- For the Wycombe Wanderers football player, see Russell Martin (footballer).
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|
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers — No. 55 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: February 15 1983 | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| May 5, 2006 for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2007 season) |
|
| AVG | .288 |
| OBP | .366 |
| HR | 29 |
| RBI | 152 |
| SB | 31 |
| Teams | |
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Russell Nathan Coltrane Jeanson Martin Jr.[1] (born February 15, 1983 in East York, Ontario, Canada)[2] is a professional Canadian baseball player. He currently plays catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.[3] Martin broke the Dodgers' record for stolen bases by a catcher, which was set by Johnny Roseboro in 1962. He also became only the third catcher in Major League Baseball to lead his team to the playoffs as a rookie.
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Early life
Russell Martin was born in East York, Ontario (now part of the city of Toronto). Martin grew up in Chelsea, Quebec, Canada. He lived in Paris, France from the age of 8-10. He graduated from Polyvalente Edouard-Montpetit High School which was the same high school attended by former teammate Eric Gagné (though Gagné is 7 years older). Martin has an African-Canadian father, Russell Martin Sr., and a white mother, singer (and actress) Suzanne Jeanson, who was born in Manitoba and has lived in Québec, near Ottawa, in recent years. His parents separated when he was only 2 years old. "I don't really remember when my parents separated, and it's probably better that way because I know kids these days go through some tough times," says Russell. Russell's father used to play saxophone in Montreal subway stations to help pay for his baseball training. Along with playing baseball in the Montreal neighborhood of Notre-Dame-De-Grace, Russell played hockey for N.D.G Minor Hockey, where glimpses of his future all-star athleticism could be seen. He was an extremely fast skater and had a powerful shot. As a teenager, Russell broke the blade on his pair of skates, and to ensure that Russell wouldn't miss a game, a teammate had given him a new pair of skates so that Russell could continue to help his team.
Career
Martin was drafted by the Dodgers in 2002 in the 17th round, 511th overall. Martin was originally a third baseman before switching to catcher after a scout saw him playing for the Gulf Coast Dodgers in Rookie Ball and thought he showed more promise in that position. He was rated the best high school catcher in North America in the April 2002 Sporting News. Martin's minor league career was impressive. He was a Florida State League All-Star catcher while with the Vero Beach Dodgers in 2004 and Baseball America 2nd Team Minor League All-Star and Southern League All-Star while with the Jacksonville Suns in 2005. Although Martin was touted as a future major league player, in early 2005 the Dodgers acquired another developing catcher, Dioner Navarro In early 2006, Martin traveled to the off-season home of pitcher Eric Gagné, his teammate and fellow native of Montreal. Martin and Gagné (who was recovering from an injury) worked out together, and Gagné shared some of his experience with the younger catcher. Martin had expressed an interest in playing for Canada in the World Baseball Classic, but Gagné advised him not to let anything get in the way of preparing to play in his first Major League season. Neither player participated in the Classic. Both Martin and Navarro were invited to spring training in 2006. Both played well, but at the end of the spring Navarro was named the Dodgers' catcher, and Martin was sent to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. While Martin thrived in Las Vegas, Navarro played only adequately in Los Angeles, and showed signs of inexperience. On May 5 2006, Martin was called up to the Dodgers after a wrist injury landed Navarro on the disabled list. He got two hits (including a double) in the game. His first hit was against Chris Capuano. The team has performed well since Martin's arrival; he has played well both offensively and defensively, and he has gained the trust of the pitchers. On the May 7 game he hit his first major league home run against the Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dave Bush. On June 6, 2006, Russell Martin and Eric Gagné made baseball history by becoming the first French-Canadian battery in the majors.On June 26, 2006, Navarro was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, a move which was likely made to give Navarro some playing time somewhere else, and additionally, clear the way for Martin to become the Dodgers' permanent catcher. On August 13 2006, Martin hit his first career walk-off home run in a victory that completed a sweep of the rival San Francisco Giants. On September 18, 2006, Martin hit a solo home run off of Trevor Hoffman, the third of four consecutive home runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the San Diego Padres, it was the first time four home runs have been hit in a row since the 1964 Minnesota Twins. Martin has excelled since taking over the starting catcher's job. He not only is a good hitter for average, but is fast enough to steal bases, a rarity for a catcher. On defense, he has been widely praised for his direction of games and handling of the pitching staff. Peter Gammons wrote on April 16 2007 that Martin is the best player on the Dodgers.[4] On April 21 2007, Martin hit a walk-off grand slam against Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Shawn Chacon in the bottom of the 10th inning. This was the first grand slam of his career. In May 2007, Martin made his debut on the National League All-Star Game ballot at fourth place, despite leading National League catchers in most offensive categories and matching or exceeding ballot rivals in defense. By June 26, he had made up a 140,100 vote deficit from ballot-leading Paul Lo Duca, the Dodgers' former catcher now playing for the Mets, and was 214,114 votes ahead of him, thanks in large part to a grassroots campaign by both fans and the Dodgers organization. That same month he broke the Los Angeles Dodgers' franchise record for single-season steals by a catcher (12) set by John Roseboro in 1962. On July 1 it was announced that Martin finished in first place in All-Star Game voting, leading Lo Duca by 296,948 votes. He became the first ever Canadian born catcher to start the All-Star Game. At the end of the 2007 season, he was awarded with the National League Gold Glove Award and the Silver Slugger award. Russell will continue with the Dodgers for the 2008 season.
Personal life
Martin's full name is Russell Nathan Coltrane Jeanson Martin, Jr. Russell is from his father (Russell Martin Sr.), Nathan is from his great-grandfather, Coltrane is also from his dad to pay homage to John Coltrane (jazz saxophonist extraodinaire), and Jeanson is the maiden name of his mother (Suzanne). Martin's father is a Black Canadian whose grandparents came to Montreal from the U.S.[5] Martin's entrance theme is Touch the Sky by Kanye West.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Russell Martin Statistics. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.
- ^ ESPN - Russell Martin Stats, News, Photos - Los Angeles Dodgers - MLB Basbeball. ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.
- ^ The Official Site of The Los Angeles Dodgers: Team: Player Information. MLB.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.
- ^ Peter Gammons (April 16, 2007). Martin's energy drives Dodgers. ESPN. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
- ^ Los Angeles Times 15 April 2007
- ^ The Official Site of The Los Angeles Dodgers: Fan Forum: Player Songs. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
