Dodgers News: JD Martinez Details Key to Resurgent Season

Back to his previous All-Star form.

Struggling through a down second half to end his 2022 season with the Red Sox, the Dodgers took a chance on designated hitter J.D. Martinez with a one-year "prove it" contract this offseason. 

Knowing Los Angeles' pension to helping veteran players rekindle their previous form, Martinez's fix with the Dodgers has been a similar story, showing signs of his old play with some simple adjustments. 

Determining that his bat speed was slowing down in comparison to his best power years with both Detroit and Boston, Martinez had his lowest home run total since 2013 in a full year with 16. 

Knowing that his game needed adjustment, the slugger put in the work to speed up his bat to the level he knew he was capable of and noticed that a power surge was imminent with such an alteration to his approach at the plate. 

Martinez had a bat speed in the low 70s during the early phases of the program. Driveline's metrics place league-average bat speed at 72.8 mph, with elite residing in the 75 mph to 76 mph range. Martinez, the Driveline analysts told him, used to reside in the latter category. "And I'm like, 'Twenty-one plus 16 is what? Thirty-seven -- right where I normally am," Martinez said. "So then I just really dedicated myself to it. I said, 'I'm going to do this. I'm going to commit to it and see what happens.'"

via Alden Gonzalez, ESPN.com

Closer to his previous power numbers, Martinez's season has been stellar up to this point aside from a recent placement on the IL with a groin injury that's been lingering over the past month. 

Though we hope that Martinez's injury isn't too serious, his contributions to the team even up to this point have been far more than player or his new team could've imagined when signing.