Detroit Tigers: Week 10 Heroes and Zeroes (VIDEOS)

Jun 14, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez (28) celebrates after he hits a three run home run in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

#3 Hero: J.D. Martinez

The Detroit Tigers need J.D. Martinez‘s bat if they want to make a legitimate run at another playoff spot, but they have not received it consistently this year.

Martinez has not come close to his productivity of a year ago, but is starting to show signs of emerging from a prolonged slump. For the first time in a while, he saw dividends on the field last week.

J.D. Mart hit two homers (not including the one he hit last night) and notched six RBIs as part of a .375 week. He went all Miguel Cabrera with a monstrous homer to deep center field at Comerica Park on Saturday, pulling the Tigers one-run closer in the near comeback. The next day, after a lengthy rain delay meant the fate of the game rested in the bullpen’s hands–a shaky prospect lately, he hit a clutch three-run shot to break open a 2-0 game.

Martinez still does baffling things, like continuously swing on the first pitch. He did this with two on, one out, trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth Saturday. He hit into a double-play, which is hardly a unique problem to Martinez as the Tigers have hit into a million of them, but he ran probably harder than he has all season and was just a step away from beating it out.

That’s a sure sign of J.D. Martinez. He may have experienced struggles throughout this season, but you can always expect him to give his full effort every day. The guy has tremendous heart and will get things right long-term.

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