Jorge Martinez

Jorge "The King" Martinez (born July 16th, 1991) is a second baseman with the Seattle Pikes in the Baseball Star Association. Martinez won the Continental League Most Valuable Player award in 2018 with the Seattle Pikes. During his MVP season, Martinez finished second in average, first in on base percentage, first in slugging, first in runs created, first in WAR, and first in VORP. Martinez is a four time All-Star. He has 131 career HRs and 642 career walks.

College Career

Martinez graduated from Baylor University in 2014 after four years playing NCAA baseball. During his college career, he amassed a .370/.491/.692 line, which included 58 HRs. His senior season, he was awarded the 2014 Dick Howser Award (the NCAA's award for the best college player of the year).

Martinez was drafted first overall in the 2014 amateur draft. Although Martinez had won the Dick Howser Award, his selection first overall was not guaranteed as the 2014 class included future all stars Seung-chun "Air" Mun (drafted #2 overall) and Manny "Hack" Velasquez (drafted 4th overall). The newly renamed Seattle Pikes selected Martinez based on their then scout's opinion that Martinez would be "a future Hall of Famer."

Minor League Career

Martinez played three seasons in the Pikes farm system. He started with the single-A Colorado Commanders after signing with the team and played there until midway through early 2015. He played several months in Double-A Santa Fe before moving to Triple-A Mexico City.

Baseball Star Association Career

In September of 2015 (Martinez's second year as a professional baseball player), he got the call to the Pikes as part of their expanded roster. He struggled in limited at bats, but found his way back onto the major league team in June of 2016. He ultimately won the everyday second baseman position from Pedro Valdez and has started every season since.

Martinez's career really took off in 2017, which was the first year he played nearly every day. Over 153 games that season, he hit .273/.436/.473. He also started to make a name for himself in the field. He posted a +5.4 ZR that season with a 1.017 Efficiency. It was also the first year that his talents were recognized by the league as a whole - he was voted onto the 2017 Continental League All-Star team but started behind the MVP that year, Mike Bryant. The Pikes rewarded Martinez with a 4 year $16 million contract extension.

In 2018, Martinez had one of the single greatest seasons in BSA history. Despite the fact that he plays in BSA's most pitching friendly division, Martinez hit .342/.492/.622 - the third highest OPS in the BSA modern ERA. He combined that hot bat with unbelievable play at second base, committing only 1 error in 127 games. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by injury and he missed most of August before returning for September and a first round playoff victory against the St. Louis Browns. He still posted a 10.25 WAR that season, which is the highest WAR per game in BSA history.

Martinez failed to match that success in his following two seasons. Despite finishing in the top 10 overall for WAR and playing in both the 2019 and 2020 All Star Games, Martinez didn't have the otherworldly stats many expected. He posted a 6.0 WAR in 2020 but it still wasn't enough to help an otherwise offensive-starved Pikes team that finished 63-99 overall. Prior to that season, Martinez extended his contract with the Pikes as part of a 2 year $12.6 million deal that keeps him in Seattle through 2023.

Life Outside of Baseball

Martinez spends most of the off-season at his home in Grapevine, Texas, playing golf or hunting. He often visits his alma mater in nearby Waco to help with Baylor baseball recruiting. In 2016, he established a charity organization, "Walks for Those that Can't." He donates $1,000 to purchase wheelchairs for every walk he draws. So far he has donated $640,000.

In 2018 Martinez was arrested for domestic violence and possession of a controlled substance. The case was settled out of court.

Accomplishments
 * 4-time All-Star (2016-2020)
 * Continental League MVP (2018)
 * Finished 1st in Walks (2017, 2019)
 * Finished Top 3 in WAR (2017, 2018, 2019)