Call to the pen
Fansided

The American League MVP Race is Far From Over

By Sarah Maninger

BOSTON - JULY 4: Boston Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts (50) makes a leaping running catch of a fly to center by Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) for the first out in the top of the first inning. The Boston Red Sox take on the Houston Astros in Game 2 of a three game series at Fenway Park in Boston on Jul. 4, 2015. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON - JULY 4: Boston Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts (50) makes a leaping running catch of a fly to center by Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) for the first out in the top of the first inning. The Boston Red Sox take on the Houston Astros in Game 2 of a three game series at Fenway Park in Boston on Jul. 4, 2015. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON – JULY 9: Boston Red Sox player J.D. Martinez (28) pumps his fist as his bottom of the eighth inning three-run home run cleared the wall. Teammates Mookie Betts (background far left) and Andrew Benintendi (background far right) round the bases ahead of him. The Boston Red Sox host the Texas Rangers in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston on July 9, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON – JULY 9: Boston Red Sox player J.D. Martinez (28) pumps his fist as his bottom of the eighth inning three-run home run cleared the wall. Teammates Mookie Betts (background far left) and Andrew Benintendi (background far right) round the bases ahead of him. The Boston Red Sox host the Texas Rangers in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston on July 9, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

J.D Martinez-DH/OF-Boston Red Sox

How many home runs has Martinez hit this year? I’m asking because every time I check, he seems to have hit another. Home runs, however, don’t decide an MVP, but rather make up a small piece of a historic season.

At the beginning of 2018, J.D. Martinez signed a 5yr/109.95 million dollar contract, with an opt-out after 2019. Martinez has expressed interest in staying in Boston and is open to changing his current contract. He is the one guy that President Dave Dombrowski needed to sign this offseason, and sure enough, he did.

He’s a great player, and he’s great for the Red Sox. His stats so far this season don’t lie. This far, he has hit to the tune of a .328 average, good enough for 3rd in the league. He’s currently tied with Cleveland slugger Jose Ramirez for the lead in home runs, with 29, but is 13th in the league in Ks, in which he has struck out in 24% of his plate appearances.

Overal, his WAR (wins above replacement) is solid, coming in at 10th in the league with a 4.3

The great thing about the MVP race is that it isn’t based off one stat. It’s based off a collective observation, and careful analysis of one player’s season.

J.D. Martinez, so far, has the stuff of an MVP-caliber player.

So, is he one?

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