Writer Predicts Familiar Dodgers Coach May Get J.D. Martinez Back On Track

LA's new designated hitter will be joining an old friend who has helped him in the league before.

Your Los Angeles Dodgers have brought in J.D. Martinez this season for one reason, and his position name says it all. They need him to hit as many home runs as possible and bring as many runners in as he can. Over his 12-season career, Martinez has made the All-Star game five times and is on a short list of players to record 40 home runs in less than 120 games.

Martinez's reputatios is unquestioned but at 35 years old, there have been whispers that maybe he won't perform exactly the way fans hope for the Boys in Blue. Last season, he hit only 16 home runs and recorded a 117 OPS+ which are much lower than what we've gotten used to seeing from him, although still impressive. However, Martinez is hungry to capture another championship especially since he'll be reuniting with Mookie Betts, whom he won his first title with in 2018 representing the Boston Red Sox.

Another familiar face that Martinez will be working closely with is Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc. Van Scoyoc invested a lot of his time and resources during their Red Dox tenure into fixing the slugger's swing. He saw a lot of potential in his power but was able to make slight tweaks that went a long way. Following advice from Scoyoc, Martinez grew to be one of the best offensive players in baseball.

MLB writer Rowan Kavner believes that Martinez joining forces with the coach that elevated his career could lead to even more success for him in LA. He explained exactly what makes Scoyoc's methods so effective.

"Wallenbrock and Van Scoyoc are staunch proponents of film study, making observations of what the best players do and understanding and defining those movements for their pupils’ benefit," said Kavner. "His goal is not to coach players but to teach them how to coach themselves. He wants to cut them loose, to be made obsolete because they have such an understanding of their swing and how to self-correct."

Dodgers fans should be excited for this pair to be even closer now. Since Martinez has many years under his belt now, he will have a clear understanding of what he needs to do to win.