For the second consecutive week, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder J.D. Martinez has been named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending September 17^th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Martinez batted .435 (10-for-23) with eight runs scored, three doubles, three home runs and six RBI over six games played to claim his sixth career Player of the Week Award. J.D., who earned weekly honors twice earlier this season with the Detroit Tigers (May 21^st & July 16^th), is the first player since MLB began awarding Player of the Week in 1973 (1975 in the AL) to claim four weekly awards in a single season. In addition, Martinez is just the second player to win a weekly award in each league in the same season, joining Carlos Beltrán, who accomplished the feat in 2004 for the Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros, who were then a member of the Senior Circuit. Among NL leaders, Martinez finished the week first in slugging percentage (.957) and total bases (22); tied for first in hits and extra-base hits (6); tied for second in runs scored and home runs; fourth in batting average; tied for fourth in doubles; and seventh in on-base percentage (.480). This is Arizona's third NL Player of the Week Award this season, following J.D.'s previous honor and All-Star teammate Jake Lamb, who won for the period ending May 21^st.
On Thursday against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field, the 30-year-old went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and a solo home run. With the productive contest, Martinez tallied at least one RBI in each of his previous seven games dating back to September 8^th. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, his impressive streak was the longest active streak in the Majors, as well as the third-longest streak in Club history. Luis Gonzalez (June 2002) and J.D.'s All-Star teammate Paul Goldschmidt (June 2013) posted eight-game streaks to share the team record. Over a 12-game span from September 1^st-14^th, Martinez hit .451 (23-for-51) with 18 runs scored, 10 homers and 20 RBI. The right-handed-hitting slugger became the fifth player in MLB history to post that many runs, homers and RBI across a 12-game stretch, joining Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg (1940), Willie Mays (1958) and Frank Robinson (1962), as well as Bryce Harper (2015). In Arizona's final game of the period on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, Martinez notched his fourth multi-hit game of the week, including his 40^th round-tripper on the season. Per Elias, the 2015 AL All-Star became the fifth player in Baseball history to post a 40-homer season while playing for multiple teams, joining Greg Vaughn in 1996 (Milwaukee Brewers/San Diego Padres), Mark McGwire in 1997 (Oakland Athletics/St. Louis Cardinals), David Justice in 2000 (Cleveland Indians/New York Yankees) and Adam Dunn in 2008 (Cincinnati Reds and Arizona). Entering play today, J.D. has recorded 40 home runs, 90 RBI and 50 walks on the season, totals reached only by fellow sluggers Giancarlo Stanton (54 HR, 113 RBI, 77 BB) of the Miami Marlins and Aaron Judge (43, 96, 115) of the New York Yankees.
Other noteworthy performances last week included J.D.'s teammates, 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke (1-0, 1.20 ERA, 15.0 IP, 14 SO) and 2015 NL All-Star A.J. Pollock (.391, 6 XBH, 10 RBI, 17 TB); outfielder Albert Almora, Jr. (3 R, 8 H, 5 XBH, 10 RBI) and 2016 NL MVP Award winner Kris Bryant (.385, 9 R, 5 XBH, 8 RBI) of the Chicago Cubs; starting pitcher Tyler Anderson (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 10.0 IP, 7 SO) of the Colorado Rockies; and two-time All-Star Asdrúbal Cabrera (.556, 10 H, 3 2B, 4 RBI) of the New York Mets.
In recognition of his National League Player of the Week Award, J.D. Martinez will be awarded a watch courtesy of Rockwell.