The Sox Have Their Man

February 26, 2018 Off By tailgatesports

With J.D. Martinez’s press conference today, it finally hit me. This guy is going to be the man in Boston. He has showed flashes of being a star over his career, but on the Tigers he was always playing in Miguel Cabrera’s shadow and for Arizona he was always just a rental. In Boston though, he has the opportunity to hit the peak of his career on a contending team, with a new, exciting manager. JD Martinez might be the right fit to finally fill the void left behind when Ortiz retired. The abysmal power numbers from last year can not be solved by Martinez only.

The Sox success this year undoubtedly relies on contributions all around, but is it fair to say JD Martinez is the focal point of the offense? It’s definitely not unfair. The pairing of Mookie Betts and JD Martinez could be something this team hasn’t seen since Ortiz and Ramirez; I really believe that. We are ushering in a new era in Boston this spring and no one should be surprised. Martinez stats from the second half of last season were MVP caliber, and 45 Homers and a .305 batting average on the season are no joke. While Boston has proved too much for some free agents, the pressure has also made diamonds, like Manny or Pedro. There is always the lingering fear that a signing of this magnitude could turn into a Carl Crawford situation, but the reality is the Sox went out and got the best player there was on the market. So props to them, and now I can’t wait to watch what this guy and this team does this year.

So to get you fired up for what’s ahead here’s a little highlight compilation: