J.D. Martinez locked in as Mets' DH, and he earns NL player of the week honors
Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez follows through on his RBI double against the Padres during the fourth inning of an MLB game at Citi Field on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
ARLINGTON, Texas — J.D. Martinez earned National League player of the week honors Monday from MLB for his strong performance at the plate and, well, the Mets want to leave it that way.
They have not had any conversations about putting the designated hitter, originally an outfielder, in the field, manager Carlos Mendoza said. Everybody involved seems comfortable with the status quo.
Martinez does, however, carry around his glove during pregame activities. He dabbled in the outfield as recently as last season with the Dodgers.
“That’s part of his routine,” Mendoza said. “He’s pretty detail-oriented when it comes to his preparation. He’ll carry that glove, but I want him to carry that bat.”
Martinez hit .450 with a .593 OBP and 1.050 slugging percentage in six games last week. He slammed his first career walk-off home run and at one point reached base in 10 consecutive plate appearances.
As for that glove he lugs around: He said it’s the same glove he used in 2015, when he was robbed — in his view, as he’ll tell anyone who will listen — of a Gold Glove Award.
He accurately recalled that he led American League rightfielders with eight Defensive Runs Saved that season. The Gold Glover, Kole Calhoun, had six.
“My one shot at winning,” he lamented, sort of shouting.
Raley’s check-in
Dallas-area resident Brooks Raley, who hasn’t been physically with the Mets since he had season-ending elbow surgery last month, was expected to visit with the team this series. They had a full locker and uniform ready for him and everything.
“It’s good to have him around, obviously,” Mendoza said. “‘Hey, can I come in?’ I was like, of course, we need you. Your presence is huge for these guys. I want you in uniform, I want you to be around all three days if possible.”
So long for now
The Mets released catcher Tomas Nido, ending his 12 years in the organization. He played in parts of eight seasons in the majors after being selected in the eighth round of the draft in 2012.
The rest of Nido’s $2.1 million salary is guaranteed, so the Mets are on the hook for that. They’d save some money if another team picks him up for the prorated major-league minimum.
Extra bases
In the first All-Star balloting update, the Mets have one guy in the top five at his position: Pete Alonso, who is fourth among first basemen . . . Dallas-area native Dillon Gee, the Mets’ Opening Day starter in 2014, and his family were on the field before the game. Among those to say hello was Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom, who got his shot in the Mets’ rotation in 2014 as an injury fill-in for Gee . . . Starling Marte still is nursing a sore right knee, but Mendoza said his absence from the lineup — for a second time in three games — was because Marte was going to sit out one of three games in Texas and the opener was the best option based on matchups.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
