The Yankees-Red Sox ALDS series is a treat for TBS, and considering we haven’t seen the two teams face off in the playoffs since 2004, it’s actually an appealing matchup.
One of the stories of the Boston season: J.D. Martinez, who put up a monster year after going unsigned for a lengthy portion of last offseason, ostensibly due to defensive concerns. The problem with that is that, first of all, we still don’t really know how accurate defensive metrics are. And we also don’t know how to weight defense; Martinez is the kind of hitter that can split time between DH and the outfield and still be a productive player.
That’s exactly what he did this season, when he slashed .330/.402/.629 and hit 43 home runs en route to a 5.9 fWAR year.
You want a bat like that on your team, because he can do things like he did tonight, when he rudely welcomed J.A. Happ to the playoffs:
Martinez is probably not going to win the MVP only because his teammate, Mookie Betts, also had a tremendous season. But he’s still an incredibly dangerous and consistent bat, which is critical for a short playoff series.
