Dave Dombrowski had two immediate matters to fix last winter, the clubhouse and the offense. He made a pair of notable acquisitions, Alex Cora and J.D. Martinez, and a series of bets alongside them: namely, that a larger shake-up was not needed to reinstall good vibes, and that the offense needed no outside help aside from Martinez.
With half of the regular season completed and victories in two-thirds of their contests, Dombrowski is winning those bets while the Sox are winning their division. Cora and Martinez are far from alone in bringing the Red Sox to a 54-27 mark, a 108-win pace and a half-game lead in the American League East over the Yankees. But the signature newcomers have met and exceeded expectations, without any hiccups or transitional lag. Consistency has been a hallmark of both through three months.
Cora came in with a vision of bringing the Red Sox greater edges, more modernized advantages and approaches.
“It’s been great. It’s a great start,” the first-year manager said after the Sox won 9-6 over the Angels on Wednesday. “It’s not early anymore. We’re proud of the way the guys are playing. There’s a lot of — we feel that we can be a lot better. I think the whole lefty thing, we’ve been doing a good job lately [hitting them]. Defensively, we have our lapses sometimes. Baserunning is getting better. But we still have to get better at that.
“All around, I’m very proud of them. They’re doing an outstanding job. They’re showing up every day. They prepare. We’ve been talking about talking baseball for a while, and they’re doing that. My hat’s off to them. They’ve been amazing.”
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If there is a surprise attached to Martinez, it’s not that he's leading the majors with 25 home runs. He was a tremendous hitter for years before this years. It’s how rapidly he’s ascended to a position of guidance and leadership.
Four years ago, Martinez sat at his locker in the home clubhouse of the Tigers’ Comerica Park and marveled at the veteran leadership he was all of a sudden surrounded by, Miguel Cabrera and the like. Now, he’s taken on that same role.
“It goes more than just his production,” Cora said. “You saw today, Raffy [Rafael Devers] staying in there against lefties and putting good at-bats, communication with Mookie [Betts]. There’s more that goes on. He’s a special player, he’s a special hitter, and he’s becoming a special teammate. What he brings to the table is more than what he does on the field. He’s becoming the leader of the team in the clubhouse, and we’re very proud of him.”
With a shot at 50 home runs, Martinez said Wednesday he has no statistical goals. He simply never wants to give away an at-bat. His gospel of swing path and launch angle is spreading now, even if he didn't immediately seem the type to gather pupils.
“Do I think I’m quiet personally?” Martinez said in an interview with NBC Sports Boston during spring training. “I think I’m quiet as far as media-wise and as far as attention outside of the locker room, outside of the field. I think in the locker room, amongst my teammates, I’m not quiet.”
Together, Martinez and Cora have made the Sox 2-for-2 through the first half.