Detroit Tigers’ batting order changes could help

Victor Martinez used to be a scary option to put at the four spot. Hitting right behind Miguel Cabrera made this duo scary because Victor never struck out. In fact, on average Martinez struck out only 61 times per season up until last year. In 2016 Victor struck out 90 times. While that is still less than league average, it does damper the fear pitchers had when they faced him.

Victor was also known for his contact hitting and his power. The last 3 seasons he has had a steady decline there as well. The past two seasons he has averaged 19 homers and 75
RBI’s with a .270 average. Martinez’s WAR has been exactly 0.0 and currently it is sitting at a whopping 0.3.

Victor was once a feared hitter, but as he ages, he needs to have a new spot in the lineup. My suggestion is to move J.D. Martinez to 4 and Victor back to 5.

J.D. has played in just 27 games this season, but he is proving his value to the lineup. He has a much better batting average then Victor Martinez at .297. He also has double the amount of home runs in half as many games.

J.D. Martinez is younger, and if they can keep him on the team he could be the hitting clean up for many years to come.