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J.D. Martinez did not start his major league career in auspicious fashion, but as a 20th-round pick in 2009, it’s remarkable that the outfielder even made his way to the bigs. Houston took Martinez in the draft, and though he was highly productive in the organization’s system through 2011, he was unable to transfer that success to the bigs from the get-go. Martinez amassed 975 plate appearances as an Astro from 2011-13, but he hit a subpar .251/.300/.387 with 24 home runs during that time. Houston gave up on Martinez after that.
On March 22, 2014, the Astros said goodbye to Martinez, releasing him a half-decade after drafting him. However, Martinez has been on a rampage since then. Thanks to the help of hitting coaches Craig Wallenbrock and Robert Van Scoyoc, Martinez has turned into one of the best offensive players in baseball over the past several years.
The Tigers signed Martinez to a minor league contract in March 2014, and it proved to be a brilliant move for the club. Martinez became a star that year, in which he posted a line of .300/.361/.551 (145 wRC+) in 1,886 plate appearances. But Detroit, not expecting to be able to sign the soon-to-be free agent before 2018, traded him to Arizona in July 2017 in a deal that netted them infield prospects Dawel Lugo, Sergio Alcantara and Jose King.
Unfortunately for Detroit, no one from the Lugo-Alcantara-King trio has given the team any value at the major league level thus far, and nobody from the that group is among MLB.com’s top 30 prospects for the Tigers right now. The D-backs probably don’t have any regrets, then, even though Martinez didn’t last long in their uniform. Over 257 PA in the desert, Martinez batted an incredible .302/.366/.741 (170 wRC+) with 29 homers, helping lead Arizona to a wild-card berth. The Diamondbacks got past that round against the Rockies, but they couldn’t overcome the Dodgers in the NLDS. That proved to be the end of the line for Martinez as part of the club.
After a drawn-out trip to free agency in the ensuing winter, the Red Sox signed Martinez to a five-year, $110MM guarantee in late February of 2018. There’s a narrative that players decline once they get a large payday, but that’s not the case for Martinez. Since he signed with Boston, Martinez has gone to a pair of All-Star Games, helped the Red Sox to a World Series championship (2018) and batted .317/.392/.593 (154 wRC+) with 79 homers in 1,306 PA. It’s obvious at this point that Martinez, now 32 years old, is among the premier hitters in baseball. Not bad for someone whom a team once gave up on in exchange for nothing.Comment -
Sports without fans is weird but it's going to be the only way we will get them back so I'm good with it as well. I agree though certain sports are just weird without a crowd like MMA and even WWE which I find hard to watch without fans. Baseball and the other major sports though I think will be fine without fans at first.Comment -
Just throw in some fake crowd noise and it’s the same thing, right?Comment -
Pay attention here people, this one is good.
On this day May 20, in 2019, exactly 1 years ago today, two names you should know, Matt Szczur hit for the cycle and Yasmany Tomas blasted four home runs both playing for the Reno Aces in the Pacific Coast League in the same game.
Reno trounced Tacoma in this game 25-8.
Only once before in MLB history has teammates hit for the cycle and another hit four homers in the same game that was in 1932 when Hall of Fame members Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri did it for the 1932 Yankees.
Batting AB R H RBI BB SO PA BA OBP SLG OPS Details Earle Combs CF 5 2 3 1 1 0 6 0.356 0.452 0.561 1.012 HR Jack Saltzgaver 2B 4 1 1 1 1 2 6 0.118 0.302 0.206 0.508 SH Babe Ruth LF 5 2 2 1 1 1 6 0.282 0.434 0.624 1.058 HR,2B,IW Myril Hoag PR-LF 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 Lou Gehrig 1B 6 4 4 6 0 0 6 0.326 0.414 0.61 1.025 4·HR Ben Chapman RF 5 3 2 1 1 0 6 0.27 0.326 0.428 0.753 3B,IW Bill Dickey C 4 2 2 1 2 0 6 0.369 0.431 0.58 1.011 CS Tony Lazzeri 3B 6 3 5 6 0 1 6 0.357 0.464 0.619 1.083 HR,3B,2B,SB Frankie Crosetti SS 6 1 2 2 0 2 6 0.246 0.373 0.314 0.687 Johnny Allen P 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.2 0.25 0.6 0.85 Gordon Rhodes P 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.8 Jumbo Brown P 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Lefty Gomez P 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0.143 0.211 0.2 0.411 Team Totals 46 20 23 19 6 9 53 0.5 0.558 1.087 1.645 Comment -
Who is the Best Defensive First Baseman All time?Comment -
I thought they blasted in fake crowd noises already.Comment -
Willie Montanez has got to be mentioned.
"there's not enough mustard to cover that hot dog"
Keith Hernandez
Don Mattingly (the best first baseman in the AL at the time but not even the best in New York City see:Keith Hernandez)
Casey Kotchman
Mark Grace
the list is endless.Comment -
Mixing and matching in the designated hitter spot is a fairly common approach for American League clubs. That may be all the more common if, as expected, National League teams are suddenly given a DH slot to work with for 2020. The Padres have some clear candidates for steady work but could certainly end up operating with a rotation as the team’s needs evolve.
There are two fairly obvious options for regular hitter-only usage in San Diego. First and foremost is Wil Myers, who has moved all over the diamond in recent years but never really found a home. He’s got to fit somewhere, as he’s earning a $20MM annual salary from 2020 through 2022. Myers has already produced thirty dingers in a big-league season, though he slumped last year.
The other possibility is the younger and less-established Josh Naylor, a converted first baseman who’s still learning the outfield. He has options aplenty, so it’s easy enough to keep him off of the active roster, but the Friars are surely interested to see if he’s a keeper. Naylor held his own but didn’t excel in his first attempt at the majors in 2019. But the 22-year-old has shown all he really needs to against upper-minors pitching, including exceptional plate discipline. The question remains whether he can deliver steady pop in the bigs.
So, how about some kind of platoon? Well, Naylor really hasn’t been vulnerable to lefties in the minors. And Myers hasn’t shown significant splits historically. But that did change last year, when he marauded lefties (130 wRC+) while failing to show up against same-handed hurlers (87 wRC+).
Odds are, the Pads will want both of these guys to cycle through spots on the field as well, both to keep everyone fresh and to enhance the organization’s long-term flexibility with those players. Plus, there’s an opportunity here to expand the team’s options behind the dish — Francisco Mejia could get some plate appearances as the DH — and elsewhere. It’d be nice to find added rest for the high-priced Manny Machado, for instance, and keeping Franchy Cordero healthy is a priority after several injury-plagued campaigns. It would be easy enough to slot Tommy Pham, Eric Hosmer, and even Brian Dozier into the DH spot from time to time.Comment -
On this day May 21, in 2013 exactly 7 years ago today, some 22 year old kid by the name of Mike Trout hit for the cycle.
And as Paul Harvey used to say "by now you know the rest of the story"Last edited by stevenash; 05-21-20, 06:56 AM.Comment -
Rizzo pretty amazing at first these days. Takes bunt coverage to a new level, has a great throwing arm, and bails out bad throws by infielders all the time.Comment -
I hate that the NL is considering going to the DH because I'm old school but I think they're going to do it and it will be the source of much debate between fans who either love it or hate it like me.Comment -
The DH needs to be in both leagues permanently.Comment -
A Mike Trout baseball rookie card sold for $900,000 today in a auction.Comment -
Like a few contributors here I'm old school too.
I never liked the DH, position players should hit and pitchers are position players.
Now having said that if there must be a DH and it's never going to go away then yes, both leagues have the DH for several reasons the main reason is because of all the inter league games.
For all intents and purposes there is no NL and AL anymore like it used to be.Comment -
It has been a dozen years since the Yankees swung a trade for outfielder Nick Swisher, who paid immediate dividends as part of the franchise and whose acquisition continues to benefit the organization to this day. On Nov. 13, 2008, the Yankees sent two minor league pitchers – Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez – as well as veteran infielder Wilson Betemit to the White Sox for Swisher and young hurler Kanekoa Texeira. Most of the pieces in the swap – Marquez, Nunez and Texeira – failed to pan out in the majors, but the move revived the switch-hitting Swisher’s career and helped him land a sizable payday in free agency down the road.
If we go back to the start, Swisher opened his career as a rather effective member of the Athletics, who chose him 16th overall in the 2002 draft. As a member of the big club from 2004-07, Swisher batted .251/.361/.464 (118 wRC+) with 80 home runs and 10.0 fWAR over 1,924 plate appearances, aiding Oakland in three plus-.500 seasons and a playoff berth. However, almost six years after spending a high pick on him, the A’s sold the affable Swisher, dealing him to the White Sox in January 2008 for a package led by left-hander Gio Gonzalez. That worked out fine for Oakland, which received a couple terrific years from Gonzalez before trading him to the Nationals in December 2011 in yet another notable transaction.
While the A’s profited from Gonzalez’s presence, his career took a bad turn in his first year out of Oakland. The 2008 campaign was one of the worst of Swisher’s time in the game, and he was unable to win the favor of then-White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen as a result. While Swisher was seemingly a solid clubhouse presence in the majors, Guillen thought the opposite. He said in November 2008, a little while after the White Sox parted with Swisher: “To be honest with you, I was not happy with the way he was reacting at the end of the season. He wasn’t helping me either.” Maybe the relationship would have been better had Swisher produced, though he instead struggled to a .219/.332/.410 line (93 wRC+) in 588 PA. But Swisher did pop 24 home runs, his third of nine straight seasons with 20-plus, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman decided to buy low on him.
To this day, the Swisher pickup looks like one of the most brilliant decisions of Cashman’s lengthy tenure atop New York’s front office. Swisher was a quality contributor throughout his time as a Yankee, including in a 2009 campaign that saw the team win its most recent World Series championship. From that season through 2012, Swisher’s last as a Yankee, he hit .268/.367/.483 (128 wRC+) with 105 HRs and 14.4 fWAR across 2,501 PA, also earning his lone All-Star berth in the process. But the Yankees were not willing to commit to Swisher once he became a free agent before 2013, which, for multiple reasons, was a wise call in hindsight.
In January 2013, the Ohio-born Swisher returned to his native state on a four-year, $56MM contract with the Indians. Unfortunately for Cleveland, it didn’t get anything close to the Yankees’ version of Swisher. Owing in part to knee problems, Swisher slashed a below-average .228/.311/.377 (92 wRC+) with 32 homers and minus-0.5 fWAR in 1,146 PA in an Indians uniform. They dealt Swisher to the Braves for outfielder Michael Bourn and infielder Chris Johnson in August 2015. That proved to be Swisher’s final season in MLB, though he did return to the Yankees on a minor league contract in 2016 before his career came to an end later that year.
The season after Swisher said goodbye to pro baseball, another star was born in New York. Towering right fielder Aaron Judge, a top 100 prospect in his younger days, exploded on the scene in 2017, batting .284/.422/.627 (174 wRC+), smacking 52 homers and racking up 8.3 fWAR. Judge fell short of AL MVP honors then, but he won Rookie of the Year in his league and was part of a club that took the eventual title-winning Astros to a seven-game LCS.
While injuries have somewhat limited Judge’s availability since his initial season, you can’t argue with the production he has managed when he has been able to take the field. Since his second year, Judge has recorded a line of .278/.392/.528 (good for a 146 wRC+) and amassed 54 dingers with 9.7 fWAR.
Judge is now 28 years old, a two-time All-Star and perhaps the face of the Bronx-based franchise, but he may have never gotten there if not for Swisher. Allowing Swisher to depart in free agency entitled the Yankees to a compensatory selection in the ensuing draft. They used that pick, No. 32 in 2013, on Judge – a former Fresno State Bulldog. So, not only did the Yankees benefit from Swisher’s best seasons as a pro, but stealing him from the White Sox 12 years ago is still paying off for them in a big way.Comment -
I forgot to mention Mike Trout is the youngest player ever to hit for the cycle at 22 years old .
On this day May 22, in 2014 exactly 6 years ago today, Chris Sale of the White Sox returned from the disabled list and retired 18 out of 19 Yankees.
Sale pitched six full innings had a no hitter going until Yankee batter Zoilo Almonte singled in the sixth inning.
Sale struck out ten Yankees allowed just that one single and walked none.
Sale improves to 4 and 0 as the White Sox win 3-2.Comment -
Trout is the Michael Jordan of baseball, good investment.Comment -
It's amazing how a trade to a good team is all it takes to revitalize a guys career. I always thought Swisher was a professional hitter but thats probably because I most remember him from his days as a Yankee where he had his most success.It has been a dozen years since the Yankees swung a trade for outfielder Nick Swisher, who paid immediate dividends as part of the franchise and whose acquisition continues to benefit the organization to this day. On Nov. 13, 2008, the Yankees sent two minor league pitchers – Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez – as well as veteran infielder Wilson Betemit to the White Sox for Swisher and young hurler Kanekoa Texeira. Most of the pieces in the swap – Marquez, Nunez and Texeira – failed to pan out in the majors, but the move revived the switch-hitting Swisher’s career and helped him land a sizable payday in free agency down the road.
If we go back to the start, Swisher opened his career as a rather effective member of the Athletics, who chose him 16th overall in the 2002 draft. As a member of the big club from 2004-07, Swisher batted .251/.361/.464 (118 wRC+) with 80 home runs and 10.0 fWAR over 1,924 plate appearances, aiding Oakland in three plus-.500 seasons and a playoff berth. However, almost six years after spending a high pick on him, the A’s sold the affable Swisher, dealing him to the White Sox in January 2008 for a package led by left-hander Gio Gonzalez. That worked out fine for Oakland, which received a couple terrific years from Gonzalez before trading him to the Nationals in December 2011 in yet another notable transaction.
While the A’s profited from Gonzalez’s presence, his career took a bad turn in his first year out of Oakland. The 2008 campaign was one of the worst of Swisher’s time in the game, and he was unable to win the favor of then-White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen as a result. While Swisher was seemingly a solid clubhouse presence in the majors, Guillen thought the opposite. He said in November 2008, a little while after the White Sox parted with Swisher: “To be honest with you, I was not happy with the way he was reacting at the end of the season. He wasn’t helping me either.” Maybe the relationship would have been better had Swisher produced, though he instead struggled to a .219/.332/.410 line (93 wRC+) in 588 PA. But Swisher did pop 24 home runs, his third of nine straight seasons with 20-plus, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman decided to buy low on him.
To this day, the Swisher pickup looks like one of the most brilliant decisions of Cashman’s lengthy tenure atop New York’s front office. Swisher was a quality contributor throughout his time as a Yankee, including in a 2009 campaign that saw the team win its most recent World Series championship. From that season through 2012, Swisher’s last as a Yankee, he hit .268/.367/.483 (128 wRC+) with 105 HRs and 14.4 fWAR across 2,501 PA, also earning his lone All-Star berth in the process. But the Yankees were not willing to commit to Swisher once he became a free agent before 2013, which, for multiple reasons, was a wise call in hindsight.
In January 2013, the Ohio-born Swisher returned to his native state on a four-year, $56MM contract with the Indians. Unfortunately for Cleveland, it didn’t get anything close to the Yankees’ version of Swisher. Owing in part to knee problems, Swisher slashed a below-average .228/.311/.377 (92 wRC+) with 32 homers and minus-0.5 fWAR in 1,146 PA in an Indians uniform. They dealt Swisher to the Braves for outfielder Michael Bourn and infielder Chris Johnson in August 2015. That proved to be Swisher’s final season in MLB, though he did return to the Yankees on a minor league contract in 2016 before his career came to an end later that year.
The season after Swisher said goodbye to pro baseball, another star was born in New York. Towering right fielder Aaron Judge, a top 100 prospect in his younger days, exploded on the scene in 2017, batting .284/.422/.627 (174 wRC+), smacking 52 homers and racking up 8.3 fWAR. Judge fell short of AL MVP honors then, but he won Rookie of the Year in his league and was part of a club that took the eventual title-winning Astros to a seven-game LCS.
While injuries have somewhat limited Judge’s availability since his initial season, you can’t argue with the production he has managed when he has been able to take the field. Since his second year, Judge has recorded a line of .278/.392/.528 (good for a 146 wRC+) and amassed 54 dingers with 9.7 fWAR.
Judge is now 28 years old, a two-time All-Star and perhaps the face of the Bronx-based franchise, but he may have never gotten there if not for Swisher. Allowing Swisher to depart in free agency entitled the Yankees to a compensatory selection in the ensuing draft. They used that pick, No. 32 in 2013, on Judge – a former Fresno State Bulldog. So, not only did the Yankees benefit from Swisher’s best seasons as a pro, but stealing him from the White Sox 12 years ago is still paying off for them in a big way.Comment -
I liked Nick Swisher too.
Great personality I love that shit eating grin he was always flashing.
It was as if he didn't give a shit. Always fun and always with a hot babe. Party animal.
He married a hot actress.
He says 2009 was the greatest year of his life, it's too bad he blew out both knees.
Nick had very solid four regular seasons as a Yankee.
He was with them from 2009 to 2012.
He was jacking up 26 taters per year driving in 90, pretty good batting average, very nice OBA.
I'm big on on base percentage, Nick walked a lot.
Here's his *regular* season stats as a Yank.
Here's the thing.Year Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB 2009-2012 NYY 598 2501 2127 331 570 134 4 105 349 5 7 327 531 0.268 0.367 0.483 0.85 124 1027 53 18 8 21 10 Average 150 625 532 83 143 34 1 26 87 1 2 82 133 257 13 5 2 5 3 per 162 games 162 678 576 90 154 36 1 28 95 1 2 89 144 278 14 5 2 6 3
Nick Swisher was not a very good post season hitter.
I hate to be brutal, but these post season numbers are as bad as it gets.
I can't explain it, I saw Nick Swisher play, it's like he was a deer in the highlights come October.
How bad was Swisher in the post season?
Dave Winfield bad. As a matter of fact just for shits and giggles I looked at Winfield's career playoff numbers, he hit .208
Swisher hit .165 as a Yankee in the post season, his overall post numbers are pretty much the same.
OK, how bad is this?
21 for 130 (.165) OBA was equally brutal (.277)
The OPS numbers are the absolute worst though. (.297)
For a guy who was belting out over 25 homers a season in the post season he only hit four in 130 at bats, and those four were solo shots.
The power numbers evaporated, poof nowhere to be found.
Like I said, 4 homers all solo shots in 130 at bats.
8 RBI, 12 runs scored.
Struck out 38 times. That's a 30 percent rate
Every three at bats he strikes out once.
Horrendous.
Post season stats as a Yankee.
Check out the lone World Series effrt.
Year Tm Series Opp AB R H HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 2009 NYY ALDS MIN 12 0 1 0 1 0 4 0.083 0.083 0.167 0.25 2009 NYY ALCS LAA 20 2 3 0 0 3 7 0.15 0.292 0.15 0.442 2009 NYY WS PHI 15 3 2 1 1 4 4 0.133 0.316 0.4 0.716 2010 NYY ALDS MIN 12 3 4 1 1 1 1 0.333 0.385 0.75 1.135 2010 NYY ALCS TEX 22 3 2 1 1 3 7 0.091 0.2 0.273 0.473 2011 NYY ALDS DET 19 1 4 1 1 1 5 0.211 0.25 0.368 0.618 2012 NYY ALDS BAL 18 0 2 0 1 2 5 0.111 0.19 0.111 0.302 2012 NYY ALCS DET 12 0 3 0 1 1 5 0.25 0.308 0.417 0.724 4 Yrs (8 Series) 130 12 21 4 8 15 38 0.165 0.277 0.297 0.575 1 WS 15 3 2 1 1 4 4 0.133 0.316 0.4 0.716 Comment
