Michael Martinez
Encyclopedia
Michael Gabriel Martínez (born September 16, 1982 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball
infielder
and center fielder
for the Philadelphia Phillies
.
Martínez began in the Washington Nationals
organization, commencing his professional career in 2006. That year, he played for the Vermont Lake Monsters
, Savannah Sand Gnats
and Potomac Nationals
, hitting a combined .265 with 11 stolen bases in 82 games. In 2007, he played for the Hagerstown Suns
and hit .250 with 13 stolen bases in 116 games. He played for the Potomac Senators and Harrisburg Senators
in 2009, posting a .259 batting average with 10 steals. In 2010, he played for the Senators
and Syracuse Chiefs, hitting a combined .272 with 11 home runs and 23 stolen bases.
He was selected by the Phillies from the Nationals in 2011 as a Rule 5 Draft
pick. He made the Phillies opening day roster as reserve player. He made his major league debut on April 3, 2011 against the Houston Astros. He recorded his first major league hit and a run batted in his first game. He hit his first major league career home run on July 17, 2011 against the New York Mets.
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...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
and center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
for the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
Martínez began in the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
organization, commencing his professional career in 2006. That year, he played for the Vermont Lake Monsters
Vermont Lake Monsters
The Vermont Lake Monsters are a minor league baseball team in the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League, affiliated with the Oakland Athletics. The team plays its home games at Centennial Field on the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vermont...
, Savannah Sand Gnats
Savannah Sand Gnats
The Savannah Sand Gnats are a minor league baseball team in Savannah, Georgia and are a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. Since the 2007 season, the Sand Gnats have been an affiliate of the New York Mets.-History:...
and Potomac Nationals
Potomac Nationals
The Potomac Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team located in Woodbridge, Virginia. The Nationals play in the Class A Advanced Carolina League, and are an affiliate of the Washington Nationals.-History:...
, hitting a combined .265 with 11 stolen bases in 82 games. In 2007, he played for the Hagerstown Suns
Hagerstown Suns
The Hagerstown Suns are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. They play in Municipal Stadium, which was opened in 1930 and seats 4,600 fans....
and hit .250 with 13 stolen bases in 116 games. He played for the Potomac Senators and Harrisburg Senators
Harrisburg Senators
The Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals....
in 2009, posting a .259 batting average with 10 steals. In 2010, he played for the Senators
Senators
The term Senators can refer to:*The members of a senate*The Ottawa Senators, a National Hockey League ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada...
and Syracuse Chiefs, hitting a combined .272 with 11 home runs and 23 stolen bases.
He was selected by the Phillies from the Nationals in 2011 as a Rule 5 Draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
pick. He made the Phillies opening day roster as reserve player. He made his major league debut on April 3, 2011 against the Houston Astros. He recorded his first major league hit and a run batted in his first game. He hit his first major league career home run on July 17, 2011 against the New York Mets.