Six-time MLB All-Star J.D. Martinez notches RBI in Syracuse Mets win.
SYRACUSE, NY — It’s not everyday that a six-time MLB All Star suits up for the Syracuse Mets.
But Tuesday night, one did- and his name is J.D. Martinez.
Martinez signed with the New York Mets on a one-year, $12 million deal in late March. His signing came just a couple of days before the end of spring training, forcing him to gear up for the season in the minor leagues.
Martinez started at DH for the Syracuse Mets and went 1-4 with an RBI single on Tuesday.
“I’m excited to be up there, I’m excited to help them out, I’m excited to be a part of the team,” said Martinez Tuesday. “My role is the role (I’ve had) my whole career- to bat in the middle of the order and drive in runs.”
The 13-year MLB veteran played in just one game with the Single-A St. Lucie Mets prior to joining Triple-A Syracuse.
“I just gotta get repetition,” he said. “The more at-bats, the more I’m able to find what I need to work on and get my timing and my bearings right.”
Martinez, a Scott Boras client, battled a stagnant baseball free agent market this offseason. The slugger slashed .271/.321/.572 with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, putting up 33 home runs and 103 RBIs. He admitted that he was surprised by the inability to reach a deal before the end of spring training.
“I was very surprised,” he said. “It’s kind of sad, on the whole baseball side of things. I feel like I had a really good year last year and I was deserving of signing early and not two days before the team breaks (camp). It was just unfortunate. I think it’s one of those things that’s bad for baseball when you have a lot of good players out there that are signing so late, players that can help teams win and they’re not signing and essentially just getting thrown into the fire at the last second.”
Martinez is expected to play in Syracuse again on Wednesday before possibly joining the big club when they return home from a stint on the west coast later this week.
