Octavio Martinez (baseball)
Octavio Martinez is the bullpen catcher for the Washington Nationals in Washington, D.C.
Martinez joined the Nationals in 2013. Prior to the Nationals, Martinez was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 10th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft.[1] He played nine years for the Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburg Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations, playing Triple A ball in the Orioles and Dodgers organizations.
Martinez continued his career in independent leagues, with one season in the Golden League and four seasons in the Atlantic League.[1]
One of his most noteworthy plays was a bare handed catch with the York Revolutions on opening day in 2011. Martinez dove into the crowd to successfully catch a ball off of the bat of Camden Riversharks’ Drew Macias in the Third inning of a game the Revolutions would go on to win, 8-2.[2]
Coming to the Nationals was described by some as a moment of serendipity precipitated by Martinez’s reputation as a hard worker and his positive, friendly demeanor. In an article by Teddy Feinburg, Nationals’ Assistant General Manager Bryan Minnitz remembered Martinez from their time together in Pittsburg:
“He could really catch and throw. I remembered that,” Minniti said. “And he was always smiling, always positive, always outgoing, high-energy. Coaches liked him and people spoke highly of him. And those are things you look for in any business.”[1]
Octavio Martinez also serves as the Washington Nationals’ Spanish Language Interpreter,[3] a position required by the MLB since 2016.[4]
Age: 38[5]
Date of Birth: July 30, 1979[5]
Height: 6’0”[5]
Weight: 185[5]
Bats:Right[5]
Throws: Right[5]
Number: 87
Hometown: Bakersfield, CA [1]
Education: Bakersfield College