Word surfaced last week that veteran designated hitter and six-time All-Star slugger J.D. Martinez wants to continue his baseball career. That isn’t stopping him from making plans for what comes next, however. To wit, German paddlesport equipment manufacturer JOOLA announced on Tuesday that they’ve signed Martinez to an exclusive pact that will see him transition to pickleball after he retires from baseball.
Martinez has already begun receiving instruction from pickleball pro Eric White. Additionally, as part of the arrangement he will “receive backing from JOOLA to compete in professional events like the PPA Challenger Series and to host his own pickleball tournaments.”
“I see pickleball as a sport I’ll be involved in for the long run and JOOLA’s commitment to the sport and my personal growth in the game makes this partnership even more special,” Martinez said as part of a company-issued press release.
Martinez, 37, hit .235/.320/.406 (106 OPS+) in 120 games with the New York Mets last season. CBS Sports ranked him as the 44th-best free agent available this winter, noting that “all of his good hitting was contained to May and June, to the extent that he struck out more times in the second half (63) than he reached base (61).”
In 14 seasons at the big-league level, Martinez has compiled a 131 OPS+ and 331 home runs. His contributions have been worth an estimated 30.5 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. On top of those statistical marks and his aforementioned All-Star Game appearances, he’s also won three Silver Slugger Awards and was part of the 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox squad.
Read the full article here
