| Joe Martinez | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: February 26, 1983 South Orange, New Jersey, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 7, 2009, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 5, 2013, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 4–3 |
| Earned run average | 5.82 |
| Strikeouts | 32 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Joseph Andrew Martinez (born February 26, 1983) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. He played parts of four seasons for the San Francisco Giants (2009–2010), Pittsburgh Pirates (2010), Arizona Diamondbacks (2012), and Cleveland Indians (2013). Martinez threw right-handed but batted left-handed.
A native of South Orange, New Jersey, Martinez played four years of college baseball for the Boston College Eagles. Used exclusively as a starting pitcher as a senior in 2005, he was drafted by the Giants in the 12th round of the 2005 MLB Draft. Progressing through the minor leagues, he won the 2009 Harry S. Jordan Award as the Giant who did the best in his first spring training, making San Francisco's Opening Day roster as a result. He picked up the win on Opening Day, April 7, but two days later, he suffered a concussion and three fractured bones when a line drive off the bat of Mike Cameron hit him in the forehead. The injury kept him out for several months, but he returned to the Giants later in the season. After being the Fresno Grizzlies' best starter in 2010, he was called up in mid-June when Todd Wellemeyer was injured; he made one start before being replaced by Madison Bumgarner in the rotation. Midway through the year, he was traded to the Pirates.
Assigned to the minor leagues, Martinez did not pitch for the Pirates until September, when he made five relief appearances. He spent all of 2011 in the minor leagues for Cleveland. In 2012, he pitched in one game for the Diamondbacks, and he made two appearances for Cleveland in 2013. After a brief stint in the minor leagues for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2014, he retired. In 2022, MLB hired Martinez as their Senior Director of On-Field Operations.