RF: J.D. Martinez – DET
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
After being released by the Houston Astros at the end of spring training last year, J.D. Martinez was very quickly scooped up by Detroit. Martinez immediately started mashing in Triple-A, hitting 10 homers in his first 17 games in the minors. After being called up, Martinez finally lived up to the promise he showed with the Astros early on, and he seized himself an everyday job in the Tigers’ outfield.
Martinez truly broke out, and in a big way. He hit .315 and crushed 23 home runs, cementing himself as the Tigers’ No. 5 hitter, creating a lethal heart of the order along with Cabrera and that other Martinez guy. He did all his damage in only 441 at bats, which makes his stats even more eye-popping.
Martinez also performed very well in the short Tigers playoff run, launching two homers in the three games the they played in the 2014 postseason. He homered in each of his first two postseason games in the ALDS versus the Baltimore Orioles and was probably the Tigers’ best hitter in the postseason.
I think Martinez is for real, he just needed another chance, and he got exactly that. He was one of the better stories of 2014, and it’ll be interesting to see what he does in 2o15.