Ramón E. Martínez (born October 10, 1972) is an American former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

utility infielder. He is the cousin of

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

Geovany Soto Geovany Soto (born January 20, 1983) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 2005 to 2017, most prominently as a member of the Chicago Cubs where he appeared in the MLB ...

Early career

Martínez graduated from Escuela Superior Catolica High School and then attended Vernon Regional Junior College in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, where he played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and graduated in 1992. He was signed as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the Kansas City Royals on January 15, 1993.

Professional career

Kansas City Royals

Martínez made his professional baseball debut with the Gulf Coast Royals in the rookie leagues in 1993 and rose through the Royals farm system with stops in Wilmington, Wichita, and Omaha.

San Francisco Giants

On December 9, 1996, Martínez was traded by the Royals to the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

for Jamie Brewington. He played with the Giants Double-A team in Shreveport and Triple-A teams in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

and

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

before finally getting his first shot at the big leagues. Martínez made his major league debut on June 20, 1998, as the starting second baseman for the Giants against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

. He went 3 for 3 in his debut, with his first

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

being a single off

Mark Langston Mark Edward Langston (born August 20, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners (1984–1989), Montreal Expos (1989), California / Anaheim Angels (1990–1997), San Diego Padres (1 ...

. He was the first Giant since

Willie McCovey Willie Lee McCovey (January 10, 1938 – October 31, 2018), nicknamed "Stretch", "Mac" and "Willie Mac", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1959 to 1980, most notably as a mem ...

to register at least 3 hits in his first Major League game. He remained on the Giants roster through 2002. The Giants used him as a utility player primarily, with occasional starts at second,

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

or third.

Chicago Cubs

He left the Giants as a free agent following the 2002 season and signed with the Chicago Cubs, where he was their top infield reserve/ pinch hitter for two seasons.

Detroit Tigers/Philadelphia Phillies

Martínez started the 2005 season with the Detroit Tigers and was traded on June 9 to the Philadelphia Phillies alongside

Ugueth Urbina Ugueth Urtaín Urbina Villarreal (; born February 15, 1974) is a Venezuelan former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. A two-time All-Star, Urbina led the National League in saves with 41 in the 1999 season and helped the Florida Marlin ...

for infielder

Plácido Polanco Plácido Enrique Polanco (; born October 10, 1975) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins. He was a ...

. He hit. 286 for the Phillies, who used him as their backup

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. Ramon's only

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

with the

Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

was a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

off Horacio Ramírez on September 14, 2005, in a 12-4 Phillies win.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Martínez signed with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

prior to the 2006 season and spent the next two seasons as a utility player for the Dodgers, playing solidly in 2006 during injuries to starting second baseman

Jeff Kent Jeffrey Franklin Kent (born March 7, 1968) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992–2008 for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francis ...

. His option was not picked up by the club after the 2007 season, but on January 29, 2008, they signed him to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. He wound up assigned to the minor league Las Vegas 51s to start the 2008 season, but was injured and spent several months on the DL.

New York Mets

He eventually returned to the 51s, but was released by the Dodgers on July 24 and was signed by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

to a minor league deal. He was called up late in the 2008 season. Martinez signed a minor league deal to rejoin the Mets on February 13, 2009.NY Mets News: Mets sign Martinez to minor league deal
/ref>

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Ramon Major League Baseball infielders Baseball players from Philadelphia Chicago Cubs players Los Angeles Dodgers players Detroit Tigers players Philadelphia Phillies players San Francisco Giants players New York Mets players Gulf Coast Royals players Wilmington Blue Rocks players Rockford Royals players Wichita Wranglers players Omaha Royals players Shreveport Captains players Phoenix Firebirds players Fresno Grizzlies players Toledo Mud Hens players Las Vegas 51s players Gulf Coast Dodgers players New Orleans Zephyrs players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players 1972 births Living people Vernon Chaps baseball players