Nick Martinez (baseball)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nick Martinez
ニック・マルティネス 2018年8月19日.jpg
Martinez with the Fighters in 2018
Free agent
Starting pitcher
Born: (1990-08-05) August 5, 1990 (age 31)
Miami, Florida
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Professional debut
MLB: April 5, 2014, for the Texas Rangers
NPB: March 31, 2018, for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
MLB statistics
(through 2017 season)
Win–loss record17–30
Earned run average4.77
Strikeouts237
NPB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Win–loss record21–22
Earned run average3.02
Strikeouts297
Teams
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team

Nicholas Andres Martinez (born August 5, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

Amateur career[]

Martinez graduated from Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami, Florida, and enrolled at Fordham University. He is the 34th Fordham alumnus to make it to the Major League Baseball (MLB). He was 1-3 with a 5.33 ERA in 15 games, over two seasons for Fordham as a relief pitcher. He was mostly a second baseman, batting .295 with 4 HR, 66 RBI, 167 hits, and 22 stolen bases over three seasons and 148 games.[1][2] In 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[3] He also played in the New England Collegiate Baseball League for the Vermont Mountaineers. He is the seventh Mountaineer to make it to the MLB.[4]

Professional career[]

Texas Rangers[]

Martinez was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 18th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, out of Fordham University.[5] He made his professional debut with the AZL Rangers, and also appeared for the Low-A Spokane Indians, posting a cumulative 2.75 ERA across 10 contests. The next year, Martinez played for the Single-A Hickory Crawdads, pitching to a 8-6 record and 4.83 ERA across 31 appearances. Martinez split the 2013 season between the High-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans and the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders, logging a 12-7 record and 2.50 ERA with 128 strikeouts in 151.1 innings of work.[6]

Martinez was named the Rangers' fifth starter on March 26, 2014.[7] He was formally selected to the 40-man roster on April 5 and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. In his first career start against the Tampa Bay Rays, Martinez went six innings, struck out three and allowed three earned runs on four hits. He received a no decision as the Rangers lost 5–4. After two straight starts against the Oakland Athletics, the Rangers got Matt Harrison back from the DL and moved Martinez to the bullpen. Martinez went 6.2 innings, struck out six and allowed only one earned run in four relief appearances. In a game against the Houston Astros, Harrison injured his lower back and had spinal fusion surgery. The Rangers then put Martinez back into the starting rotation.[8] Martinez finished his rookie season with a 5-12 record and 4.55 ERA in 29 major league contests. In 2015, Martinez posted an ERA of 3.96 and shared the major league lead in hit batsmen, with 13.[9] In 2016, Martinez split the year between the Triple-A Round Rock Express and Texas, recording a 2-3 record and 5.59 ERA in 12 big league games. In 2017, Martinez pitched to a 3-8 record and 5.66 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 111.1 innings of work for Texas.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters[]

Upon reaching free agency and limited interest from MLB teams, Martinez signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) on January 6, 2018. According to reports, the contract included possible incentives based on innings pitched.[10] In his first NPB season, Martinez went 10-11 with 93 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.51. On December 18, 2018, Martinez re-signed with the team on a one-year, $2.2 million contract.[11] In 2019, Martinez pitched to a 10-11 record and 3.51 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 161.2 innings pitched. On October 18, 2019, Martinez signed a 1-year extension to remain with the Fighters.[12] In 2020, Martinez made 17 appearances for the Fighters, logging a 2-7 record and 4.62 ERA. On December 2, 2020, he became a free agent.[13]

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks[]

On January 30, 2021, Martinez signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball.[14]

International career[]

On July 2, 2021, Martinez was named to the roster for the United States national baseball team for the 2020 Summer Olympics, contested in 2021 in Tokyo.[15] The team went on to win silver, falling to Japan in the gold-medal game.[16]


References[]

  1. ^ Kepner, Tyler. "Realizing His Dream, as a Pitcher". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Nick Martinez College Statistics". TheBaseballCube.com.
  3. ^ "Nick Martinez". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  4. ^ Smart, Bradley (April 26, 2015). "Ex-Mountaineer Martinez leads AL in ERA". SmartOnSports.com.
  5. ^ "Rangers load up on arms on Day 2 of Draft". MLB.com.
  6. ^ "Nick Martinez Amateur, College, Minor, Winter & Japanese Leagues Statistics & History".
  7. ^ "Tanner Scheppers to start opening day for Rangers; Darvish on DL". Dallas Morning News.
  8. ^ "Nick Martinez and Texas Rangers heavy underdogs against Tampa Bay". Dallas Morning News.
  9. ^ 2016 MLB Baseball Pitching Statistics and League Leaders - Major League Baseball - ESPN
  10. ^ Byrne, Connor (January 6, 2018). "Nick Martinez To Sign With Japan's Nippon Ham Fighters". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  11. ^ "Fighters re-sign hurler Nick Martinez". The Japan Times. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  12. ^ "マルティネス投手との契約合意について". 北海道日本ハムファイターズ オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). October 18, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  13. ^ "2020年度 自由契約選手". NPB.jp 日本野球機構 (in Japanese). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "Softbank wins Martinez after leaving Nippon-Ham "Contributing to Japan's No. 1 for 5 consecutive years" Uniform number 37 | Full-Count". 30 January 2021.
  15. ^ "USA Baseball announces Olympics roster". MLB.com. July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  16. ^ "Baseball/Softball - United States vs Japan - Gold Medal Game Results". olympics.com. August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""