Xander Bogaerts of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with J.D. Martinez. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Xander Bogaerts got a batting tip from his Boston Red Sox teammate J.D. Martinez and proceeded to have a four-hit game and smash a pair of home runs.
When his baseball career is over, J.D. Martinez may have a second career as a hitting coach if his success with his Red Sox teammate Xander Bogaerts is any indication.
Bogaerts had a four-hit game on Sunday when he also hit a pair of home runs and he credited Martinez for helping find some rhythm in the batters box and early momentum in the shortened season.
“I kind of tried explaining to them that I was feeling like I was stuck at the plate. I didn’t feel like I had much rhythm. I just felt kind of weak at the plate,” Bogaerts told Mass Live after Sunday’s two-homer game. “J.D. talked to me about maybe just moving a little bit, get some type of movement going, some type of rhythm. I did it yesterday and I continued with it today. And it paid off.”
Maybe more Red Sox hitters should be holding sessions with Martinez in the batting cage?
With the COVID-19 pandemic throwing a sizable wrench in how players were able to prepare for the 60-game sprint of a season, Bogaerts admitted he wasn’t quite right at the start of the season. But now, he’s feeling locked in as the Red Sox try to return to the postseason.
“At the beginning of the season, obviously we didn’t have much time to ramp up,” Bogaerts added. “So I was kind of out in front a lot. Jumpy. So I was just trying to let the ball get deep and try to work on my timing.”
That can be attributed to the proverbial “trying to do too much” by Bogaerts because players don’t have the luxury of easing into the season when they get their timing down in April and May before heating up in the warm summer months.
Now that he’s got his tips from Martinez and showing immediate dividends at the plate, he could be poised for one of his better offensive seasons, albeit in a much shorter season.
Entering Tuesday’s night, the Red Sox are last in the AL East with a 3-7 record, so it’s time for Martinez to give some tips to the rest of the lineup, and maybe some pitchers too.