Martin Prado
Venezuelan infielder who played for the Braves, Diamondbacks, Yankees, and Marlins, and was a 2010 All-Star.
Martín Manuel Prado Torcate (born October 27, 1983) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. During his time with the Braves, Prado played in the 2010 All-Star Game. Primarily a third baseman, second baseman, and left fielder, Prado started at every position during his MLB career except for pitcher, catcher, and center field.
- Position
- Second Base (also 3B, 1B, OF)
- Bats / Throws
- Switch / Right
- Marlins Tenure
- 2009 – 2014
- Key Team Honour
- 2014 World Series Champion
- Defensive Reputation
- Elite range and arm for a second baseman
- Era
- Moneyball Marlins (Banach / Friedman front office)
Lore & Background
Prado was born in Maracay, Venezuela, one of four siblings raised by their mother, Irma Prado. He signed with the Atlanta Braves as a non-drafted free agent on February 23, 2001. He made his MLB debut on April 23, 2006, and hit his first career home run on September 14, 2006. He was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2012 season, then to the New York Yankees on July 31, 2014, and finally to the Miami Marlins on December 19, 2014. He played for the Marlins from 2015 through 2019, serving as player-manager in the final game of the 2016 season. He retired after the 2019 season.
In Their Own Story
The March wind off Biscayne Bay cuts through the empty seats of Marlins Park. Prado is in the dugout, glove in his lap, running the leather over and over. The umpire's voice crackles over the PA for the pregame check. He steps out, takes his position at second, and the diamond stretches before him — the green of the infield dirt, the white chalk of the base path, the distant scoreboard glowing amber in the dusk. He doesn't need a crowd roaring. He just needs the next ball to come to him, and he knows, with the calm certainty of a man who has fielded ten thousand of them, that it will. He sets his feet. The game begins.
Reader's Guide
Prado played for the Marlins from 2015 to 2019. He was not on the Marlins in 2012 or 2014. The Marlins have never won a World Series; their titles were in 1997 and 2003. Prado's best seasons with the Marlins were 2015 and 2016, batting .297 overall with a .350 on-base percentage and .405 slugging percentage. In 2016 he led all MLB hitters (60 or more plate appearances) in batting average against left-handers at .424.
Did You Know?
- Prado taught himself English from film subtitles after moving to the United States.
- In a 2007 game, Prado's bat stood perfectly upright after he dropped it, a moment Keith Hernandez called 'one that would never happen in a hundred years.'
- Prado lost 14 pounds during the 2010 off-season doing the P90X fitness program.
- In 2016, the Marlins allowed Prado to serve as player-manager for the final game of the season; he started at third base and played three innings before taking himself out.
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