Ariel Martínez has always been a very underrated player in the eyes of many. When he was signed by the Chunichi Dragons from the Serie Nacional via Matanzas not many thought he would work his way up to the Japanese big leagues.
Over the past three years with the Chunichi Dragons the catcher has shown flashes of his immense talent, especially with the lumber, but injuries have kind of curtailed his season every year. Last year in Nagoya he played in the most games of his career and it showed with his offensive production. In 82 games he hit a solid .276, went yard eight times and knocked in 24 runs.
This offseason the Nippon Ham Fighters decided to take a chance on signing Martínez and making him an important cog in their offense and he has not disappointed. In 57 games this campaign he has already slugged a career high nine longballs, driven in 26 runs and is slashing .253/.357/.459/.816, these numbers are very worthy of an All-Star selection in the NPB’s Pacific League.
Ariel Martínez habla sobre su trayectoria en la receptoría durante el @WBCBaseball .#pelotacubana #WBC2023 pic.twitter.com/u91rJAfyxs
— Yusseff305 🇨🇺🇺🇲 (@yusseff305) March 20, 2023
You didnt’t play catcher much last year. What adjustments did you have to make for the WBC?
I didn’t need to make any adjustments, just a little training time and the preparation games we had in Japan. That really helped me get into a rhythm.
How did the practice games in Asia help to build chemistry with the WBC pitchers?
Yes they helped plenty, because it had been a long time since I caught a game and a long time without playing with many of them, because I was playing in Japan and they were in other leagues. The practices and preparation games were very important because we had a lot of bullpen sessions, we played against rival teams, I learned how they like to pitch, what pitches they used to get outs and to strike batters out. All that was very important in our preparation.
How much of your hitting did you sacrifice to play more of a defensive role in the WBC?
The truth is that I wasn’t thinking about hitting during the World Baseball Classic. I wasn’t thinking about doing anything on offense. I was just thinking about catching and my defense behind the plate 100 percent. I knew there were other players there to carry the offense, my role was to play defense and manage our pitching during the tournament.
How much did that contribute to your slow start with Nippon Ham?
With all the run around and practicing in different places for the Classic, the disarray affected my preparation a little bit. But I cannot say it was all bad, because I was able to observe for two months some of the finest hitters in the world like Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, Yoenis Céspedes, Alfredo Despaigne, Yurisbel Gracial and Yadir Drake. These guys are very good at their craft and I was able to train with them everyday. I was able to pick their brains about the art of hitting. I was also able to observe some of the best hitters in the world during the WBC. The lull of the Classic did hurt a little, but in the long run I’m a better hitter because of what I learned and I’m very grateful for that experience.
How has your versatility earned you at-bats this season?
Right now I’m catching a lot with Nippon Ham, but I can also serve as the DH and play first base. So there are many ways to be in the lineup. Seeing all those at-bats has helped my confidence plenty. Being able to play all those positions has gotten me plenty of AB’s this season. Another thing that helps is the Pacific League has the DH as opposed to Central League when I was with Chunichi, that did not.
Are 20 homeruns an attainable goal this year?
Yes it is, I’m thinking big for this season and I think I can reach that plateau. That is the main objective and goal in the first year of my contract here, but in following seasons the goals will get much loftier and 30 homeruns will be the goal or objective, amongst others. I believe if I can stay healthy the possibilities are endless for me this season.