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Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez is putting in an MVP-level season. J.D. Martinez stats 2021 are elite.
As the Boston Red Sox have surged, Martinez has enjoyed a timely bounce-back campaign. He was a non-factor in the AL MVP race before the season, but that has quickly changed.
J.D. Martinez Stats 2021
Boston remains atop the AL West. Their offense is a nightmare for opposing pitchers this year.
While others have excelled, none are as intimidating as Martinez. Only eight players have more homers. The former Tiger is ninth in wRC+ ahead of NL MVP candidate Ronald Acuna Jr and breakout phenom Yermin Mercedes.
Martinez is a late-career sensation. He wasn’t an All-Star until his late-twenties, but he has since posted historic numbers. Since the start of 2017, Martinez has a 150 wRC+ with 143 homers. Only two hitters have a better mark over that period (Mike Trout and Aaron Judge). The 143 long balls is tied with Nelson Cruz for the most.
Those numbers are all-time great. Martinez is one of the best hitters of this generation. Just like Cruz, though, his impact is often overlooked. This is the downside to being a DH, which both suffer from. And it isn’t illegitimate.
For all that offensive greatness, Martinez has posted just 13.8 fWAR over the period, the same as Ronald Acuna, who has played over 150 fewer games. That leaves 25 hitters with more fWAR since the start of 2017, including his Red Sox teammate Xander Bogaerts.
Playing DH impacts how much value Martinez can have, but that doesn’t mean we should underrate his contributions. Martinez is extracting maximum value from the DH spot.
Awesome advanced numbers
Following a disrupted and shortened 2020, he is right back where the Red Sox expected. The advanced numbers across the board are at least as good as in 2019. The strikeout and walk rates are almost identical to his ultra-productive 2018 and 2019 seasons.
He’s doing big damage against fastballs with a .338 xBA. This is his best year against breaking stuff since 2017, with a .541 xSLG. The swing and miss remains in his approach, but Martinez is hitting every type of pitch hard.
Martinez stats in 2021 make for good reading for the Red Sox faithful. This looked to be another lost year, but if the former Diamondback can keep this up, they are going to hang around deep into the summer. There are few bats more destructive in baseball right now.
Winning MVP as a DH is an almost impossible task, particularly if Shohei Ohtani stays healthy. Martinez probably won’t get much MVP love, but that shouldn’t downplay what a great year he’s having again.
This is a career that will age well. The production we are seeing from Martinez is remarkable, especially after concerns about his 2020 numbers. The stats continue to jump off the page.
If Bogaerts and Rafael Devers can continue to support the three-time All-Star, the Red Sox could in for a surprise playoff return.
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