Los Angeles Dodgers' DH JD Martinez has proven to be a steal in free agency. The Dodgers signed him to a one-year, $10 million contract during the offseason, and Martinez has been exceptional for LA. Although he technically isn't qualified among the league leaders, having played in just 40 games and posting 159 at-bats in 2023, Martinez holds the highest slugging percentage in the National League for players who've appeared in 40 or more games with a mark of .610, per Baseball Reference.

Overall, Martinez is slashing .277/.312/.610 with a .922 OPS and 12 home runs. There was hope for him heading into the 2023 season, but he's surpassed many people's expectations.

In a lot of ways, JD Martinez has helped to replace Justin Turner's production, as Turner signed with the Boston Red Sox in free agency. Let's compare Martinez's numbers to Turner's so far in 2023.

JD Martinez vs. Justin Turner

Dodgers, Red Sox, JD Martinez, Justin Turner

Justin Turner was a Dodgers' fan-favorite and this is by no means trying to make him look bad. That said, the Dodgers seemed to pick the right player in Martinez.

Turner is in the midst of a decent, albeit unspectacular year in Boston. He's currently hitting .263/.353/.407 with a .760 OPS and six home runs.

Again, calling Martinez a strict replacement for Turner is a bit misleading, since Turner played a lot of third base while Martinez is primarily a DH. Turner likely would have seen a good amount of games at DH this season though with the emergence of Miguel Vargas at second base, ultimately pushing Max Muncy to third.

Both Martinez and Turner certainly haven't been disappointments, but Martinez is performing at an All-Star caliber level right now.

Can JD Martinez maintain his production for the Dodgers?

Dodgers, JD Martinez

There are some reasons to remain hopeful for JD Martinez moving forward in 2023, and others that are cause for concern.

Beginning with the positives, Martinez is hitting the ball in the air at a more consistent rate than he has in any of the past few seasons. The Dodgers' veteran owns a 34.5 percent fly ball rate, much higher than his 30.8 percent mark in 2022.

He's also recording an impressive 54.9 hard-hit percentage. This means that he's squaring up the baseball more than half the time. It goes without saying, but that's a promising sign.

As for the negatives, Martinez is walking just 4.6 percent of the time. That helps to explain his low .312 OBP. The Dodgers are hopeful that he can raise that percentage and get on-base more often. Martinez is also striking out at a 28.9 percent clip, which would be the highest mark of his career.

If Martinez can limit his strikeouts and draw more walks that will help him down the road. In the end, it's difficult to complain with his overall results so far.