Why Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez is so valuable

With J.D. Martine opting into his contract for at least one more season, let’s dig into how valuable the elite slugger is to the Red Sox.

We can all breathe, Red Sox Nation. Well, not really, as the team still has tons of important moves to make this offseason. However, you’d be lying to yourself if you said you weren’t at least a little relieved when it was reported that J.D. Martinez did not exercise the opt-out clause in his contract, meaning the slugger is staying put for at least one more year.

J.D. sticking around is clearly a good thing, as it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. How valuable the man is exactly, is a bit more complicated.

Defensively, it can go without saying Martinez lacks value. With -7 defensive runs saved, Martinez has clearly shown over the years how valuable it is NOT to have him playing in the outfield. With that being said, let’s get into the better part of his game – what he does with the bat.

When David Ortiz retired from baseball, the whole question surrounding the Red Sox was “who would replace Big Papi?” The answer is nobody, as not one single soul can duplicate the persona that gave David Ortiz his nickname. Not only was Ortiz incredibly productive offensively, but his Santa Clause-esque bigger than baseball personality was unmatched. However, there was someone out there that could put up the same numbers as Ortiz did, and that man was J.D. Martinez.

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It took over a year after Big Papi retired, but Martinez would sign a 5-year deal with Boston in February of 2018. Prior to the signing, he was already putting up incredible numbers on his old teams. Starting with Detroit, Martinez hit .302 and slugged .563 with a .929 OPS. His second half in Arizona during the 2017 season was historic, as he’d connect for 29 home runs in the second half alone. So, of course, there were high expectations for Martinez on his way into Boston, and boy did he live up to those expectations.

J.D. has done absolutely everything asked of him and more during the last couple of seasons. Martinez went on to hit .330, slugging .629 and hitting his way to a 1.031 OPS, helping the Red Sox win a franchise-record 108 regular-season wins along with a World Series title, the team’s 4th in 15 years.

Martinez then went on to quietly hit .304 with a .939 OPS in 2019. And after lots of speculation, the slugger will be back for yet another season.

What Martinez did with the bat was unmatched, and something that puts him at the top of Major League Baseball’s elite hitters. What stands out to me most, however, is how much he meant to his teammates. What J.D. did before and after games might have been almost as beneficial to the team as what he did during the games. Helping out all of the young players such as Mookie Betts, for example, by being a big influence in him winning the MVP in 2018. Rafael Devers is also someone else who has gotten lots of help from J.D. over the last couple of seasons, as he literally had his own program helping out the younger players with their swings.

It has been an absolute joy to witness what Martinez has been able to do at the plate, but even more compelling to see is his impact on the other players. That, to me, stands out most and shows how great of a person and teammate he is.

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The numbers speak for themselves with how elite of a hitter Martinez is, but him coming back for 2020 means more than just what you’ll see from him, but also what you’ll hear about him with all the things he does to help out everyone else around him. This is why this man is so valuable to this team, and although we don’t know what this means for the future of other players on the team, we should all be relieved at the fact that J.D. Martinez isn’t going anywhere.

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