Why Angel Martinez Could Have Massive Impact For Guardians In ALDS

Angel Martinez of the Cleveland Guardians hit a trio of Detroit Tigers pitchers well during the regular season.

Jul 13, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Angel Martinez (1) hits a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Many fans were shocked when the Cleveland Guardians released their ALDS roster, and Angel Martinez's name was not on it. The outfielder had been playing well since his recent call-up, and Cleveland should be willing to take all the offense they can get in the playoffs.

Instead, the Guardians opted to add Tyler Freeman to the roster. Some speculation revealed that the team may have chosen Freeman because of his success against the Detroit Tigers and starter Tarik Skubal.

However, the organization added Martinez back onto the roster after an injury to Freeman ahead of Game 2.

Now that Martinez is back with the team, he could actually make a big impact in this series if he's given the opportunity to play.

Martinez had 44 plate appearances against the Tigers in the regular season and had a slash line of .191/.205/.357 with an OPS of .562. At face value, these stats don't necessarily stick out. But, of his eight hits against Detroit, four of them were doubles, and one of them was a home run.

When Martinez did lock in one of their pitchers, he didn't hold back.

Sep 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez (1) advances to third during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Martinez also has individual success against some of Detroit's key pitchers. He's 2-for-3 against Keider Montero, 1-for-2 against Kenta Maeda, and 1-for-3 against Reese Olson. It wouldn't be surprising to see Stephen Vogt use Martinez as a pinch hitter if the Guardians have runners in scoring position and one of these pitchers is on the mound for Detroit.

One key to postseason success is finding matchups that favor your team. Martinez clearly has had an advantage against some of the Tigers' pitchers and could have a major impact on Cleveland because of that.