Haven't seen JD discussed here since he was released. Having a heck of a year in Detroit. With an OPS over .900, he'd have the highest on the Astros. And a WAR over 2 would put him near the top of the Astros as well. Curious as to what factored into the decision to release him. Obviously, it's looking like a horrible decision at this point. Granted, it hasn't been a whole year yet, but he's had enough plate appearances at this point to indicate it's more than a month long streak that he has going.
He is 27 and having a heck of a year. Only thing I can think of is with the Fowler trade adding an OF, Luhnow wanted to make sure he had plenty of at bats for Grossman and Krauss. To think he chose to have Krauss and Pressley on the club while sending JD packing is depressing. But, JD wasn't someone that Luhnow acquired, sure that played into the decision also
I'd also say him being bad while he was here was a factor. I would say his swing was fixed by Detroit, so it doesn't matter if we had kept him or not. If he can keep this up then that is great for him. Happy to see him perform well
Maybe, maybe not. He just turned 27 about a week ago. Almost all of his at bats with the Astros came when he was 25 or younger. All players don't reach their peak, figure it out, however you want to say it, by the time they are 25 years old. Also, in his last two years here he had 691 at bats, so a little over a full season's worth for a guy who plays everyday. In those at bats he hit 18 HR and drove in 91 runs. Not bad for a guy who was 24 and 25 years old in those seasons I would guess that his long term analytical numbers or something didn't impress Luhnow
He changed his swing over the winter. He was great in winter ball, but the team didn't really give him a chance to make the Astros and let him go instead.
Oh I see. Huh, I don't know then. I see he struggled in Spring Training, but like you said they didn't give him much of a chance.
I'm still not really sold on Martinez. He had an extremely hot stretch buoyed by a .421 BABIP, but has only posted a .723 OPS over the last 40 games. I always thought he could be a decent hitter, but obviously never expected this level of production. He was a street free agent, and the best he could do was a minor league deal with the Tigers, so we aren't the only team that let him pass.We'll see where he levels off at.
It is easier to put up offensive numbers when you are surrounded by other legit major league players. I don't see any Singletons or Grossmans in the Tigers lineup.
I started a thread on this when picked up on a AAA contract earlier this season. Can't search or would provide the link. I hope the same people who will suggest JD's line represents a small sample size or that there will be an inevitable regression are not the same people who are also declaring that Carter has 'figured it out' since July 1. Logical consistency often goes out the window w/ a select few if it conflicts with their unwavering alligiance to the current FO.
i blamed air langhi for putting a curse on him thought he'd bounce back, great to see him finally doing so. http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=219096
And yet, even in those 900 at bats in which you say he sucked on eggs, he was better than what we kept this year to play the OF
He went 0-4 yesterday, and now has a .705 OPS over the last 42 games. His career OPS was under .700 over his first 1000 career PA, then he had an extremely hot stretch this season and people assume that is the player he really is.
He was also 21/22/23 years old when he accumulated that "under .700 OPS" Don't you think it is possible for players to get better when they reach their mid 20's?
I show his birthdate as 5/6/1990, is that not correct? If so, then he is 24 right now. And when he came up in 2011 he would have been 21. The debate was about his first 1,000 at bats which wouldn't include this year, his age 24 year. Am I wrong on his date of birth? I just got it online so it could be wrong
