Russell Martin, Catcher
Date of Birth: 2/15/1983
Birthplace: East York, Canada
Russell Martin, starting catcher, was first drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002. After several years in the minors, Martin was called up to the major leagues in May, 2006. In 121 games for the Dodgers that season, Martin batted .282, with 117 hits, 26 doubles, and 10 home runs. He made just six errors in 117 games in his rookie year.
The 2007 season was Martin's best and he was rewarded that year with both a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award. His numbers that year included 158 hits, 32 doubles, 19 home runs, and 21 stolen bases.
Martin became a free agent in 2011 and he signed a one-year contract with the New York Yankees. A year later, he agreed to a second year with the Bronx bombers. Although he never topped his 2007 season, Martin played very well with the Yankees, hitting his career high of 21 home runs in 2012.
In November, 2012, Martin signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 127 games in 2013, he batted .226 with 99 hits, 21 doubles, and 15 home runs. He finished the 2014 season with 110 hits, 20 doubles, 67 RBIs, and a .290 batting average in 111 games.
On November 17, 2014, Martin signed a five-year, $82 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He finished the 2015 season with 106 hits, 23 doubles, a career high 23 home runs, 77 RBIs, and a .240 batting average in 129 games. As a catcher, he made 70 assists, 799 putouts, and 4 errors in 117 games. He caught players trying to steal 44.4% of the time and he had a .995 fielding percentage. In the postseason, he had 4 hits, including 2 doubles, and 1 RBI in 26 at-bats in 8 games.
In the 2016 regular season, Martin batted .231 with 105 hits, 16 doubles, 20 home runs, and 74 RBIs in 137 games. Defensively, as the Blue Jays' catcher, he made 55 assists, 989 putouts, and 4 errors in 127 games. He caught players trying to steal 15.3% of the time and he had a .996 fielding percentage. He had a poor postseason, batting just .091 with 3 hits, including a home run, and 1 RBI in 33 at-bats in 9 games.
Martin spent time on the DL in 2017 and he played in just 91 games with the Blue Jays. He finished the season with 68 hits, 13 home runs, 35 RBIs, 83 strikeouts to 50 walks, and a .221 batting average. Defensively, as the Blue Jays' catcher in 83 games, he made 41 assists, 646 putouts, and 3 errors. He caught players trying to steal just 20% of the time and he had a .996 fielding percentage.
Martin finished the 2018 season with 56 hits and a .194 batting average in 90 games. Defensively, as a catcher in 71 games, he made 38 assists, 591 putouts, and 5 errors. He caught players trying to steal 21.6% of the time and he had a .992 fielding percentage.
Martin was traded to the Dodgers on January 11, 2019. He spent time on the DL in 2019 with low back inflammation. He finished the season with 46 hits and a .220 batting average in 83 games. As the Dodgers' catcher in 60 games, he made 29 assists, 512 putouts and 2 errors, and he caught players trying to steal 17.9% of the time. In the postseason, he had 4 at-bats in 1 game, 2 hits (a double and a home run), 4 RBIs, and 2 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Martin became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He hasn’t played professional baseball since 2019.
Career batting statistics for Martin through 2019 include:
- 1,693 games played
- 1,416 hits
- 255 doubles
- 191 home runs
- 771 RBIs
- 1,211 strikeouts to 792 walks
- .248 batting average
Career fielding statistics for Martin as a catcher through 2019 include:
- 1,579 games played
- 941 assists
- 11,612 putouts
- 89 errors
- .303 caught stealing percentage
- .993 fielding percentage
Charitable Work
Martin has partnered with the One Drop Foundation, an organization that works to provide safe water to communities around the world. He has agreed to donate $600,000 over a ten-year period. More information about Martin and the One Drop Foundation can be found at russellmartin55.com.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Russell Martin
ESPN Sports - Russell Martin