J. D. Martinez
Six-time MLB All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger winner.
Julio Daniel Martinez is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball for six teams. He made his MLB debut in 2011 and is a six-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner. Martinez is the only player to win the Silver Slugger twice in the same season and was the 18th player to hit four home runs in a single game.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Outfielder; Designated hitter
- Born
- 21 August 1987
- Birthplace
- Miami, Florida, U.S.
- Bats
- Right
- Debut league
- MLB
- Debut date
- July 30
- Debut year
- 2011
- Debut team
- Houston Astros
Facts from the source article.
Playing career
Martinez attended Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida, graduating in 2006. The Minnesota Twins selected him in the 36th round of the 2006 draft, but he did not sign. He instead played college baseball at Nova Southeastern University from 2007 through 2009, setting the school career record for home runs with 32 and ranking second in batting average (.394). In 2009 he batted .428 with 15 home runs and set a program record with 73 runs scored.
He was a two-time All-Sunshine State Conference player and was inducted into the NSU Sharks Hall of Fame in 2014. The Houston Astros selected Martinez in the 20th round of the 2009 draft with the 611th overall pick. He began his professional career with the Greeneville Astros of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, batting .403 before a promotion to the Tri-City ValleyCats. In 2010 he started with the Lexington Legends of the Class A South Atlantic League, leading the league in batting (.362), on-base percentage (.433), and slugging percentage (.598).
Martinez began 2011 with Corpus Christi, batting .338/.414/.552 over 88 games, and was named a Texas League All-Star. On July 30, 2011, the Astros called him up to replace Hunter Pence, making Martinez the first NSU draftee to debut in MLB. The following month he drove in 28 runs, an Astros rookie record for one month. On April 13, 2012, he hit the first home run at Marlins Park, a game-tying shot off Edward Mujica. He led the club with 55 RBIs in 2012.
Personal life
Martinez, a fluent Spanish speaker, was raised in South Florida by a Cuban immigrant father. He spends his offseasons at home in Fort Lauderdale. In 2013, he shared an Instagram photo of Adolf Hitler giving a Nazi salute, paired with a quote wrongly attributed to Hitler and the caption "This is why I always stay strapped! #thetruth." The post sparked controversy when it resurfaced in August 2018. Martinez later stated, "I stand by the Constitution and the Second Amendment. It's something that I take pride in, and it's something that I'll back up."
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