J.D. Martinez

J.D. Martinez's Biography

Born in Miami, Florida on August 21, 1987, Julio Daniel Martinez is an American professional baseball player. Primarily recognized for his career in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and designated hitter, he stands 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 230 pounds.

As a right-handed batter and thrower, Martinez currently plays for the New York Mets but has previously proven his athletic prowess playing for MLB teams such as the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Joining MLB in 2011 for the Astros, Martinez soon established himself. Before his professional career, he attended the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in the sunshine state. Here, he was chosen by the Astros in the 20th round of the amateur draft in 2009, with the 611th overall pick.

An alumnus of Flanagan High School, Martinez was initially selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 36th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. However, deciding not to sign with the team, he instead furthered his education at NSU from 2007 to 2009 where he also played baseball for the Sharks.

His university days were a premonition of his future success; setting the school’s career record for home runs with 32 and achieving notable rankings in batting average, runs batted in (RBIs), and slugging percentage. Completing his last year at the school with 73 runs scored, the young player had already started making waves in the sporting world.

Following his impressive performance in college baseball, he was selected in the 20th round by the Houston Astros in the 2009 major league baseball draft with the 611th overall selection. This put the talented player on the trajectory to define his legacy as the first professional baseball player from NSU to play in the major leagues.

Making his professional debut with the Greeneville Astros of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, Martinez showed exceptional performances earning him a promotion to the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League.

In 2011, Martinez started the season with Corpus Christi and after impressive results, was called up by the Astros to replace Hunter Pence. This marked the start of a notable career with the Astros where he successfully made a name for himself, even hitting the first-ever home run in the new Marlins Park.

Martinez’s professional journey wasn’t always smooth; he was challenged in 2013 by the Astros’ hitting coach John Mallee which led him to introspect and reinvent his batting technique. This reinvention saw him studying top MLB hitters and observing his teammate Jason Castro, which greatly improved his play, allowing him to emerge stronger from the experience.

In 2014, after being released by the Astros, he signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. With the help of a new coach, Martinez excelled and by the end of the 2014 season, there were remarkable improvements in his performance, leading to many career-highs.

In subsequent years playing with the Tigers, he was recognized with the American League Player of the Week Award several times and also with the prestigious Silver Slugger Award for his exceptional batting performance. Overcoming injuries over the years, he emerged with increased prowess each time leading to his appointment by the Arizona Diamondbacks in July 2017.

Achieving milestones and setting records throughout his career, Martinez was awarded the Hank Aaron Award as the league’s top offensive performer during the Red Sox 2018 World Series run. He led the league in RBIs, and his batting average and home runs placed second. To top it off, he won the 2018 Players Choice Award for Player of the Year.

Today, Julio Daniel Martinez continues his journey in Major League Baseball with the New York Mets demonstrating the same dedication and passion that kicked off his extraordinary professional baseball career.