gold Glove finalist.
After two seasons with the club, it is safe to say the Detroit Tigers have struck gold with the 2014 acquisition that was made in hopes of bolstering the depth throughout the organization.
Although he was pegged as one of the most underrated players in all of baseball by Fox Sports’ JP Morosi, J.D. Martinez is no longer the struggling outfielder he once was.
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His jaw-dropping power and defensive stability he displays in right field enables Martinez to be one of the game’s most exciting players to watch in 2016.