#5: Red Sox D.H. J.D. Martinez
Julio Daniel Martinez has been a powerhouse for the Red Sox since joining the team ahead of the 2018 season. Hell, his bat was one of the biggest reasons why we were able to raise another banner that year. While his past few seasons have been up and down he still has plenty of pop left in that bat of his.
2021 saw the Boston D.H. put up a .286/.349/.518 slash with 28 homers, 99 RBI, and an MLB leading 42 doubles. Not a bad campaign if ya ask me. But remember, we’re here to talk about the longball and J.D. came in fifth in the distance content this season with a 444ft blast off of Zac Lowther in Baltimore back in September.
This blast came during the final stretch of the season where the Red Sox were fighting for their postseason lives. As we all know that Baltimore series didn’t quite go as we all would’ve hoped but thankfully the Washington Nationals were next and Boston would use that final series to launch one hell of an October run.
Martinez’s 28 homers this year landed him third overall for the Red Sox, sitting behind two other names you’ll be seeing on this list. He has the ability to opt out of his current deal one final time this winter to take a shot at free agency.
Considering his age and production the last few years, I’m not sure if it’d be wise for him to walk ahead of 2022, but as a Scott Boras client, I don’t put anything out of reach.