It's no secret J.D. Martinez struggled during the 2020 Major League Baseball season, but 2021 is a totally different story.
Martinez looks like the 2018 version of himself early on with five home runs and 16 RBIs through the Boston Red Sox's first eight games. He even was named the American League Player of the Week.
The 33-year-old couldn't look over video as frequently as he would have liked in 2020 due to COVID-19. And it's clear how much that's played a role now that Martinez is back in the video room correcting any mistakes he may find watching it back.
Martinez's offense certainly has been a crucial part of the Red Sox's six-game win streak, and MLB.com has taken notice naming his hot streak as one of the season's "major moments" thus far.
Here's why:
The player tied for the league lead in homers and second in slugging is none other than Martinez. The Red Sox have won six in a row in large part because of a substantial improvement with their pitching, which was a nightmare in 2020. But J.D. Martinez had a nightmare of a 2020 as well; he put up his worst numbers since before his swing transformation, since he was in Houston. Well, fresh off a three-homer game, he’s already just two homers short of his 2020 total. The Red Sox needed this guy. We all do. Heck, he might be the next YermÃn Mercedes!
Yes, it's still very early in the season, and there's plenty of baseball left to be played. But Martinez's recent surge -- as well as the Red Sox's win streak -- have given fans plenty of reasons to be optimistic going forward.
