Boston Red Sox: J.D. Martinez’s fifth All-Star selection is well earned
One of the most consistent hitters for the Boston Red Sox over the last five seasons has been J.D. Martinez.
Martinez came to Boston as a free agent in 2018 to fill a hole in the middle of the lineup, and he certainly hasn’t disappointed. Martinez was a big part of Boston’s 2018 World Series run, and when the hit parades in Boston come about, Martinez is typically right in the middle of them.
A lot is being talked about in Red Sox nation right now. What is the future of Xander Bogaerts? Will the Red Sox upgrade at first base? But nobody is talking about the way Martinez has swung the bat in 2022. It figures to be worth some discussion now, with Martinez earning his fifth career All-Star selection as a replacement for Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros.
J.D. Martinez gives the Boston Red Sox a pure hitter
When J.D. Martinez is on his game, he is one of the best pure hitters in the game of baseball. Martinez gives the Boston Red Sox a middle of the lineup threat that can hit for power, but also for average.
The Red Sox have two young hitters in Bogaerts and Rafael Devers that are a legitimate 1-2 punch. But when Martinez gets going too, the Red Sox have a trio that makes like increasingly difficult for opposing pitchers.
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With launch angles and exit velocities being key statistics now, it’s nice to see a hitter that has as pure of a swing as J.D. Martinez.
Martinez is hitting for a .313 average with nine home runs and 38 RBIs. That is a testament to the work that Martinez puts into his craft of hitting.
The Boston Red Sox have a third All-Star in J.D. Martinez
The Red Sox now have a third All-Star in the fold with Martinez getting the nod here. Devers earned his second straight starting nod a third base for the American League, while Bogaerts earned his fourth All-Star selection as a reserve. And now Martinez will find himself at his fifth career All-Star game, four of which have been with the Boston Red Sox. That’s pretty good for a guy who spends most of his time playing as a designated hitter.
The bottom line is that J.D. Martinez is worthy of this All-Star selection. Sure, he had a little bit of a power outage for a while. But again, when his swing is sound, the Red Sox have one of the best hitters in the entire MLB.
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With the stretch of games coming up for the Red Sox after the All-Star break, it’ll be important for Martinez to step up for this offense. But for now, let’s take a moment to congratulate him for putting together an All-Star worthy campaign.