J.D. Martinez’s journey in Boston began in March of 2018 when he signed a 5-year, $110 million contract with the Red Sox. His overall journey, however, began way before that.
J.D. started out at Flanagan high school in Florida, where he would graduate in 2006, getting drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 36th round with the 1,086th overall selection. He didn’t end up signing with the Twins, however, going to Nova Southeastern University to play college baseball and becoming a two-time All Sunshine State Conference player for the NSU Sharks.
Re-entering the draft in 2009, Martinez would be drafted once again, this time in the 20th round by the Houston Astros.