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Thread: Does JD Martinez own a first baseman's glove?

  1. #1

    Does JD Martinez own a first baseman's glove?

    After recently seeing his hitting splits between his DH games and his time in the outfield in his great first season in Boston, it is clear that he hits much better when he is on the field. It is also clear that our outfield is better defended by the trio of Benintendi, Bradley and Betts. And, another factor is that Martinez will far out produce the combination of Moreland and Pearce even if both guys were great teammates in this championship season.

    I see him as the classic hitter who needs to move to first base ASAP. Lots of other hitters have made this move (Banks, Yaz, Aaron, Mantle, etc) to keep their bats in the lineup while also helping their team defensively.

    With Martinez athletic ability there is no question he could handle first base. He also is a student of the game, so learning and understanding the mental parts of the position will not be a problem either.

    If he does not yet have a good first baseman's glove we should all donate a few dimes to get him one. Your thoughts..

  2. #2
    Deity
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    This does need to happen this year. At least against tough LHP and in NL parks...

  3. #3
    Deity Bellhorn04's Avatar
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    It's not a bad thought. But maybe JD is insistent on playing some outfield. Maybe he genuinely likes it.

    It wasn't a problem in 2018, it really wasn't. And for all the grousing about NL rules, we still kicked butt in those NL parks.

    We're talking about trying to tweak what was nearly perfect.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bellhorn04 View Post
    It's not a bad thought. But maybe JD is insistent on playing some outfield. Maybe he genuinely likes it.

    It wasn't a problem in 2018, it really wasn't. And for all the grousing about NL rules, we still kicked butt in those NL parks.

    We're talking about trying to tweak what was nearly perfect.
    And when it’s nearly perfect, all you should do is tweak...

  5. #5
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    If I was JD, I would say, Hell Yes, I'll try 1st base. gives me a year to learn the Position, and if he hits close to like last year, gives him a lot of Options to Opt. Out. Teams will be looking for a good hitting 1st Baseman, Decent RF, and DH. By going to 1st and doing decent Opens up the National League Market for him, a lot more then just RF.
    Last edited by OH FOY!; 11-09-2018 at 09:47 AM.

  6. #6
    Fight the Hate Dojji's Avatar
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    No NL team in the league would balk at JD martinez as an everyday OF. This isn't Manny we're talking about. He isn't even all that bad as a defensive corner OF, he grades out at maybe a tick or two below average, which his bat is more than good enough to justify. The only reason he didn't play more outfield here is he's completely outclassed by our regulars at every outfield position he plays. But that's true of nearly every other outfielder in Major League Baseball, so no sane person would hold it against him.

    I wouldn't be surprised if this was experimented with, after all first base is where our biggest hole is right now. But I also don't see an incredible need for this.
    If history tells us anything, the path to redeption for any bad baseball team is marked with a deep rotation of durable starters, a world class defense in both infield and outfield, a lineup that can generate runs in more than one way, a bullpen that won't steal defeat from the jaws of victory, and a top end catcher to hold the whole package together. These are the conditions by which victory is achieved, anything that does not accomplish these objectives is a waste of resources.

  7. #7
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    It’s not an incredible need. But when the time comes, most fans would probably prefer to bench Moreland over Benintendi...

  8. #8
    All-Star SoxnCycles's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by notin View Post
    It’s not an incredible need. But when the time comes, most fans would probably prefer to bench Moreland over Benintendi...
    What do they know??
    “The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

    "When you're dead, you don't know you're dead.
    It's only difficult for other people.

    It works the same way for stupid."

  9. #9
    Deity Slasher9's Avatar
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    i recommend the Nokona X2 Elite. i just picked one up for Manny. it's an amazing glove....kangaroo hide is soft like warm butter.
    http://www.nokona.mybigcommerce.com/x2-n70first-base/
    other names i have posted under: none

  10. #10
    JD has a -5 UZR/150 in short time in the Boston OF. He was at -18 in 2017, so that’s an improvement, lol. He’s not a tick below average. He’s considerably below average. His bat makes up for it. The idea of him playing 1b makes sense. He’s an FA after 2019 and in 2019, you’ve got two GG winners and a third guy far more capable defensively in Beni.

  11. #11
    Fight the Hate Dojji's Avatar
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    But because the bat makes up for it, my overall point stands. No MLB team in either league would balk at playing JD in the outfield unless they had 3 better options like we do..
    If history tells us anything, the path to redeption for any bad baseball team is marked with a deep rotation of durable starters, a world class defense in both infield and outfield, a lineup that can generate runs in more than one way, a bullpen that won't steal defeat from the jaws of victory, and a top end catcher to hold the whole package together. These are the conditions by which victory is achieved, anything that does not accomplish these objectives is a waste of resources.

  12. #12
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    Arizona had no problem sticking him in the Outfield. Probably the difference in them making the Play-offs, because of his bat. 29 HRS in 62 Games, they weren't worried too much about his Defense.
    This Opt. out has to be taken seriously.

  13. #13
    Deity moonslav59's Avatar
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    It's not so much about JD's abilities (or lack of them) in the OF, it's more about benching JBJ (or Beni) instead of Moreland.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Dojji View Post
    But because the bat makes up for it, my overall point stands. No MLB team in either league would balk at playing JD in the outfield unless they had 3 better options like we do..
    Of course, but if he can play 1b and you can keep your OF intact, wouldn’t that make more sense? Wouldn’t it make more sense to get him in the field if he is a better hitter when he’s out there? And where’s the harm in trying to get him in the field? If he goes to ST and they throw him a 1b mitt and he’s reasonable out there, then it only increases his value. If he’s entirely abysmal, then they can scrap it and have him split time at DH and OF.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by OH FOY! View Post
    Arizona had no problem sticking him in the Outfield. Probably the difference in them making the Play-offs, because of his bat. 29 HRS in 62 Games, they weren't worried too much about his Defense.
    This Opt. out has to be taken seriously.
    You want him to opt out. That means he has a great 2019 as well. Currently, he’s an all stick, no glove DH who fakes it in the OF. If he opts out, that means he has another strong offensive season in the middle of your lineup. If he doesn’t opt out, then his 2019 won’t have been good. Sox fans should plan on him opting out and expect a solid 2019.

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