Dodgers: Star Infielder Is Looking to Work With LA's Offseason Addition
The Dodgers' offseason thus far had a lot more lows than highs. Justin Turner is gone, along with Trea Turner and Cody Bellinger. Those losses stung for both the organization and its fans; it’ll be weird going into the 2023 season without them.
The Boys in Blue didn’t add many players, or at least big players, this offseason, but one worth noting who will contribute right away is DH specialist J.D. Martinez.
Martinez signed a one-year $10 million deal with LA in late December and will essentially be taking over Justin Turner’s spot while he signed with the Boston Red Sox.
Dodgers infielder Max Muncy joined our friends at Dodgers Nation and spoke with Doug McKain about various topics. Muncy was asked how J.D. can impact the LA lineup, and he expressed how excited he is to learn from the power hitter.
“Man I’m very excited to get to start working with him. I’ve heard so many good things about him. I’ve heard just how much he can help other players. He loves to talk hitting. I know he’s close with Rob [Van Scoyoc] and Rob always talks about him. When you get a guy that you’ve heard nothing but great things about, you just get really excited. And on top of that, he’s a really good hitter. His numbers speak for themselves. And I just can’t wait to see how he goes about his routine. What he does on a daily basis, what he does in the cage, what he’s doing in BP. I can’t wait to watch that. When you have guys that are great hitters like that, there’s just so much you can pickup just by watching them. And I can’t wait to watch and on top of that, just talk to him. Learn about his approach, how he approaches certain pitchers. Whether it’s a guy he feels comfortable with or a guy he doesn’t feel comfortable with. I can’t wait to get that in there.”
It’s unsure where Martinez will be in the lineup, but one thing for sure is he will be LA’s news power bat.
The five-time All-Star had a .790 OPS last season, which was his lowest since 2013 on a bad Red Sox team, but he has a career .872 OPS.
Martinez made the All-Star team in four of the last five seasons (no All-Star Game in the Coivd shorten season) and had a .274 average along with 146 hits in 2022.
Acquiring J.D. is a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Dodgers. He will help the team tremendously while LA is fighting for the NL West crown.
A healthy Muncy and J.D. can be lethal in the early to middle part of the lineup. We cannot wait to see what this lefty-righty duo will look like in 2023.
