Martinez aims to be more than 'just dingers'

BOSTON -- Entering action on Friday, MLB hitters had taken 17,954 at-bats to compile a disappointing batting average of .233.

Then there is Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who is once again finding a way to perform well above the norm, even after he endured a tough 2020 season.

A master craftsman, Martinez is able to stay above the current struggles that many hitters deal with against the live arms of the present.

This, even though he is tied for the MLB lead in homers after belting No. 7 in Friday’s 6-5 win over the Mariners, matching his total from last season.

Though many people associate Martinez with the launch-angle revolution that started a few years back, that approach doesn’t define Boston’s DH, who has a .368/.429/.750 line. With 28 hits, Martinez is tied with teammate Xander Bogaerts for the MLB lead. He is in a three-way tie for the lead in doubles with eight and leads MLB with 21 RBIs and 57 total bases.

Being a hitter with bat control is what it takes to truly survive in this era.

“I mean, it's huge. I preach by it, a lot. I’m not a slugger. I don't consider myself a slugger. I consider myself as a hitter that can drive the ball,” Martinez said. “I think a lot of guys kind of have that same identity here. A lot of guys believe in that. We don’t have any guys who are just up there swinging for the fences.

“I think that’s a tough way to produce runs on a consistent basis. You’re pretty much depending on long balls. To me, I’m a firm believer in it. I think you’ve got to be a hitter before you’re a slugger.”

What Martinez wasn’t willing to do is shed much light on how you combat the high-octane offerings that so many pitchers are coming at hitters with these days.

“I think that's my secret though, right? I think that's the stuff I kind of keep to myself, you know? I mean, I have my approach and the way that I counter it,” said Martinez. “And that stuff I share with my teammates really, you know, on how to look and how to attack certain guys and stuff like that. I do my homework. I study a lot, and I know what to look for and stuff like that, I feel like.”

J.D. defends launch angle
Martinez cringes when he hears the launch angle is responsible for the recent heavy increase in three true outcomes -- homer, walk, strikeout.

“I definitely have a different take on all that,” Martinez said. “I think the media, and I think a lot of people, are very quick to blame the launch angle, like, ‘Oh, the launch angle is ruining baseball,’ but I don't think that has anything to do with anything. I think media needs to dive into how the league has changed. How pitchers have pitched differently in the last couple years.

“Everyone’s based [on] TrackMan. Everyone, literally, they look at their stuff and every team around the league goes, ‘All right guys, who spins the ball the most and who throws the hardest?’ And they have a little computer that tells them that, and they look at it and it shows them it, and they go, ‘OK, this guy has the best spin, and he has the most life. You throw the ball as hard as you can up here, and then throw a breaking ball down there.’ And that's the whole league.

“And you know everyone's so quick to blame the whole launch-angle revolution and say that everyone’s up there trying to swing for the fences and drive home runs, and nobody's a hitter anymore and putting the ball in play. But I think what people don't understand is, this is a stuff-over-command league nowadays. It’s guys that throw 100 miles an hour, you see it every day, every team.

“I mean when I was coming up, there was one guy in the league that threw 100, and it was [Aroldis] Chapman. Now there's two guys on every team that throw 100. They go, ‘Here’s my best ball, you hit it. If you don't hit it, I'll walk you, or I'll strike you out.’ So what do you have? Now you have a league that's a home run, a strikeout or a walk. I think everyone needs to start focusing their attention on that.”

BP -- as in bunting practice
Red Sox manager Alex Cora continues to prioritize situational hitting with his team. Prior to Friday’s game, his hitters took bunting practice.

“Today, actually believe it or not, we’re bunting out there. That’s something that you saw already; we bunted twice in 20 games, so we might break my own record as a manager with bunting this season,” Cora said. “But I believe that there’s a few things that we’re going to do different this year offensively, and that’s why the guys are out there bunting.”

While the Red Sox got off to a strong start this season attempting to drive in runners from third base with less than two outs, Cora has noticed a regression that contributed to two straight losses entering Friday. He said he will continue to emphasize the importance of doing the little things as an offense because they could make a big difference in how the season turns out for Boston.