Do the Arizona Diamondbacks have two N.L. MVP candidates?
By Trisha Garcia
J.D. Martinez is breaking records and taking names in the short time he has spent with the Arizona Diamondbacks, so much so that he could be making a bid for the National League MVP
The Arizona Diamondbacks no doubt have one MVP candidate in Paul Goldschmidt, but with his fourth Player of the Week award this season, J.D. Martinez could easily be a second.
You could argue that he hasn’t played enough games to warrant an MVP-candidacy in the National League, but J.D. Martinez was on a good track in the American League before being traded.
It wasn’t his choice to be traded to another team, let alone another league. But, he’s done nothing but produce since joining the Diamondbacks.
Martinez, the 30-year-old outfielder, has 24 home runs in 51 games since joining the Diamondbacks on July 19.
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Not only has he become the fifth player in Major League history to hit 40 homers with multiple teams in a single season, but his 24 home runs in the second half is a team record.
He started his season with the Detroit Tigers, where Martinez hit 16 home runs and earned two Player of the Week awards in the A.L. The Diamondbacks became the clear winners of the trade deadline almost immediately.
In his first eight games in an Arizona uniform, Martinez hit five home runs. Those five home runs came on six hits.
Just when you thought he couldn’t get any better, Martinez is batting .424 (25-for-50) with 11 homers and 22 RBI in his last 14 games.
But, in just 51 games, Martinez has 55 hits, including his 24 home runs and 51 RBI’s.
If you’d like to put that in perspective, since July 19, this is how the other MVP candidates have performed.
- Paul Goldschmidt – 55 H, 14 HR, 44 RBI
- Nolan Arenado – 64 H, 16 HR, 52 RBI
- Charlie Blackmon – 74 H, 13 HR, 28 RBI
- Joey Votto – 64 H, 9 HR, 27 RBI
- Giancarlo Stanton – 57 H, 25 HR, 50 RBI
Martinez has almost matched Giancarlo Stanton’s numbers in the same amount of time. That’s how good he has been since moving to the N.L.
He’s not just the first ever player to win four Player of the Week awards in the same season, but he’s a legitimate MVP candidate.
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