Diamondbacks right fielder J.D. Martinez has been one of majors’ top offensive players over the past few years, but his 2014 breakout wouldn’t have come if not for Los Angeles-based hitting coaches Craig Wallenbrock and Robert Van Scoyoc, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic details. When Martinez first visited the duo four years ago, his swing “was pretty terrible, to be honest,” according to Van Scoyoc. Added Wallenbrock, “We probably made more drastic changes with him than we did with anybody.” Martinez began working diligently with the pair after the 2013 season (before the Astros released him in March 2014), and the fly ball-first approach they preach has paid enormous dividends. As an Astro from 2011-13, Martinez hit .251/.300/.387 with 24 home runs and a 33.3 percent fly ball rate in 975 trips to the plate. Since then, Martinez has combined for 2,143 plate appearances with the Tigers and D-backs and slashed .300/.362/.574 with 128 HRs and a 40.1 percent fly ball rate. The 30-year-old currently stands as one of the game’s premier free agents-to-be, and realizes he wouldn’t be where he is without Wallenbrock and Van Scoyoc. “I am who I am because of them,” Martinez said.
More from the National League:
- The Cardinals are in search of power, something third baseman Jedd Gyorko provided both last year and this season, but it’s possible he’ll be on another roster in 2018, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. While Gyorko has hit a team-high 50 home runs since 2016 (20 this year) and, in manager Mike Matheny’s words, “played a phenomenal third base,” the Cardinals could shop him if they make changes at his position or elsewhere in in the infield. Gyorko, who’s controllable through 2020 at reasonable costs, wants to stay where he is. “I would love to be here, but who knows?” he said. “If I could spend the rest of my career here that would be great. I can’t see any reason why you wouldn’t want to play here.”
- Elsewhere in the Cardinals’ infield, the presence of power-hitting shortstop Paul DeJong gives them a leg up on most teams, Benjamin Hochman of the Post-Dispatch argues. Of the top eight shortstops in home runs this year, five ended up in the postseason, Hochman points out. The 24-year-old DeJong was one of the three who didn’t, but the rookie still posted outstanding production with 25 long balls – good for second at his position – to go with a .285/.325/.532 line and a .247 ISO over 443 PAs. But DeJong’s output did come with some good fortune – with 124 strikeouts against 21 unintentional walks, he logged one of the worst ratios in the game. Further, according to Statcast (via Baseball Savant), DeJong’s expected weighted on-base average (.323) lagged far behind his actual wOBA (.365). Sill, Hochman expects DeJong to be the answer for the Cards at short, a position Aledmys Diaz couldn’t lock down this season after unexpectedly bursting on the scene as a rookie in 2016.
- In a decision that raised eyebrows at the time, outfielder Jayson Werth left the contending Phillies for the upstart Nationals’ seven-year, $126MM offer in December 2010. The Nationals have turned into a winning organization since then, in part because of Werth, Nats GM Mike Rizzo told Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “I brought him here to shape us as a championship-caliber franchise,” Rizzo said. “Slowly, we’ve kind of morphed into a very professional organization. We have a protocol and a process. He has been an instrumental factor in getting us where we’re at.” Werth’s production has been a mixed bag in D.C., but the club “got everything we intended to get out of” signing him, Rizzo contends. Werth, meanwhile, is “proud” of the “first-class organization” the Nats have become during his seven-year run, and he’s content to “leave this organization in a better state than when I arrived.”
I’d love to see the DBacks re-sign Martinez in the offseason. But I understand that it’s highly unlikely that they can afford Greinke, Martinez and Goldy long term as well as fielding a quality team around them.
I think its ridiculous to not expect regression from Dejong. If he’s good, then great, but don’t count on it. A guy who struck out like 125 times without playing a full season, and had a good bit of luck. Don’t count on it, and don’t count on Garcia as being a replacement either.
Would either DeJong, or Diaz for that matter, have been given an opportunity at all of the team was counting on Garcia?
Sure he struck out a lot but he also let the team in home runs drove in 77 and hit over .280 and he’s only 24. I wouldn’t call him an elite hitter at least not yet but I think this guy is legit. I guess we won’t know till we see him play a full season.
Led*
Everyone knocked Baez for his high strikeouts and look how he turned out.
Yeah he strikes out a ton
better keep jedd. ellie mae carpenter can go, and i wish jethro matheny would go, too.
I’d keep jedd unless he’s part of a deal to vastly upgrade somewhere, not very many 3b better than gyorko and most of those are untouchable such as Bryant, arenado, machado, etc. now if Donaldson is available then I’d let gyorko go in a heartbeat. Otherwise cards need to trade from depth which is outfield and pitching.
I’d prefer to keep him and utilize him like Ben Zobrist
I think most of us Cards fans would prefer that as well, but if the Cardinals make an attempt at trading for a legit, every day third baseman, I would think their suitor would want Gyorko in return in an attempt to fill the void. Especially since an elite third baseman will make more than Gyorko and so if that team wants to fill the position with a capable, more cost controlled player, Gyorko goes in whatever deal they make.
Other than the ones you named, I’d add at least Suárez, J Turner, Rendon, Lamb, K Seager as 3B that are better than Gyorko
Baseball reference has him at second behind arenado for total zone runs. Plus he has a good bat. Small sample size but he’s vastly underrated as an everyday 3b
I’d like to know how Diaz is going to play into The Cards’ 2018 plans.
As trade bait
Call the Padres
Gyrko was brought to Cards as a platoon guy,he started out doing that last year before gaining the 3b job everyday,this year he started out everyday and wore out after the all star break,needs to be used as a platoon guy at 3rd,2nd ,s and 1b as he did in 2016.
Delong is a way better fielder than Diaz,and even if he hits 250 with 15 hr you can win with that.
he hit around .280 with 20 plus home runs this year. did they win? no
They did win. They had a winning record. They did not make the playoffs, but they did have a winning record.
Agreed
Given the description of Martinez’s late ascendence in relation to production over his first 3+ yrs. in MLB, one could just as easily believe that the same potential is still there for Randal Grichuk. To all the haters out there; I wouldn’t give up on him just yet.
Moustakas and Hosmer would look good in Cardinal red. Then they could package Carp, Gyorko, and Grichuk (just to start) for Giancarlo
I like the way fungie is thinking!!
Sounds good to me!!
Hard pass on Hosmer
I’m with you and said so on my blog, but include Piscotty in the trade bait mix too. Clear out all the “extras” in the OF as part of a Stanton trade. Throw in Diaz. Give the Jeterites all the cheap depth, first. If Jeter wants more “quality” for Stanton, then you eventually ask him to start eating contract. link to socraticgadfly.blogspot.com
Like Moustakis. Drool over Stanton. What I’m afraid of is getting Hosmer or Yelich and no one else. They’re certainly an upgrade in the outfield and at first but I don’t think they have enough pop in the bat unless we get Stanton or JD Martinez to go along with them. Donaldson’ age concerns me a little. I think Stanton would take something like Reyes, Bader, Pham and one more maybe Flaherty, Hudson or Kelly. Doubt they want Carp because of wanting to cut salary. Probably get negative feedback about giving up so many prospects. I’d make it in a NY minute. I mean it’s Stanton for unproven prospects and I guy I think might be a one year wonder in Pham.
I would love to see the Cardinals make a trade with the Rangers for Cole Hamels and Adrian Beltre along with a trade to the Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton. I’d figure Matt Carpenter and Stephen Piscotty would be a good start for the Rangers with cash and one or two lower end pitching prospects also heading to the Rangers. As for Stanton I would begin with Bader, Flaherty, and Hudson and go from there. This would leave a Rotation of Martinez, Hamels, Wacha, Weaver, Wainwright/Reyes and a lineup of Wong, Pham, Beltre, Stanton, Fowler, Dejong, Molina, and Jose Martinez. If Dejong hits a sophomore slump, you still have Diaz and Gyorko who can work as utilitymen with Grichuk and Kelly wrapping up the bench assuming the Cardinals plan to continue the 8 man bullpen. I don’t see a need to spend big for JD Martinez or Eric Hosmer.
Cole Hammels will be 34 next year and Beltre 39. Neither player helps STL. Trading young controllable players with low salaries for two aged veterans passed their prime makes no sense. Ozuna will be 27 and Stanton 28. They make sense because they have 10+ years of baseball left. Belle & Cole don’t have 10 years combined.
I think Hamels makes plenty sense. He obviously isn’t the same as he was in his prime but with two years left, he can help with a rotation with Martinez, Reyes, and Weaver still developing into true major leaguers. As for Beltre, he has one year left but he can give the impact and leadership this team desperately needs while bridging the Cardinals into the next free agency. I agree 100% Stanton is a good idea, but Ozuna just crowds the outfield more than needed. With Pham, fowler, Stanton, Grichuk, and Martinez as outfielders and Sierra and O’Neill at the doorstep, I don’t think Ozuna should be a target unless Stanton cannot be achieved.