J.D. Martinez seems poised to get his first taste of the NLCS on Wednesday when the series shifts to Queens, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza indicated Tuesday.
“There’s a good chance he’s in the lineup tomorrow,” Mendoza revealed during the Mets workout at Citi Field. “He’s a professional hitter, and he means a lot to this team and to that lineup. So his presence — like I say, whenever he’s in there, he makes us a better team as well. So yeah, he’s going to continue to be a big part of the team moving forward.”
Martinez has been splitting time with lefty-hitter Jesse Winker during the postseason and Mendoza opted to go with the trade-deadline acquisition during the first two games of the series against the Dodgers.
Martinez, who hit a brutal .109 over his last 16 regular-season games, has fared well in his limited time this postseason, recording four hits and three RBIs in 14 at-bats for the Mets, who return to Citi Field tied 1-1 with the Dodgers in the NLCS.
Beyond just this year’s postseason run, Martinez has proven to be a valuable asset to have in the lineup during the playoffs spanning his time with the Tigers, Diamondbacks, Red Sox and Dodgers.
He’s posted a .293/.385/.556 slash line during his career in the playoffs and hit 10 home runs in 39 games.
Martinez, who spent last season with the Dodgers, was described as a “hitting whisperer” by Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts and is said to have helped to mentor Mookie Betts.
“Hopefully he’s not giving too many trade secrets, which I’m sure he is, how we think on the hitting side,” Roberts said on Tuesday. “He’s a hitting savant. He loves the game. He’s obsessed with hitting. Not the greatest of base runners, but he likes to hit. And he just commands respect. He’s won. He’s very likable. He cares. So obviously that was a big addition for the Mets. And he’s helped, I’m sure, in a lot of ways that people just don’t even realize.”
Martinez signed with the Mets in March on a one-year, $12 million deal, and on Wednesday Mendoza called having a mind like his inside the clubhouse a “privilege.”
“J.D. has been huge for us as a team,” Mendoza said. “Great guy in that clubhouse, not only for the offensive side, but just the experience and the way he sees the game and how he prepares and a special guy.”
