Leonys Martín Tápanes (born March 6, 1988), nicknamed "Ikadi", is a Cuban-American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

for the

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey (English: Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball club in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Monterrey, Mexico. Established in 1939 as Carta Blanca, the Sultanes have won ten LMB titles, most recently in 2018. Fro ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He signed with the Texas Rangers in 2011, and made his MLB debut later that season. He has previously played in

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) for the Rangers,

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

, and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba, Chiba, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings, Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. The Marines were a founding member of the Pacific Le ...

. Born in Cuba, he played locally for Villa Clara of the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, or SNB) is a domestic baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the National Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. For most ...

, and for the Cuban national baseball team in international competitions, including the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an International Baseball Federation, international baseball competition. It began on March 5 and finished March 23. Unlike in 2006 World Baseball Classic, 2006, when the Round-robin tournament, round- ...

. While in Taiwan for the

2010 World University Baseball Championship The 2010 World University Baseball Championship was an under-23 college baseball competition held at ''Meiji Jingu Stadium'' in Shinjuku, ''Yokohama Stadium'' in Naka-ku, Yokohama, ''Utsumi-Shimaoka Ballpark'' in Fuchū and ''KAIT Stadium'' in At ...

, Martín defected from Cuba in order to become a Major League Baseball free agent.

Early life

Martín was born in

Villa Clara Province Villa Clara is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is located in the central region of the island bordering on the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Matanzas Province to the west, Sancti Spiritus Province to the east, and Cienfuegos Province to the Sou ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. He was named after

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...

, his mother's favorite musical artist. His father worked as a foreman for a fishing company, while his mother raised Martín and his four siblings, a brother and three sisters. Martín's father taught Leonys to play baseball. Martin learned to play baseball from his father, who coached him in youth baseball. Martín played

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

second base In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must ...

and

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball 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. In the scoring system us ...

before becoming a

Career

Cuba

At the age of 17, Martín joined Villa Clara in the

. He also played for the Cuban national baseball team. Martín earned $40 a week. In the 2009–2010 season, Martín batted .326 with 10

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s, 23 doubles, and 48

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBI). In five seasons with Villa Clara, Martín batted .314. For the Cuban national team, Martín appeared in the 2006 World Junior Baseball Championship. He appeared in the

2009 World Port Tournament The 2009 World Port Tournament is an international baseball competition held at the DOOR Neptunus Familiestadion in Rotterdam, The Netherlands from July 2–12, 2009. It was the 12th edition of the tournament and featured teams from Chinese Taipei, ...

, which Cuba won. He was also named to the roster for the

as the team's fourth outfielder. He was the youngest player on the team,

Aroldis Chapman Albertín Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz (; born February 28, 1988) is a Cuban-born American professional baseball relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds, New Y ...

being six days older. Martín also played for Cuba in the

2010 World Junior Baseball Championship The 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship was an International Baseball Federation, international baseball competition being held at the Port Arthur Stadium and Central Ball Park in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada from July 23 to August 1, 2010. T ...

, where he batted 9-for-20 (.450), scored 14 runs, and had two doubles and eight walks. Martín defected from Cuba during the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship. He traveled to Tokyo, before arriving in Mexico, where he successfully petitioned

to allow him to become a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

Texas Rangers

Martín signed a five-year, $15.5 million contract that includes a $5 million signing bonus with the Texas Rangers on May 4, 2011, with the Rangers adding Martín to their

40 man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

. He reported to

extended spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring ...

with the Rangers before they assigned him to the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...

, the Rangers' Double-A affiliate in the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. After batting .348 with a .435

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

(OBP) with Frisco, the Rangers promoted Martín to the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

of the Triple-A

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

in July. He also spent two days working on baserunning and defense with Rangers

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

Gary Pettis Gary George Pettis (born April 3, 1958) is an American former professional baseball center fielder and third base coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1982 to 1992 for the California Angels, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, and Sa ...

. For the Express, Martín batted .263 with no

s, and 17

(RBI) in 175

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

s. The Rangers promoted Martín to the major leagues on August 30, 2011, when

Nelson Cruz Nelson Ramón Cruz Martínez (born July 1, 1980), nicknamed "Boomstick", is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Ranger ...

went on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

.Rangers to call up Leonys Martin today; playing time might be limited
''Dallas Morning News'' Making his major league debut on September 2, Martín recorded his first MLB hit against

Tim Wakefield Timothy Stephen Wakefield (August 2, 1966 – October 1, 2023) was an American professional baseball knuckleball pitcher. Wakefield began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is most remembered for his 17-year ...

of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. Appearing in eight games for the Rangers, Martín recorded three hits in eight at bats, including one double. The Rangers added Martín to their roster for the

2011 American League Division Series The 2011 American League Division Series (abbreviated ALDS) were two best-of-five playoffs comprising the opening round of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2011 MLB Postseason, 2011 postseason, played to determine the participating teams in the 20 ...

, but he did not make an appearance. The Rangers optioned Martín to Round Rock during

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2012. After batting .344 with a .414 OBP and .547

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

with five home runs in 31 games for Round Rock to start the 2012 season, the Rangers promoted Martín on June 15, when they placed

Koji Uehara is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). A rig ...

on the disabled list. In 2013, Martín made the Rangers' 25 man roster and started at center field on Opening Day against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

. On April 21, Martín hit the 1st home run of his major league career off of Aaron Harang of the

. On June 25, Martín collected the first multi-home run game of his major league career with two solo shots against

Hiroki Kuroda is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for Hiroshima Toyo Carp from 1997 to 2007 before playing in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008 to 2011 and ...

of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. Martín hit .260 for the 2013 season and stole a career-high 36 bases. Martín played a full season in 2014, hitting .274 with 31 stolen bases over a career-high 155 games. He suffered an injury in 2015 and played only 95 games, while his batting average sank to .219.

Seattle Mariners

After the 2015 season, the Rangers traded Martín and Anthony Bass to the

for Tom Wilhelmsen, James Jones, and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

( Patrick Kivlehan). Martín set a career-high in home runs in 2016 (15), despite moving from a team playing their home games in an extreme hitter's park to a team playing their home games in an extreme pitcher's park. Martín was designated for assignment by the Mariners on April 23, 2017. He was outrighted to Triple-A until he had his contract purchased by the team at the end of July. On August 23, he was designated for assignment for a second time.

Chicago Cubs

On August 31, 2017, the

acquired Martín and cash for a player to be named later or cash from the Mariners. Between the two teams in 2017 he batted .172/.232/.281. Martin made the Cubs 2017 playoff roster due to his above average speed and defense. He was outrighted to Triple-A on November 6, 2017, and elected free agency later that day.

Detroit Tigers

On December 5, 2017, the

signed Martín to a one-year, $1.75 million deal. Martín hit his first career grand slam on April 19, 2018, off Mike Wright of 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 ...

. On April 25, Martín hit a home run in both games of a doubleheader against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

, becoming the first Tiger player to do so since Don Kelly on October 1, 2010. On May 8, Martín was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a hamstring strain. On July 2, he was placed on the disabled list for the second time with a hamstring injury. For the season with Detroit he batted .251/.321/.409.

Cleveland Indians

On July 31, 2018, Martín and Kyle Dowdy were traded to the

in exchange for

Willi Castro Willi Rafael Castro Capellan (born April 24, 1997) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball Utility player (baseball), utility player for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2019. ...

. Nine days later Martín was placed on the 10-day disabled after an undisclosed illness. He was admitted to the

Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Academic health science center, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an O ...

on August 9, where he received care in the Intensive Care Unit. On August 13, 2018, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti announced Martín was recovering from a life-threatening bacterial infection and that there was no timetable for Martín's return to baseball activities. On August 22, the Indians ruled Martín out for the remainder of 2018 as a precaution. In 2018 he had only 15 at bats for Cleveland. Martín signed a one-year contract for the 2019 season with the Indians on October 31, 2018, avoiding salary arbitration. On June 22, 2019, he was designated for assignment. After clearing waivers, Martín was released by the Indians on June 27, 2019.

Chiba Lotte Marines

On July 14, 2019, Martín signed with the

(NPB). He played in 52 games for Lotte, posting a slash of .232/.342/.495 with 14 home runs and 39 RBI. On December 2, 2019, Martín signed a one-year extension to remain with the Marines. Appearing in 104 games for the Marines in 2020, Martín hit .234/.382/.485 with 25 home runs, 65 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. He signed a two-year extension with the Marines after the 2020 season. He played in 116 games for Lotte in 2021, slashing .233/.355/.500 with 27 home runs and 75 RBI. In 2022, Martín made 68 appearances for Lotte, hitting .163/.293/.317 with 9 home runs and 25 RBI.

Seattle Mariners (second stint)

On February 9, 2023, Martín signed a minor league contract with the

with a non-roster invite to spring training. He went 5-for-19 and struck out nine times in spring training before he was released on March 23.

Conspiradores de Querétaro

On January 16, 2024, Martín signed with the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the

. In 82 appearances for Querétaro, he batted .305/.410/.630 with 29 home runs, 74 RBI, and three stolen bases. Martín made 32 appearances for the Conspiradores in 2025, slashing .266/.372/.444 with five home runs, 20 RBI, and three stolen bases.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On May 30, 2025, Martín was traded to the

of the

in exchange for Daniel Castro, Tyler Viza, and

Michel Báez Michel Báez Cruz (born January 21, 1996) is a Cuban professional baseball pitcher for the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. Career San Diego Pad ...

Personal life

Martín's parents are divorced. His mother, brother and three sisters live in Cuba. His father lives in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. On June 25, 2018, Martín became a naturalized United States citizen.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Leonys 1988 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan American baseball players of Cuban descent Arizona League Rangers players Chiba Lotte Marines players Chicago Cubs players Cleveland Indians players Conspiradores de Querétaro players Cuban emigrants to the United States Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Defecting Cuban baseball players Detroit Tigers players Frisco RoughRiders players Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball players from Cuba Naranjas de Villa Clara players Naturalized citizens of the United States Nippon Professional Baseball right fielders People from Corralillo Round Rock Express players Seattle Mariners players Baseball players from Villa Clara Province Surprise Saguaros players Tacoma Rainiers players Texas Rangers players Tigres del Licey players 2009 World Baseball Classic players

Early life

Career

Cuba

Texas Rangers

Seattle Mariners

Chicago Cubs

Detroit Tigers

Cleveland Indians

Chiba Lotte Marines

Seattle Mariners (second stint)

Conspiradores de Querétaro

Sultanes de Monterrey

Personal life

See also

References

External links