Victor Martinez, The Force Behind The 2018 Detroit Tigers

The Detroit FreePress labeled Martinez as “privileged” when stories following the “tussle” broke. Word was that Martinez saw himself above the fray.

It was further reported that V-Mart did not spend appreciable time in the clubhouse or with the team members themselves.

General Manager Al Avila has discussed Victor’s situation on numerous occasions during the offseason. He has stated that Victor is in good physical shape and is expected to be the solid contributing factor in this year’s lineup.

If they are to have a successful season, the Tigers need a healthy and contributing Victor Martinez. For the Detroit Tigers to have a good year, two factors come into play. First, it is imperative that our young pitchers progress and second, that our offense produces hits and runs batted in.

Michael Fulmer and Jordan Zimmerman have proven that they are sound starting pitchers. Matt Boyd, Mike Fiers and, Daniel Norris must also do the same.

To overcome the significant losses of offensive capabilities from last year, Nicholas Castellanos, Jeimer Candelario, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez must have outstanding years.

While Miggy plays Candy Crush in hitter’s meetings, Victor is known to closely analyze opposing pitching staffs. He apparently is a walking dictionary of the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses.

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It is that type of mental fortitude that has made Victor one of the best pure hitters in the game. It is also what Detroit needs to succeed in 2018; leadership and skill.

Hopefully, we are simply looking at 2017 as an off-year. I pray that we are not looking at the downside of his illustrious career.