Red Sox Slugger JD Martinez Goes Against Justin Verlander on Juiced Ball Claim

There's been plenty of talk on the subject of juiced baseballs this year, and lately the discussion has been spearheaded by disgruntled Astros starter Justin Verlander, who believes that the balls have been changed in a way that damages the game's integrity.

One of his former teammates, though, begs to differ. Red Sox star JD Martinez isn't buying into the idea of altered baseballs at all, despite mounting evidence.

"I think hitters are more prepared then they have ever been," said Martinez. "I think hitters have more of an idea of what they're trying to do, hitting the ball in the air more. I think pitchers now, it's a power-arm league."

Though he may be ignoring the chicanery here, Martinez is not wrong about any of the factors he's spotlighting, either. The league has entered an unprecedented era driven by data around launch angle and exit velocity. Players have more access to numbers than ever before that are focused on hitting the ball high and far.

Guys like Martinez are also spending copious amounts of time breaking down their swing from every possible angle in order to identify holes and fine tune their craft.

That being said, there's simply no precedent for the ridiculous spike in home runs, especially this season. Launch angle can only take a player so far. The league-wide home run per fly ball rate is 15.1%.

That's the highest mark since the stat was first tracked back in 2002, and it's the only time the league has ever passed 14%.

Launch angle has definitely helped the spike in dingers, but Martinez might have to keep an open mind about the possibility of juiced baseballs.