Snake Bytes, 11/10: Your Daily Martinez

J.D. Martinez news

[MLB] Statcast data reflects J.D. Martinez's skills - With the sheer amount of barrels produced by Martinez's bat, it's no surprise he was second in barrel rate last season at 19.5 percent (minimum 300 balls in play). Judge paced the big leagues with a 25.7-percent rate. Martinez also ranked among the Major League leaders in the rate at which he generated hard contact, which Statcast™ defines as a batted ball with an exit velocity of 95 mph or greater. The slugger ranked fifth in that category at 48.4 percent (minimum 300 balls in play).

[Fanrag] Boras Boasts Martinez's Offense While Criticizing DRS Stat - Martinez’s offense is unquestioned, of course, but his rep as a so-so defender has been a knock. To that end, Boras points out that Martinez played right field while Justin Upton played left for Brad Ausmus’ Tigers. He also suggests that defensive metrics somehow favor some outfield spots over others. And here’s the big one. Boras said he believes that Fangraphs’ defensive runs saved stat is way off base, so far that it “puts a cloud over the true value” of some players.

[ESPN Insider] Projecting the biggest free-agent deals -- Paying for power and pitching - 3. J.D. Martinez, OF. ZiPS' projected value: Five years, $100.8 million (A.A.V.: $20.16M) The Astros didn't have a lot of mistakes come back and bite them in the end, but this was the big one. It's hard to blame Houston, of course, after Martinez hit .251/.300/.387 in nearly 1,000 plate appearances with the Astros, but the fact is, he blossomed in Detroit and, at least with the bat, is a legitimate star. ZiPS doesn't even have Martinez's slugging percentage dip below .500 until the last year of this theoretical contract. As for defense, that's less exciting, and playing on a team with the DH, ZiPS adds a cool $20 million to his value.

[AZ Central] J.D. Martinez's agent: Diamondbacks expected to pursue outfielder - Agent Scott Boras expects the Diamondbacks to be involved in the bidding for his newest superstar client, J.D. Martinez. Or, at least, Boras doesn’t see a good reason for the club and owner Ken Kendrick not to try to pursue the slugging free-agent outfielder. “Why wouldn’t he?” Boras asked. “He’s been a very competitive owner, a good owner in that way. The great thing is it’s rare in free agency where you get a chance to see the player perform in your market and with your team. What a determined player. He’s diligent. He’s driven, no doubt.”

Team news

[Arizona Sports] D-backs, Archie Bradley to host annual Celebrity Golf Classic - Archie Bradley and a contingent of Arizona Diamondbacks players, coaches and staff will host the seventh annual D-backs Celebrity Golf Classic on Friday at Whirlwind Golf Club. The tournament is held the Friday of Veterans Day weekend each year to raise money for military personnel. The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation has given more than $700,000 to local community partners including Soldier’s Best Friend, Central Arizona Shelter Services and USO.

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks re-sign Rubby De La Rosa to minors deal - The Diamondbacks agreed to terms with right-hander Rubby De La Rosa on a two-year minor league contract, a deal that will allow De La Rosa to spend next year rehabbing from his second Tommy John surgery while setting himself up to return to the big leagues in 2019. “I think we’re both excited,” Assistant General Manager Jared Porter said. “He feels very comfortable with our medical staff and with working at Salt River Fields. This gives him a year to get healthy and then in 2019 to get back in the mix.”

And, elsewhere...

[Yahoo] As NFL falters, MLB sponsors spent record-high $892 million - Major League Baseball’s corporate sponsors spent a record $892 million this season, a 7.9% increase from last season, according to a new report from ESP Research, which is owned by British ad giant WPP. The 8% rise in spend is a sign of faith in pro baseball’s growth, after the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians was the most watched World Series in 12 years, and Game 7 of that series was the most watched single game in 25 years.

[SBNation] How MLB’s expired posting system may delay Shohei Ohtani’s arrival - There are a few things that could hold an Ohtani deal up, but right now the most apparent one is the lack of a posting system in place between MLB and two major international leagues, one being Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league (NPB), of which Ohtani is a part. The previous posting system recently expired, and officials from Nippon, MLB, and the MLBPA haven’t agreed on a new posting system as of yet. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. What, exactly, is the posting system, and why isn’t there one right now? Here, a brief explainer about this entire situation.

[SI] How the Astros learned to apply their trove of pitching data - It wasn’t too long ago that the radar gun provided the only data point to evaluate pitching. Most of the evaluation was being done by scouts and pitching coaches based on what their eyes told them, which is how we came to accept phrases such as “good life on his fastball,” “the ball gets on you,” “12 to 6 curve,” “hides the ball well,” and so on. They were opinions, not facts. Now we have actual data on how the ball moves and spins and how the pitcher releases the ball. The masters of the game no longer are those grizzled gurus with “an eye” for pitching, but the analysts who can interpret the data and combine it with a coach’s understanding of the craft.