Superstar JD Martinez Credits Dodgers Hitting Coach For Fixing His Swing
When I first read his name, he was the faceless man who resurrected Chris Taylor’s career and swing mechanics. Then this past November, the Dodgers named him their hitting coach.
Now, Robert Von Scoyoc is getting credit from Boston Red Sox superstar J.D. for re-tooling his offensive approach. Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times has the story.
Dodgers hitting coach revitalized J.D. Martinez’s swing despite lack of MLB credentials (via @McCulloughTimes) https://t.co/pzuWadIeHH pic.twitter.com/C1FWRpG6C6
— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) March 22, 2019
The two came into contact when Martinez’s career was floundering with the Houston Astros. Nevertheless, huge dividends paid off not just for the player; but also the coach.
Martinez met Van Scoyoc after the 2013 season, as his career approached extinction with the Houston Astros. After toiling with Van Scoyoc and his coaching partner Craig Wallenbrock, Martinez rebuilt his swing, morphed into a fearsome slugger and ignited baseball’s launch-angle revolution. In the intervening years, Van Scoyoc had tip-toed out of the shadows. His work impressed the Dodgers enough to hire him to direct their offensive approach.
Of course, Martinez would go on to hit .315 for the Detroit Tigers in 2014. The rest is now history, with Martinez posting MVP-worthy numbers in 2018.
Von Scoyoc found his way back to Los Angeles to work his magic with the Dodgers. Equally important, Martinez is happy that his results paved the way for Von Scoyoc’s big ticket into the big time.
“I’m really happy for him,” Martinez said. “Obviously, I’m down about it, because I don’t get to work with him anymore.” He added, “I wasn’t happy about it, at first. But I’m happy for him.”
I can’t stress it enough – I am of the belief the Dodgers found a hitting messiah in the form of Von Scoyoc. Indeed, I believe he will find a way to make young players bloom quicker; and for veterans to stay relevant longer. While we didn’t have the chance to talk to Von Scoyoc, our exclusive interview earlier in the year with Brant Brown gave several mentions to the team’s hitting philosophy which is championed by the subject himself.
The Dodgers’ offense is in great hands.
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Let’s see Clint. His sucess rate since 2013 is uh one!. What’s he done in the last 5 year? You can’t really believe all this do you. Last years coaches must have been really bad but I dont see any improvement this year so far. Almost all players go through off season working on their mechanics and I doubt we will see any improvement s this season. The players are almost always what they are.