Heading into a third season of the National League having a designated hitter, the Los Angeles Dodgers made a drastic change in their strategy by signing J.D. Martinez to a one-year contract for 2023.
Martinez was coming off an All-Star season in which he batted .274/.341/.448 with 43 doubles, 16 home runs and 119 wRC+ for the Boston Red Sox. Each of his 139 starts that year were as the DH, which was the role Martinez almost exclusively continued to fill with the Dodgers.
The signing reunited Martinez with Mookie Betts, as the two had become close friends during their time together on the Red Sox.
With Betts currently in the worst stretch of his decorated career, he recently met with Martinez in search of hitting help, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
J.D. Martinez traveled to aid struggling superstar Mookie Betts (88 OPS plus) at a Tampa batting cage last weekend. The two teamed on the World Series champion 2018 Red Sox and 2023 Dodgers.
Betts downplayed a three-hit game on Tuesday and noted it was the type of performance there would need to be multiple days in a row before believing he turned a corner. Betts then went 1-for-4 in the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals, though manager Dave Roberts believes his swings — even on outs — are reason for optimism.
“I think the hits are Mookie-esque as far as hitting the ball hard to the pull side. Up the middle, hitting it flat to the shortstop’s left, that’s kind of what he does,” Roberts said this week. “And the misses are the right misses.
“When he’s popping up to the first baseman or to shallow right field, those aren’t his misses. So when he’s taking the swings that he’s accustomed to taking, then I feel like it’s sustainable.”
Mookie Betts praises J.D. Martinez
Martinez has been lauded as a hitting maven throughout his career, and that reputation was felt during a brief Dodgers tenure.
In August 2023, Betts credited Martinez for his success at the plate to that point in the season.
“Being with Freddie (Freeman) the last couple years, he’s definitely taught me not to give away at-bats,” Betts said at the time. “But I think the main person is J.D. He’s been the main one to just stay on me, no matter how good or bad I’m playing, how good we’re playing, what the score is. You’ve got to take your at-bat.
“From Day 1, I know I struggled early, but he stayed on me and he’s still staying on me now. Having Freddie and those guys, they help not necessarily baseball-wise, but personal-wise. Just coming to the park, having fun laughing, joking.
“I think those things go a long way, especially when we’re in the sixth inning and we need a big hit right here. You know you’ve got your brothers cheering for you, and you want to do it for your brothers. Those guys definitely supply that for me, and J.D. has been staying on me a lot.”
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