Richie Martin

BIOGRAPHY

Richie Martin was born December 22, 1994, in Detroit, Michigan. He is a shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles in the MLB.

Martin attended Bloomingdale High School in Valrico, Florida. Martin committed to enroll at the University of Florida to play college baseball for the Florida Gators baseball team. In the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft, the Seattle Mariners selected Martin in the 38th round, with the 1,151st overall selection of the draft. He opted not to sign with Seattle, fulfilling his commitment to Florida. In 2015, Martin was named to the preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list. He finished the season with a .291 batting average and set career highs with 77 hits, 63 runs scored, 36 runs batted in (RBIs), and 20 stolen bases. He was a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award. During the summer, Martin played for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League.

In the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft, the Oakland Athletics selected Martin in the first round, with the 20th overall selection. Martin signed with the Athletics. Martin spent 2015 playing for the Vermont Lake Monsters of the New York-Penn League. He finished 2015 batting .237 with two home runs and 16 RBIs in 51 games. Martin spent the 2016 season with both the Stockton Ports and the Midland RockHounds, posting a combined a .235 batting average with three home runs, 38 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 91 total games between the two teams. In 2017, he played for both Midland and the Stockton Ports, batting .234 with four home runs and 33 RBIs in 109 total games, and in 2018, he played with Midland, slashing .300/.368/.439 with six home runs, 42 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases in 118 games.

The Baltimore Orioles selected Martin with the first selection in the 2018 Rule 5 draft. Martin made the Orioles' Opening Day roster and made his major league debut on Opening Day against the New York Yankees. Martin recorded his first Major League hit, a single off James Paxton, and his first career stolen base on March 30, 2019.