JD Martinez being introduced as a Boston Red Soxs after signing with them.

As a Yankee fan, I will live and die with the Yankees. However, I admire JD Martinez from afar. What made me appreciate JD was that he was a struggling ball player who got released by the worst team in baseball at the time and was able to reinvent his swing and approach. Since 2014, JD Martinez has arguably been a top-10 hitter in all of baseball.

J.D. Martinez Yearly Stats 2014- present *Bold Italics means led league

2014 .315 BA, 139 HITS, 23 HR, 76 RBI, .358 OBP, 57 RUNS (123 Games)

2015 .282 BA, 168 HITS, 38 HR, 102 RBI, .344 OBP, 93 RUNS (158 Games)

2016 .307 BA, 141 HITS, 22 HR, 68 RBI, .373 OBP, 69 RUNS (120 Games)

2017 .303 BA, 131 HITS, 45 HR, 104 RBI, .376 OBP, 85 RUNS (119 Games)

2018 .330 BA,188 HITS, 43 HR, 130 RBI, .402 OBP, 111 RUNS (150 Games)

2019 .304 BA, 175 HITS, 36 HR, 105 RBI, .383 OBP, 98 RUNS (146 Games)

2021 .286 BA, 163 HITS, 28 HR, 99 RBI, .349 OBP, 92 RUNS (148 Games)

Unlike many power hitters, when JD Martinez can’t hit home runs, he can still get a good number of hits, which is why his average is superior to other power hitters. His first year with the Red Sox in 2018 was magical. He had his best season yet, and the Red Sox would win 108 games and the World Series that year. Had JD Martinez played in the NL that year, he would’ve won the Triple Crown. Do you know what’s crazy? He didn’t even win the AL MVP and wasn’t named a finalist.

2018 AL MVP Voting *Bold Italics means led league

Mookie Betts .346 BA, 180 Hits, 32 HR, 80 RBI, .438 OBP, 129 Runs (136 Games) 1st place

Mike Trout .312 BA, 147 Hits, 39 HR, 79 RBI, .460 OBP, 101 Runs (140 Games) 2nd place

Jose Ramirez .270 BA, 156 Hits, 39 HR, 105 RBI, .387 OBP, 110 Runs (157 Games) 3rd place

JD Martinez .330 BA, 188 Hits, 43 HR, 130 RBI, .402 OBP, 111 Runs (150 Games) 4th place

Mookie Betts and JD Martinez after winning the 2018 World Series.

Now I think Martinez should’ve won the award in 2018. But you could at least talk to me about Mookie Betts, that I could understand. But the fact that he wasn’t even a finalist is utterly ridiculous. Why? Because those three players had a higher WAR than Martinez. Ridiculous; nothing bothers me more in baseball than stats like WAR. I understand that JD Martinez is a DH and those guys played the field. But you know what WAR doesn’t show? THE AMOUNT OF PROTECTION HE GAVE THE REST OF THE SOX LINEUP IN 2018. The two years before, the Sox didn’t hit as many home runs or get out of the first round of the playoffs. They signed Martinez, and it was perfect in 2018. Martinez played in more games, hit for a higher average, and hit more home runs, runs batted in, Hits, and scored more than Trout and Ramirez. 

When I judge a player’s statistics, all I need to know is the simple back of the baseball card statistics. AVG, HITS, HR, RBI, RUNS, OBP, 2B, 3B, and BB. None of this WAR or OPS nonsense.