Red Sox land J.D. Martinez: Fantasy Fallout

It took nearly till the start of spring training games, but J.D. Martinez has finally landed with a team. Now inked to a five-year deal with the Red Sox, what is the fantasy fallout of the news?

So much for the Red Sox needing a power bat. Boston has landed the biggest bat on the free agent market, as J.D. Martinez is now headed to Fenway. Now tasked with the job of being the main power source in Beantown, what is the fantasy fallout of the news?

Martinez’s ascension to fantasy stardom is well documented. After remaking his swing, his power has skyrocketed and the numbers have followed. Since 2014, he has posted at least a .282/ 22 HR/68 RBI line per season. His 2017, was nothing short of dominant.

Even though he missed all of May, Martinez went on to mash and finished with a .302/45 HR/104 RBI/1.066 OPS.  performance.  Even though he saw his LD drop down to 19%, he upped his FB rate to 43% while raising his Hard contact rate to 49%.

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Martinez continued his approach to drive the ball to all fields last season, posting a 30% batted ball clip to all fields.

He was second in the league, behind new division mate Aaron Judge, with a 20% Barreled ball rate as well, further cementing the fact that he is one of the best power options in baseball.

The move to Boston is certainly a friendly fantasy landing spot. His addition to an already solid lineup allows owners the confidence that he can provide plenty of counting stats.

There is not anything really negative to take away from this news. Now 45 HR are an already impressive number as it is. If he can simply replicate it, he is still a bonafide stud, but owners can not just assume that 50 HR are next in Boston. Yet, playing at Fenway definitely helps in terms of continuing his OPS prowess at the least.

Next: Fantasy Baseball: Five Innings Eater Targets

J.D. Martinez is the conversation as a first-round pick this spring.  With another hitter-friendly ballpark as his home,  a youthful core all around him in the lineup, and one of the best approaches in the game, Martinez is just about as close to a .280/30 HR/100 RBI lock that you can find.

Target him aggressively.