| Carlos Martinez | |
|---|---|
| First baseman / Third baseman | |
| Born: August 11, 1965 La Guaira, Venezuela |
|
| Died: January 24, 2006 (aged 40) Vargas, Venezuela |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 2, 1988 for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 20, 1995 for the California Angels | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .258 |
| Hits | 383 |
| Home runs | 25 |
| Teams | |
Carlos Alberto Escobar Martínez (August 11, 1965 - 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.
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Martínez was born in La Guaira, Venezuela and played all his career in the Venezuelan Winter League with his home city team Tiburones de La Guaira.
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. 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 on May 26, 1993.[1]
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 40 after suffering a long illness.[2]