Marty Martínez
Encyclopedia
Orlando "Marty" Martínez Oliva (August 23, 1941 – March 8, 2007) was a utility player
, manager
, coach
and scout
in Major League Baseball
. Martínez batted switch-hitter and threw right-handed. He was born in Havana, Cuba.
Martínez never hit a home run
in 945 major-league career at-bats, but he did everything a player was asked to do. He appeared at shortstop
in 157 games
, and also played at first
(5), second
(59), and third
bases (74); caught
(30), and made a relief
appearance. Nevertheless, he is best remembered as the man who scouted and signed Edgar Martínez
and Omar Vizquel
, among other distinguished players.
Signed by the Washington Senators
as an amateur free agent
in 1960, Martínez reached the majors in 1962
with the Minnesota Twins
, spending one year with them before moving to the Atlanta Braves
(1967–1968), Houston Astros
(1969–1971), St. Louis Cardinals
(1972), Oakland Athletics
(1972) and Texas Rangers
(1972). In 1968 with Atlanta, he appeared in a career-high 113 games as a defensive replacement for Félix Millán
(2B), Clete Boyer
(3B) and Sonny Jackson (SS). In 1969, he hit a career-high .308 in 78 games for Houston as a backup catcher for Johnny Edwards
and also played in six different positions. He also spent playing time with the Cardinals, Athletics and Rangers in 1972
, his last major league season.
In part of seven seasons, Martínez was a .243 hitter with 57 RBI
and 97 runs
in 436 games, including 230 hits
, 19 doubles
, 11 triples
and seven stolen base
s.
Following his majors career, Martínez played and managed for the Tulsa Drillers
, Texas Rangers Double-A affiliate. He managed the Drillers in 1977 and 1978 and led the team to a Texas League
first-half title in 1977. After that, he spent more than a decade in the Seattle Mariners
organization as a coach on the staffs of Del Crandall
, Chuck Cottier
and Bill Plummer
(1983–86, 1992), serving as the Mariners interim manager in the 1986 season. As a Mariners instructor, he nurtured and molded a whole generations of Seattle infielders, including Omar Vizquel, Edgar Martínez, Harold Reynolds
and Spike Owen
.
After retiring from baseball, Martínez was still trying to help the young people out and do things in baseball. He moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma
, in addition to maintaining a home in the Dominican Republic
, where he died of a heart attack at the age of 65.
Utility player
In sport, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently, a sort of jack of all trades. Sports in which the term is often used include association football , baseball, rugby, rugby league, water polo and softball....
, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
, coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
and scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Martínez batted switch-hitter and threw right-handed. He was born in Havana, Cuba.
Martínez never hit a home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
in 945 major-league career at-bats, but he did everything a player was asked to do. He appeared at shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
in 157 games
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
, and also played at first
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
(5), second
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
(59), and third
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
bases (74); caught
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
(30), and made a relief
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
appearance. Nevertheless, he is best remembered as the man who scouted and signed Edgar Martínez
Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martínez , nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.-Seattle Mariners:On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed...
and Omar Vizquel
Omar Vizquel
Omar Enrique Vizquel González , nicknamed "Little O", is a Venezuelan Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. Vizquel has played for the Seattle Mariners , the Cleveland Indians , the San Francisco Giants , the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox...
, among other distinguished players.
Signed by the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
as an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 1960, Martínez reached the majors in 1962
1962 in baseball
The 1962 season is perhaps most notable for the dismal 40–120 record of the New York Mets, the third-worst winning percentage and the record for most games lost since 1900.-Major League Baseball:...
with the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, spending one year with them before moving to the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(1967–1968), Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
(1969–1971), St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(1972), Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1972) and Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
(1972). In 1968 with Atlanta, he appeared in a career-high 113 games as a defensive replacement for Félix Millán
Félix Millán
Félix Bernardo Millán Martínez is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball.-Baseball career:Millán, nicknamed "The Kitten" , born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, made his major league debut on June 2, 1966 with the Atlanta Braves, and played for Atlanta until 1973. Millan was primarily a second...
(2B), Clete Boyer
Clete Boyer
Cletis Leroy "Clete" Boyer was a Major League Baseball player.A third baseman who also played shortstop and second base occasionally, Boyer played for the Kansas City Athletics , New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...
(3B) and Sonny Jackson (SS). In 1969, he hit a career-high .308 in 78 games for Houston as a backup catcher for Johnny Edwards
Johnny Edwards (baseball player)
John Alban Edwards was a former professional baseball catcher known for his excellent defensive skills. He played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds , St...
and also played in six different positions. He also spent playing time with the Cardinals, Athletics and Rangers in 1972
1972 in baseball
-Labor strife and more moving:1972 was tainted by a players' strike over pension and salary arbitration. The strike erased the first week and a half of the season, and the Leagues decided to just excise the lost portion of the season with no makeups. As a result, an uneven number of games were...
, his last major league season.
In part of seven seasons, Martínez was a .243 hitter with 57 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
and 97 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
in 436 games, including 230 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, 19 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 11 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and seven stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s.
Following his majors career, Martínez played and managed for the Tulsa Drillers
Tulsa Drillers
The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies major-league club.-Stadium:...
, Texas Rangers Double-A affiliate. He managed the Drillers in 1977 and 1978 and led the team to a Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
first-half title in 1977. After that, he spent more than a decade in the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
organization as a coach on the staffs of Del Crandall
Del Crandall
Delmar Wesley Crandall is a former professional baseball catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who played most of his career with the Boston & Milwaukee Braves...
, Chuck Cottier
Chuck Cottier
Charles Keith Cottier is a former second baseman, manager, coach and scout in American Major League Baseball. He is currently a special assistant to the general manager of the Washington Nationals....
and Bill Plummer
Bill Plummer
William Francis Plummer was a catcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and the Seattle Mariners. While never a regular player , he did play solid defense...
(1983–86, 1992), serving as the Mariners interim manager in the 1986 season. As a Mariners instructor, he nurtured and molded a whole generations of Seattle infielders, including Omar Vizquel, Edgar Martínez, Harold Reynolds
Harold Reynolds
Harold Craig Reynolds is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He played from 1983–1994, primarily for the Seattle Mariners.-High school:...
and Spike Owen
Spike Owen
Spike Dee Owen is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Seattle Mariners , Boston Red Sox , Montreal Expos , New York Yankees and California Angels...
.
After retiring from baseball, Martínez was still trying to help the young people out and do things in baseball. He moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, in addition to maintaining a home in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, where he died of a heart attack at the age of 65.