Since the Mets signed J.D. Martinez in March, they’ve talked a lot about his knowledge of hitting and what he can pass along to some of the team’s younger hitters.
Hitting coach Jeremy Barnes mentioned again in San Francisco this week when asked about the pending arrival of the 36-year-old slugger, whose Mets debut has been delayed by back issues, as Barnes said Martinez “could probably be a hitting coach in his own right.”
Though that part of Martinez’s game will surely be valuable, when he’s expected to finally get in a game for the Mets on Friday night when they open a seven-game homestand beginning with the Cardinals, they still need him to do something else: hit.
That’s what Martinez has done throughout his career, including last season with the Dodgers, when he finished with his highest OPS (.893) since 2019, when he was an All-Star in Boston.
Carlos Mendoza said he planned to hit Martinez fifth in the lineup, right behind Pete Alonso.
“My goal, and [fellow hitting coach Eric Chavez]’s goal, is to give him what he needs right now,” Barnes said of Martinez, who went 3-for-8 with a double in his tuneup with Triple-A Syracuse. “We’re not looking to overhaul anything or change anything. We just want him to insert himself in the lineup and give us quality at-bats.”
While the Mets’ bats went quiet in three of their final four games on their otherwise successful West Coast swing, they come back to Citi Field still having scored six or more runs in four of their last seven games.
Francisco Lindor seems to be shaking off his early-season struggles, which should also help an offense that will be without Francisco Alvarez for the next month-plus following his thumb surgery.
They rank in the top half of the majors in several major categories, so Martinez shouldn’t be asked to carry too much of the load, as had been feared when the team got off to its horrific start to the season.
“He’s a really well-respected, veteran hitter who has been through a lot of changes in MLB and adapted very well,” Brandon Nimmo said. “I think he’s someone we’ll try to pull on for wisdom and try and see what he’s done for success over the years. And from there, we’ll let J.D. be J.D. and watch and see what he does.”
Even with needing two IL stints a year ago in Los Angeles, first due to a groin injury and later in the season because of back tightness, Martinez managed to be productive, which is why it was somewhat surprising it took until late March for the right-handed hitter to find a home, thanks to the one-year, $12 million deal he signed with the Mets.
The back injury during spring that required a cortisone shot is certainly concerning.
And the early fate of some of the other late-signing veteran free agents hasn’t been promising, with Cody Bellinger off to a rough start with the Cubs before he landed on the IL with fractured ribs just as he began to heat up at the plate and Blake Snell is shelved with an adductor strain after making three poor starts with the Giants — although Jordan Montgomery has been solid in his first two outings with the Diamondbacks.
If Martinez is feeling good, there’s no reason to believe he won’t soon pick up where he left off last year with the Dodgers.
“He knows what he needs to do,” Barnes said. “He’s been through the trials and tribulations of a big-league season. He knows what it’s like to stand in the batters’ box in big moments. He’s really cultivated his approach and swing and everything he does is professional.”
Now the Mets will get a closeup look at what that means, as Martinez slides into the regular DH role.
“We’re more than happy to have him [at DH] and can’t wait to see what he brings to this offense,” Nimmo said.
— Additional reporting by Mike Puma