He is a one-time Slugger winner and a two-time All-Star winner; he may not be the biggest name in the MLB right now, but he is certainly making a name for himself in the league, and with his impressive track record over the course of his career, he will soon make it. The star in question is none other than the American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who currently plays for the Boston Red Sox.
Martinez began his professional career in 2009 with Houston Astros and has also played for other MLB teams such as the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Detroit Tigers. He is an excellent right-handed pitcher and hitter who knows his job when it comes to hitting the ball; a skill he has improved with every pass. Learn more about him below.
J D Martinez Bio
J D Martinez was born on August 21, 1987, in the city of Miami, Florida, as Julio Daniel Martinez. He is of Cuban descent and the youngest of his parents’ six children and the only boy. As an adult, Martinez was the only son and youngest of the family to receive all the attention in the house.
He started playing ball at the tender age of four; first, it was basketball and then baseball. His father used to take him to baseball games on the weekends, and it fascinated him to watch the players hit the ball, and he decided to hit the ball one day. To ensure that he would not get involved with the vices of the neighborhood, his father encouraged him to play baseball.
Soon he had a mentor, Paul Casanova, who taught and instructed him in the rules of baseball. Most of the time after school, Martinez spent the rest of his day at Paul’s house playing baseball. His mother sometimes worried about his obsession with baseball, but today that “obsession” has paid off.
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At Flanagan High School in Florida, Martinez played for the baseball team at his school. After graduating high school in 2006, he was selected by the Minnesota Twins for the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, but he turned it down and went to Nova Southwestern University where he played for the Sharks during his time with the Sharks. During his college career, he twice won the All-Sunshine State Conference Baseball Player title.
J D Martinez Professional Career
J.D. Martinez began his professional career with the Appalachian League Greenville Astros at rookie-level after being selected by the Houston Astro in the 20th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. This made him the first player from Nova Southwestern University to be signed to the MLB. This season, he beat .403 in the Appalachian League before advancing to the Tri-City ValleyCats in the Class A-Short Season New York-Penn League.
The following season (2010), he joined the Lexington Legends of the Class A South Atlantic League (SAL) where he scored an on-base percentage of .433, a slugging percentage of .598, and a batting percentage of .362. Before the middle of the season, he was promoted to the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Class AA Texas League. At the end of the season, he was named Houston Astros Minor League Player of the Year and MVP of the South Atlantic League.
He remained with the Astros until the end of the 2013 season, and in March 2014 J.D. Martinez signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. After playing seventeen games for the triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, scoring ten home runs, and driving in twenty-two runs, the Tigers bought his contract, called him in to play for the team. In June he won the American League (AL) and was named Player of the Week.
He finished the season with thirty doubles, twenty-three home runs, seventy-six RBIs, .912 OPS, and a batting average of .315. This year Martinez was named a finalist for the Players Choice Award for AL Comeback Player of the Year.
In 2015, he signed a one-year contract with the franchise worth $3 million. This season, he was named a reserve for the American League in the All-Star Game, won his first Silver Slugger Award, was named a finalist for his first Gold Glove Award in right field, and finished second in the AL right fielder category, it was indeed a very fruitful year for the outfield player.
He signed another contract to extend his stay in 2016, which was valued at $18.5 million, but due to injuries this season he switched to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017 in exchange for Sergio Alcántara, Jose King, and Dawel Lugo.
In February 2018 he signed a five-year contract with the Boston Red Sox worth $110 million and has remained with the Boston Red Sox to this day. He ended his 2018 season with forty-three home runs and a career highlight of 130 RBIs.
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Salary/Net Worth
With his recent $110 million deal with the Red Sox, J.D. Martinez’s annual salary will be $23.75 million starting in 2018. His net worth is currently estimated at $25 million. His personal investment is estimated at $12.5 million and his home is valued at $1.3 million.
Family: Parents, Sisters, Wife, Girlfriend
J.D. Martinez is the only son of Julio and Mayra Martinez. He has five older sisters. The MLB outfielder is not married but has a gorgeous girlfriend named Ariana Aubert. Aubert was born like J.D. in Miami, but of Colombian descent. Martinez and Ariana went to the same high school, although it is not certain if they have been together since high school.
Ariana was a former cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins, after cheerleading, she took over the role of event and entertainment coordinator for the same team. She loves traveling, skydiving, and is a fan of the popular television series Walking Dead.