J.D. Martinez Is Again

As a hitting mechanics nerd, there are a couple of gamers on my shortlist of fellows who I’d like to get within the cage with and discuss their course of, growth, and mindset within the batter’s field. J.D. Martinez is one in every of them. He’s established a popularity for himself as a cerebral hitter. It was a key purpose for his breakout season in 2014, his rebound in 2021 after a tough shortened season in 2020, and now his resurgence in 2023. Despite an IL stint earlier this month for a again concern, Martinez has destroyed baseballs just lately and pushed his wRC+ as much as a 146 on the season. In May alone, he posted a 172 wRC+ and .392 ISO.

His energy stroke is again after engaged on recovering it with Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc all through spring coaching and the opening month of the season. The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya spoke to Martinez and Van Scoyoc in early April about Martinez dropping effectivity in one of the crucial vital features of his swing: his hand row. Martinez pointed to a line of bodily compensations in his swing on account of an ankle damage from the 2018 World Series that he reaggravated down the stretch in 2021. When you’re as in tune along with your mechanics and the place your barrel is in area as Martinez is, these little aggravations can considerably impression the best way you perceive how your physique is shifting. Before leaping into some video displaying how Martinez has modified since final 12 months with Boston, let’s check out some batted ball and efficiency information that element how significantly better he has been this season:

These information factors present that Martinez was already darn good final 12 months by way of high quality of contact regardless of not being the perfect model of himself. Only three different gamers within the league have had larger jumps in xwOBACON from final season to this one, and none had better than a .400 mark in 2022. To flip it round and have his highest xwOBACON since 2017 (when he hit 45 dwelling runs in 119 video games) is outstanding.

When I wrote about Martinez’s signing throughout the offseason, I defined how a few of his misplaced injury got here from not punishing mistake breaking balls like he had in earlier seasons. In Ardaya’s piece, he notes that Martinez wasn’t capable of modify to completely different sequences due to the lack of effectivity in his higher physique mechanics. With Martinez turning that round, his efficiency towards breaking balls has rebounded as nicely. Below is a desk detailing that development:

Martinez’s .630 mark within the coronary heart of the zone gained’t be that top when the season ends, however it’s proof that he has gotten his bat path again to the purpose the place he can cowl breaking balls and fastballs with exhausting contact within the air. He continued to hit fastballs extraordinarily nicely final 12 months even with the general downward pattern, so a give attention to extending his bat path to be extra adaptable to breaking balls made sense. When you have already got a blueprint for achievement, it will probably function a reminder for what you want to search for whenever you’re struggling. Martinez could not precisely be pondering that he must be higher towards breaking balls, however his changes have led to it.

In phrases of plate self-discipline, there haven’t been any main adjustments year-over-year, and even in comparison with another 12 months throughout his prime. Just about the whole lot is according to his profession norms, from chase price to swing price. The solely notable level is that Martinez appears to be looking what Statcast calls “meatballs” extra incessantly. At 93.6%, he’s swinging at a career-high price towards these pitches. Given how a lot injury he has achieved within the coronary heart of the plate, that tracks nicely!

Now, let’s get to his mechanics. Since Martinez and Van Scoyoc had been centered on the palms, we’ll do the identical. Sometimes entrance going through video is difficult to come back by, however fortunately Craig Hyatt has been on high of it. The first swing right here is from final season, whereas the second is from this season:

Martinez HR! pic.twitter.com/UIOXIKoe6q

— Craig Hyatt (@HyattCraig) October 6, 2022

J.D. Martinez – Los Angeles Dodgers pic.twitter.com/ppokOT77Xb

— Craig Hyatt (@HyattCraig) January 1, 2023

The first video comes from October of 2022. Martinez had been significantly better on this month than in earlier ones, so he was monitoring nearer to his peak self, however there are nonetheless notable variations. It’s a disgrace we don’t have entry to extra video like this because it’s the easiest way for instance adjustments in higher physique mechanics, however that’s okay. This is sufficient to present how nonetheless Martinez’s head and entrance facet keep as his palms undergo their course of. This barely quieter motion appears extra easy. When hitting and pitching coaches discuss effectivity, one straightforward solution to see if an athlete is shifting extra effectively is that if it appears easy. Effortless actions are deceiving for athletes this highly effective. You would possibly assume the hitter (or pitcher) appears like they aren’t making an attempt, however that’s as a result of the whole lot is sequenced completely.

In that very same interview with Ardaya, Martinez mentions nonetheless having the ability to get by with the mechanics he had his previous couple of seasons in Boston. He was proficient sufficient to routinely beat fastballs and be an above-average hitter, however he wanted one thing else to make him smoother and extra adaptable. By specializing in his hand row earlier than making his ahead motion, his hips are not sliding ahead too early in his swing.

Hip sliding is a bat path killer. When your heart of mass drifts ahead earlier than you create separation along with your higher physique, your bat path is lower off and also you change into a extra one-dimensional hitter. It decreases the size of stretch you can also make in your physique as you’re ready to drag the set off. The longer you’ll be able to maintain your athletic stretch, the extra room you will have for releasing a fast snap. Or put one other means, the extra adaptable to completely different pitch speeds you’re. This change has helped Martinez keep on elite backdoor sinkers, as he did when he hit this 105-mph line drive towards Michael King:

Or sliders, as with this 104-mph line drive towards Spencer Strider:

Or changeups, like when he stayed on this Josh Fleming providing lengthy sufficient to smoke it to the pull facet:

This is Martinez’s recreation – scorching offspeed and breaking balls to the left half of the sphere, and fastballs from the massive gaps in direction of proper discipline. By higher aligning his palms along with his hips, he’s in a greater place to make barrel and physique changes relying on pitch velocity and peak.

We’re witnessing the perfect model of Martinez we’ve seen in years. From a batted ball perspective, he’s all the best way again. His stroll price is likely to be beneath 6% for the primary time in a very long time, however the high quality of his contact is greater than sufficient to make up for it. Assuming he can keep wholesome for his new membership in LA, this one-year deal is shaping as much as be among the finest signings of the offseason.