Carlos Martínez (baseball infielder)
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Carlos Alberto Escobar Martínez (August 11, 1964 - January 24, 2006) was a Venezuelan first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1988 through 1995, he played for the Chicago White Sox (1988-90), Cleveland Indians (1991-93) and California Angels (1995). Martínez batted and threw right handed. He was born in La Guaira, Venezuela.
Martínez, affectionately nicknamed "Café", signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent in 1983. During the 1986 midseason, he was sent by New York to the White Sox in the same trade that brought Ron Kittle to the Yankees. Finally, Martínez made his major league debut with Chicago in 1988.
Listed at 6'5", 175 pounds, Martínez never was able to fulfill the potential that he showed in the minors. His most productive season came in 1989 for the White Sox, when he posted career-highs in average (.300), at-bats (350), hits (105), runs (44) and doubles (22), and also was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team.
In addition to playing with the White Sox, Martínez also spent playing time as an utility with the Cleveland Indians, and made his last major league appearance with the California Angels in 1995.
In a seven-season career, Martínez was a .258 hitter with 25 home runs and 161 RBI in 465 games played.
Martínez died in Catia La Mar, Venezuela at age 41 after suffering a long illness.
[edit] Trivia
- Martínez is perhaps best remembered as the batter who hit the long fly ball which bounced off José Canseco's head for a home run (May 26, 1993).
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- Baseball Reference - major league statistics
- The Baseball Cube - minor league statistics
- MLB - obituary
