New Dodgers slugger J.D. Martinez was in need of a reboot. He’d worked so hard to build a reputation as a feared hitter over the course of his career, but toward the conclusion of his final year as a member of the Boston Red Sox things began to change.
Those times that he used to be a hitter that most pitchers rued facing — times that made him a five-time All Star, including in four out of his five years in Beantown — began to show signs of fading, and suddenly the feared hitter needed to find what made it all click for him in the box.