After struggling in three seasons with the Astros, outfielder J.D. Martinez finally enjoyed a breakout season in 2014 with the Tigers. He said listening to some of the veteran players, including Miguel Cabrera, was a big help in his turnaround.
"I learned so much just from watching them and picking their brains, and it really did help me," Martinez said, per the Detroit Free Press.
General manager Dave Dombrowksi agrees learning from veteran players was key for Martinez.
"There's no doubt," Dombrowski said. "Look at how he used the opposite field. Look at how he drove the ball out of the ballpark to rightfield and centerfield. J.D. definitely benefited, and we saw how good of a hitter he became last year for us."
Martinez hit .315 with a .553 slugging percentage, .912 OPS, 23 home runs, 30 doubles and 76 RBI in 123 games. He said he has spent the offseason fine-tuning his swing after revamping it last offseason.
"Little hitches and bat habits that maybe I wanted to polish up from last year, and the years before that I didn't have as much time to do before the season," he said. "This year just gives me more time to polish up things I want to before the season starts."