Reyenaldo Ignacio "Chito" Martínez (December 19, 1965 – April 20, 2025) was a Belizean

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) player, the first in MLB history to be born in his country.

Career

Born in

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

, Martínez emigrated to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

with his family at two years old. After struggling in the minors, he contemplated going into business with his father whose company sells and services air conditioners. Martinez played minor league baseball for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

organization, but never came close to the major leagues with them. The outfielder was signed to the Baltimore organization in the winter of 1990. By July 1991, Martinez had the most home runs in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

(20) and he was called up from the Class AAA

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

to the Orioles. He spent parts of three seasons (1991 to 1993) with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, hitting 13 home runs in his rookie season and posting a slugging percentage of .514 in 216 at-bats. He was also the first Orioles player to record a hit in each of his first six MLB games. It would be the high point of his career. After his power dropped dramatically in 1992, Martínez quickly faded away. He appeared in eight games in 1993 before leaving the major leagues.

Personal life and death

Martinez's son, Drew, played college baseball at the

University of Memphis The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

and was selected by the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

in the 10th round of the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the firs ...

. He played in the minor leagues from 2011 to 2016. He is currently the fundamentals coach

Eugene Emeralds The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays ...

, the

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

High-A affiliate. Another son, Dalton, played college baseball at

Southern Polytechnic State University Southern Polytechnic State University (also called Southern Poly; abbreviated SPSU) was a public university, public, co-educational, state university in Marietta, Georgia, United States approximately northwest of downtown Atlanta. Until 2015, ...

and is currently the hitting coach at Georgia State. Martinez died from a heart attack in

Lake Cormorant, Mississippi Lake Cormorant is an unincorporated community located in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. Lake Cormorant is adjacent to the town of Walls and is north of North Tunica near U.S. Route 61. Lake Cormorant has a post office and a zip ...

, on April 20, 2025, at the age of 59.Chito Martinez
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Chito 1965 births 2025 deaths Sportspeople from Belize City Baltimore Orioles players Major League Baseball right fielders Major League Baseball players from Belize Brother Martin High School alumni Eugene Emeralds players Fort Myers Royals players Memphis Chicks players Omaha Royals players Rochester Red Wings players Bowie Baysox players Columbus Clippers players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Belizean emigrants to the United States