Chito Martínez

Reyenaldo Ignacio "Chito" Martínez, (born December 19, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball player and the first in MLB history to be born in the country of Belize. Born in Belize City, he spent parts of three seasons (1991 to 1993) with the Baltimore Orioles, 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.[1] 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 disappearing from the major leagues.

For the Venezuelan footballer, see Chito Martínez (footballer).
Chito Martínez
Martínez in 1988
Outfielder
Born: (1965-12-19) December 19, 1965
Belize City, Belize
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
July 5, 1991, for the Baltimore Orioles
Last MLB appearance
April 20, 1993, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Games played158
Batting average.259
Runs scored58
Home runs18
Teams

Career

Martinez played minor league baseball for the Kansas City Royals 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 (20) and he was called up from the Class AAA Rochester Red Wings to the Orioles.[2]

Personal

Martinez has a son who plays minor league baseball. Drew Martinez attended the University of Memphis. He was selected by the New York Mets in the 2010 MLB draft after his sophomore year, but returned to Memphis for another year. He was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 10th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft and played in the minor leagues from 2011 to 2016.[3][4]

References
  1. "1992 Upper Deck baseball card # 672".
  2. Schmuck, Peter (6 July 1991). "Team reaches Whitt's end, Chito Martinez brought up". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  3. Rohan, Tim. "Cape League Spotlight: Drew Martinez, Brewster". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  4. "Martinez, Locante first Memphis-area players drafted in MLB draft". The Memphis Commercial Appeal. 7 June 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
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