Dave Martinez

Dave Martinez
Martinez with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012
Washington Nationals – No. 4
Outfielder / Manager
Born: (1964-09-26) September 26, 1964
Brooklyn, New York
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 15, 1986, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
October 7, 2001, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
Batting average .276
Home runs 91
Runs batted in 580
Managerial record 82–80
Winning % .506
Teams

As player

As manager

As coach

Career highlights and awards

David Martinez (born September 26, 1964) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder who is currently the manager for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as the bench coach for the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs. He played in MLB for the Cubs, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Devil Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Atlanta Braves from 1986 to 2001. Martinez had a .276 career batting average, 1,599 hits, 91 home runs, 795 runs scored, and 580 runs batted in.

Martinez became the bench coach for the Rays in 2008. Since then he has been considered a candidate for several managerial positions in MLB. When Rays' manager Joe Maddon became manager of the Cubs after the 2014 season, Martinez joined the Cubs as their bench coach. The Washington Nationals hired him to a three-year contract after the 2017 season.

Early life

Martinez was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Puerto Rican parents.[1] He lived at East 93rd Street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. He then lived in Brentwood, NY and played little league for BYA (Brentwood Youth Activities). At age 13, his family moved to Orlando, Florida, on the recommendation of an uncle.[1][2]

Martinez attended Lake Howell High School in Winter Park, Florida. He played on the school's baseball team, which won the Five Star Conference championship in 1981.[2] He then enrolled at Valencia Community College, where he played college baseball.[3]

Professional career

The Chicago Cubs selected Martinez in the January phase of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft.[4][5] After he signed, he played for the Geneva Cubs of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League[6] and the Quad Cities Cubs of the Class A Midwest League.[7] He began the 1984 season with Quad Cities,[8] and in 1985, he received a promotion to the Winston-Salem Spirits of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League.[9] Martinez led the Carolina League with a .342 batting average; the second-place finishers, Keith Miller and John Wilson, batted .302.[10] Martinez began the 1986 season with the Iowa Cubs of the Class AAA American Association.[11]

The Cubs promoted Martinez to the major leagues for the first time on June 15, 1986,[12] and he served as an injury replacement for Bob Dernier.[13] He had a .119 batting average (8-for-67) before he was optioned back to the minor leagues in August.[14] Martinez made the Cubs major league roster in 1987,[15] splitting time in center field with Dernier.[16] He batted .292 in 142 games.[17] Martinez struggled in the 1988 season, batting .230 in mid-June.[18] On July 14, 1988, Martinez was traded to the Montreal Expos in exchange for Mitch Webster.[19][20] He finished 1988 with a .255 batting average and 23 stolen bases.[21]

Martinez was pegged as a platoon player in Montreal, as he batted against right-handed pitchers and sat against left-handed pitchers. The Expos also had outfielders Otis Nixon, Marquis Grissom and Larry Walker on their roster.[2] He played 126 games in 1989, hitting .274.[21] In 1990, Martinez lost the competition for the center field job to Grissom. However, Grissom was injured,[22] and Martinez platooned with Nixon in center field. Martinez batted .279 with 11 home runs in 118 games in 1990.[23] He batted .295 in 1991.[24] After the 1991 season, the Expos traded Martinez with Willie Greene and Scott Ruskin to the Cincinnati Reds for Bill Risley and John Wetteland. He was sought out as a replacement for Eric Davis for the Reds.[24] He competed with Reggie Sanders for the starting job during spring training.[25][26]

Martinez played for Cincinnati in 1992, but as Sanders established himself as the Reds' starting center fielder, Martinez declared for free agency after the season. He signed with the San Francisco Giants on a two-year contract for the 1993 and 1994 seasons. He suffered a torn hamstring in 1993[27] and was limited to 91 games. He hit .241, his lowest average in several seasons.[21] The Giants waived Martinez in October 1994 after he was held to a .247 average, four home runs and 27 runs batted in (RBIs).[28]

Martinez signed a one-year, $500,000 contract with the Chicago White Sox for the 1995 season. He received limited playing time under manager Gene Lamont. When Lamont was replaced by Terry Bevington, Martinez saw an increase in playing time.[29] He signed a two-year $1.425 million contract for the 1996 and 1997 seasons.[30] He spent the 1996 season as a backup behind Darren Lewis, Tony Phillips, and Danny Tartabull, along with fellow backup Lyle Mouton.[31]

In 1997, Martinez batted, .286 and set career highs with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs. He then signed a two-year contract with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays worth $3.5 million with an option for a third season at $1.75 million.[32][33][34] In addition his desire to play in Florida, he was enticed by the Rays' additions of Fred McGriff, Wilson Álvarez, and Roberto Hernández.[2] In 1998, he recorded the first hit in Tampa history.[5] His contract option for the 2000 season vested when he recorded his 500th at bat of the 1999 season.[35]

After batting .260 in his first 29 games of the 2000 season, the Devil Rays, who needed to improve their pitching staff, traded Martinez to the Cubs for Mark Guthrie and cash.[36] On June 9, 2000, the Cubs traded Martinez to the Texas Rangers in a three team trade that sent Chuck Smith from the Florida Marlins to the Rangers and Brant Brown from the Marlins to the Cubs.[37] On August 4, 2000, the Rangers traded Martinez to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later.[38][39] The Blue Jays sent Peter Munro to the Rangers to complete the trade.[40] By playing for four MLB teams in one season, Martinez tied the record. Since 1901, the previous players to play for four MLB teams in a season were Frank Huelsman (1904), Willis Hudlin (1940), Paul Lehner (1951), Wes Covington (1961), Mike Kilkenny (1972), and Dave Kingman (1977). Dan Miceli (2003) and José Bautista (2004) later achieved the feat.[41] With Toronto, he filled in for the injured Raúl Mondesí as the Blue Jays contended for the American League wild card.[42] Between the four teams, he had a .274 batting average, five home runs, and 47 runs batted in (RBIs) in 132 games.[43]

Martinez signed with the Atlanta Braves on a two-year contract covering the 2001 and 2002 seasons, valued at approximately $3 million.[44] He batted .328 in the first half of the 2001 season, but only .233 in the second half. Late in the year, he was diagnosed with chronic tendinitis in the patella. He appeared in the MLB postseason for the only time in his career, as he played in the 2001 National League Division Series, as the Braves defeated the Houston Astros, and the 2001 National League Championship Series, where the Braves lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Martinez returned to the Braves in 2002, but missed the entire season after he injured his right knee during spring training.[45] He announced his retirement. In 1,919 games played, Martinez had a .276 career batting average, 1,599 hits, 91 home runs, 795 runs scored, and 580 RBIs.[46]

Coaching career

Coaching

Martinez worked for the Tampa Bay Rays as a spring training instructor in 2006 and 2007.[4][47][48] On October 11, 2007, he was hired by the Tampa Bay Rays to be their bench coach. As the Rays' bench coach, Martinez was in charge of defensive positioning, and worked with the Rays' players on bunting and baserunning.[5]

Martinez interviewed for managerial positions with Toronto in the 2010 offseason[49] and the Cleveland Indians.[5] During the 2011 offseason, Martinez interviewed for White Sox' managerial position.[50][51] The White Sox hired Robin Ventura. After the 2012 season, Martinez was considered for the Astros' managerial position, which went to Bo Porter.[52] During the 2013 offseason, Martinez interviewed for Cubs' managerial position,[53] which went to Rick Renteria, and the Washington Nationals' managerial position,[54] which went to Matt Williams.

Rays' manager Joe Maddon opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay after the 2014 season. The Rays sought feedback from their players on who should manage the team. Evan Longoria, Alex Cobb, and Ben Zobrist endorsed Martinez.[55] Martinez interviewed for the position, but was not among the Rays' three finalists.[56] Martinez announced his intention to leave the Rays.[57] On December 4, he was hired to serve as the bench coach for the Cubs under Maddon.[58] In 2016, Martinez was part of the Cubs' coaching staff that led the team to winning the 2016 World Series, breaking a 108-year long drought.[59]

Washington Nationals manager

The Washington Nationals elected not to extend manager Dusty Baker's contract after a second consecutive season in which the Nationals reached the National League Division Series and lost in five games (in 2016 to the Los Angeles Dodgers; in 2017 to Martinez's Cubs).[60] Martinez was one of just a handful of candidates mentioned for the open managerial job. On October 30, 2017, the Nationals announced they had come to terms with Martinez on a three-year managing contract starting with the 2018 season, with a club option for the 2021 season.[61]

Martinez earned his first win as a major league manager in his first career game managed, as the Nationals shut out the Cincinnati Reds 2–0 on March 30, 2018, to begin the season.[62] Throughout his first season, Martinez has made major lineup moves. These include placing Bryce Harper in the leadoff spot for the first time in over four years on May 1, 2018[63], and allowing ace Max Scherzer to throw 121 pitches on May 19, 2018[64].

Managerial record

As of games played on September 30, 2018.
TeamFromToRegular season recordPost–season record
GWLWin %GWLWin %
Washington Nationals2018present 162 8280.506 0 00–
Ref.:[65]

Personal life

Martinez resides in Safety Harbor, Florida, a suburb of Tampa,[2] with his wife, Lisa, and their four children: Josh, Jagger, Dalton, and Angelica.[38][66] Lisa is originally from Chicago; they met while Martinez was in his first stint with the Cubs.[67] Jagger attended the University of Tampa, where he played for the school's soccer team.[46]

References

  1. 1 2 Cunningham, Dave (May 3, 1998). "Language barrier trips up Martinez". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Cunningham, Dave (April 26, 1998). "Diamond Dave's hidden luster". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ Buchalter, Bill (August 3, 1997). "Many pro careers launched from junior-college stints The White Sox's Dave Martinez and other pro athletes gained experience at junior colleges". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Maffezzoli, Dennis (March 3, 2006). "Martinez provides link with past while helping future". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, Florida. p. 1C. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Sonnone, Brendan (August 20, 2013). "From Lake Howell to Rays, Dave Martinez aspires to manage in majors: Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Dave Martinez has already interviewed for three manager openings". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  6. ↑ "1983 Geneva Cubs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  7. ↑ "1983 Quad Cities Cubs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ "1984 Quad Cities Cubs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  9. ↑ "1985 Winston-Salem Spirits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  10. ↑ "1985 Carolina League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  11. ↑ "1986 Iowa Cubs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  12. ↑ Mitchell, Fred (June 15, 1986). "Cubs drop Keough, Francona". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Sunday Notebook". Chicago Tribune. June 30, 1986. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  14. ↑ Mitchell, Fred (August 4, 1986). "Martinez 'happy' to be optioned back To Iowa". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  15. ↑ Lincicome, Bernie (April 10, 1987). "Let`s be positive: Cubs not all bad". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  16. ↑ Mitchell, Fred (April 4, 1987). "Cubs trade Eckersley to Oakland". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  17. ↑ "1987 Chicago Cubs Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  18. ↑ Solomon, Alan (June 12, 1988). "The eyes have it: Martinez in a funk". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  19. ↑ Ofman, George. "Can Dave Martinez manage the Cubs — That's All She Wrote". Chicago Now. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  20. ↑ Solomon, Alan (July 15, 1988). "Cubs' Martinez dealt to Expos for Webster". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  21. 1 2 3 Dave Martinez Statistics and History. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  22. ↑ Giuliotti, Ed (March 6, 1991). "For Expos, Marquis` value seems lower in '91". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  23. ↑ Patton, Robes (March 18, 1991). "Expo plan: Everyone is prepared". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  24. 1 2 Schmuck, Peter. "Giants trade Mitchell to Mariners for pitching". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Rape complaint creates Mets turmoil National League notes". The Baltimore Sun. March 15, 1992. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  26. ↑ Edes, Gordon (March 22, 1992). "Reds` Reggie Vision: Sanders Starts In Center". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  27. ↑ Jauss, Bill (September 11, 1997). "Not many off-days in Martinez's off-season". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  28. ↑ Edes, Gordon (October 16, 1994). "Phillie fans could be in for one wild surprise". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  29. ↑ Sullivan, Paul (August 28, 1995). "Martinez hopes against a trade". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  30. ↑ Rogers, Phil (September 5, 1997). "Versatile Martinez hopes to stay here". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  31. ↑ Edes, Gordon (February 4, 1996). "Daulton's new job comes with a catch". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  32. ↑ Rogers, Phil. "Martinez exits for Tampa: Loss leaves scarcity of left-hand hitters". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  33. ↑ Anderson, Chris (December 5, 1997). "Sox' Martinez signs with Devil Rays". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. pp. 1C, 7C. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  34. ↑ Didtler, Mark (December 5, 1997). "Devil Rays sign Lake Howell grad". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  35. ↑ Topkin, Marc. "Sports: Martinez: 500 at-bats adds year to contract". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Rays trade for pitching help". Gainesville Sun. May 13, 2000. p. 4C. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  37. ↑ O'Brien, David (June 10, 2000). "Trades net pitcher, utility player". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  38. 1 2 Crasnick, Jerry (September 17, 2000). "Trades keep Martinez family on the move". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 12C. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Sports: Ex-Ray Martinez on move again". St. Petersburg Times. August 5, 2000. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Munro signs with Rangers". Gadsden Times. January 3, 2001. p. B3. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Playing for Four Teams in One Year » Baseball-Reference Blog » Blog Archive". Baseball-Reference.com. January 22, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  42. ↑ Crasnick, Jerry (September 14, 2000). "Sports — The well-traveled Dave Martinez". Seattle Times. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  43. ↑ Mormile, Anthony (December 10, 2000). "Braves agree to terms with OF Dave Martinez on two-year deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  44. ↑ "A-Rod narrows field to four: Baseball notebook". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. December 11, 2000. p. C6. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  45. ↑ "Dave Martinez to miss entire season". Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. Associated Press. February 21, 2002. p. C6. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  46. 1 2 "More about Tampa Bay Rays coach Dave Martinez". Orlando Sentinel. August 20, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  47. ↑ Topkin, Marc (April 20, 2007). "Martinez wouldn't mind sticking around as coach". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  48. ↑ Topkin, Marc (October 9, 2007). "Rays: Ex-Ray Martinez may join staff". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  49. ↑ "Jays won't hire Martinez, Canadian Thomson". Sportsnet.ca. October 19, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  50. ↑ Topkin, Marc. "Bench coach Dave Martinez a possible loss for Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon's staff". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Stone: Alomar the favorite to succeed Guillen". Chicago Tribune. September 27, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  52. ↑ Berry, Adam (September 3, 2014). "Martinez interested in Astros' managerial job". MLB.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Rays coach Dave Martinez to interview for Cubs manager". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  54. ↑ Ladson, Bill (November 8, 2013). "Nats considered Martinez a top candidate for job". MLB.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  55. ↑ Topkin, Marc (November 8, 2014). "Longoria, Zobrist endorse Dave Martinez as manager". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  56. ↑ "Rays bench coach Dave Martinez not among three finalists for manager job". Bay News 9. Bright House Sports Network. November 21, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  57. ↑ Topkin, Marc (November 25, 2014). "Passed over in manager race, Dave Martinez will leave Rays". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  58. ↑ Heyman, Jon (December 4, 2014). "Dave Martinez being hired to join Joe Maddon as Cubs bench coach". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  59. ↑ Bastian, Jordan; Muskat, Carrie. "Chicago Cubs win 2016 World Series". MLB. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  60. ↑ Wagner, James (October 20, 2017). "Dusty Baker Is Out as Nationals Manager After Two Seasons". The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  61. ↑ Clark, Dave (October 30, 2017). "Dave Martinez named Washington Nationals' new manager". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  62. ↑ Janes, Chelsea (March 30, 2018). "Max Scherzer picks up where he left off as Nationals shut out Reds in opener". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  63. ↑ Castillo, Jorge (2018-05-01). "Why is Bryce Harper leading off Tuesday? Dave Martinez says, 'Why not?'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  64. ↑ "Sean Doolittle blows first save of season, Nationals drop 5-4 decision to Dodgers..." Federal Baseball. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  65. ↑
  66. ↑ Topkin, Marc (November 4, 2014). "Dave Martinez a natural fit to replace Maddon as Rays manager". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  67. ↑ Greenstein, Teddy (May 16, 2000). "Martinez feels he's coming home". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Bill Evers		 Tampa Bay Rays bench coach
2008–2014		 Succeeded by
Tom Foley
Preceded by
Brandon Hyde		 Chicago Cubs bench coach
2015-2017		 Succeeded by
Brandon Hyde
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