LAKELAND, Fla. – J.D. Martinez has come a long way, indeed.
Just a year ago, Martinez was was more of a cheerleader than a ballplayer in Houston's spring training camp.
Recommended Videos
"I went from making every road trip, never playing and just watching the game to actually playing, getting at-bats and getting ready for a season," said Martinez before the Tigers took on the Atlanta Braves at Joker Marchant Stadium Thursday. "It's a lot more relaxing, not as stressful."
For sure, Martinez's situation has changed. Best of all, he isn't just a piece for the Tigers, but a key.
If the Tigers are going to win the AL Central for a fifth straight season and make the postseason once more, they will need Martinez to be, well, the J.D. Martinez of 2014.
It's strange to be talking this way about a guy who was released before last season. The Astros totally gave up on him after three years in their system, only to watch Martinez, 27, hit .315 with 23 homers and 76 RBI for the Tigers in 2014.
Martinez, batting in the cleanup spot, had an RBI single in the first inning en route to three hits in his first three at-bats in his most recent Spring Training outing.
And while Martinez likely won't hit cleanup in the regular season, the Tigers need him to produce like a cleanup hitter.
"He's huge for us," Tigers' ace Justin Verlander said about Martinez importance in 2015. "He was a big key last season."
Everybody knows what to expect offensively from Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, even though both veterans will start the season coming off of injuries.
J.D. Martinez? Not as much.
The Tigers hope he will simply pick up where he left off last season. In the postseason against the Baltimore Orioles in the first round, Martinez hit home runs in each of his first two playoff games. He became first Tiger to ever accomplish that feat.
Many, however, believe after all the damage Martinez did, teams won't challenge him as much with fastballs and instead, he'll get a steady diet of breaking balls in the dirt.
Martinez isn't concerned. He said he won't change the approach that made his 2014 campaign so successful.
"I'm going to have the same approach as last year," Martinez said. "With our lineup, teams will be kind of put up against a corner.
"They are going to have to pick and chose who they want to pitch to."
Still, adjustments are a part of the game and Martinez knows successful Major Leaguers have to adjust on the fly.
"Every team is watching," Martinez said. "They have their advance scouts watching what you can and can't hit."
Tigers fans were thrilled with Martinez, who helped spark the offense and filled the void of Prince Fielder's departure.
Still, in the back of most fans heads was the fear that Martinez would fall back to Earth and stop producing.
After all, the Tigers got lucky and got big time production from an unexpected source off the scrapheap.
Verlander said he expects Martinez to be ready for anything this season.
"Adjustments were made to him a lot last year and he proved he could overcome those adjustments," said Verlander about Martinez, who was the MLB Player of the Week June 16-22, 2014. "He did a fantastic job. He started hitting off-speed stuff.
Last season, Martinez exploded in the minors at Toledo, where he started the season. He hit 10 homers in his first 17 games. He joined the Tigers in late April and basically never stopped hitting.
"He had the weight of the world put on him in the middle of last season," Verlander said.
"People were saying is J.D. going to continue, there's no way he can continue, blah, blah, blah...
"He did. He has a great swing. He has natural power to all fields. And he figured it out."
Martinez still has a lot to prove. It's the reason the Tigers gave him a one-year, $3 million deal, not a longer deal.
His teammates are a different story. They are convinced Martinez has arrived.