Detroit Tigers: Five Milestones to watch out for in 2018

3 of 6

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 23: Victor Martinez #41 of the Detroit Tigers hits an RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning of the game on July 23, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Tigers 9-6. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Victor Martinez: 250 Home Runs (13 shy)

While certainly not as memorable as 500, Martinez is just 13 home runs shy of 250 home runs for his career. For a guy who has been primarily a catcher (although not lately) 250 home runs is a big accomplishment.

Martinez has played 858 games at catcher in his career, compared to 746 as a DH. Unless he eclipses 112 games at DH this season, Martinez will likely go down as a catcher in the record books. If he is able to hit 13 or more home runs this season, he will become just the 12th catcher to do so.

Martinez has hit more than 13 home runs in nine of his 15 big league seasons, although he’s only done it three times in his six years in Detroit.

Still, a bounce-back from V-Mart seems plausible heading into his age-39 season. While Martinez only hit 10 home runs last year, his hard-hit rate was actually higher than it was in 2016, when he hit 27 round-trippers. His problem was his launch angle, as he saw his fly-ball rate drop to 34.2% in 2017.

If V-Mart can continue to hit the ball hard while increasing his fly ball percentage, there is no reason he can’t easily eclipse 13 home runs and reach the 250 mark. Expect it to happen near the end of the season however, as the Tigers will surely give their veteran’s frequent rest during this rebuilding season.

Home/Detroit Tigers History