Detroit Tigers: Victor Martinez Has Outstanding Numbers Against Pretty Much Every Elite Pitcher

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez has had a long and successful career. This has included impressive numbers against’ many of the game’s top starting pitchers. This will benefit Detroit.

Detroit Tigers fans have seen Victor Martinez thrive at the plate in his five seasons with the club.

Martinez, who missed 2012 due to injury, has registered a wRC+ of at least 113 and a wOBA of at least .340 in every campaign save the down season in 2015.

The slugger’s best season in a Tigers uniform came in 2014. He hit .335 while posting a 4.3 WAR and a 168 wRC+ as Detroit won the American League Central crown.

That season, Martinez finished second to Mike Trout in the voting for MVP, while also leading the league in three different statistical categories– on-base percentage, OPS and intentional walks.

What’s more, Detroit’s designated hitter finished with significantly more walks (70) than strikeouts (42).

Martinez’ numbers during the 2014 campaign represented perhaps his best season as a professional– which is saying something considering the veteran is a lifetime .301 batter with nearly 2,000 hits to his name.

Over that long career, Martinez has had success against just about everyone, including many of Major League Baseball’s top starting pitchers.

Victor Martinez Against the Rest of Baseball’s Elite Starters

Outside of the American League Central, it’s the same story. Name a frontline starting pitcher, and Victor Martinez probably has favorable numbers against him.

In 31 plate appearances against Felix Hernandez, Martinez is a .360 hitter with a .964 OPS.

The designated hitter has had similar success against Hernandez’ Seattle teammate Hisashi Iwakuma, who has seen the 38-year-old hit .389 with six RBI, two home runs, two walks, a double and a 1.228 OPS against him in 20 plate appearances.

Baltimore’s Chris Tillman has faced Victor Martinez 21 times. The designated hitter has come away with the upper hand in many of those plate appearances.

He’s accumulated a .300 batting average, an .833 OPS, a home run and a double.

Martinez has faced Dallas Keuchel 15 times, and has come away with a .400 batting average, a home run and an OPS of 1.000.

Former Teammates

He’s also gotten the better of ex-teammate David Price, with eight hits, five RBI, three home runs and a pair of doubles in 17 career plate appearances.

That’s good for a .471 batting average and a 1.118 slugging percentage.

Additionally, Martinez has collected four this in 10 trips to the plate against former Tiger Max Scherzer.

Price and Scherzer aren’t the only former teammates who have had trouble getting the designated hitter out.

Current Chicago Cub Jon Lester and Martinez have faced off 28 times. In total, Martinez owns a .360 batting average, a .429 on-base percentage, a .640 slugging percentage and a 1.069 OPS.

Detroit’s hitter has also collected four RBI, three walks, two doubles, a home run and a triple against Lester.

Other Frontline Pitchers

Moving down the line, Martinez has faced Rich Hill 12 times and has come away with a .364 batting average.

The slugger is also a .333 hitter in nine at-bats against Sonny Gray.

Some may be small sample sizes. However, the fact that Martinez has had success against so many top starters will bodes well moving forward.

These numbers could be extremely helpful to the Tigers, especially in the playoffs, where elite starting pitchers take center stage.

With Boston, Cleveland, Seattle and the Cubs all potential playoff opponents for Detroit, Martinez may well get the chance to match up with the likes of Sale, Price, Kluber, Hernandez and Lester in October.

Next: Tigers Smart to Add 1B Depth

Should that happen, the Detroit Tigers will have the advantage.