CLEVELAND, Ohio — Like every other day this past offseason, Angel Martinez was headed to the Guardians’ baseball academy in the Dominican Republic.
Accompanying him were his father, Sandy Martinez, and Guardians third base coach Rouglas Odor, who was spending time at the academy.
Martinez, who made his big league debut with the Guardians last year, was there to take batting practice and train. Before he started hitting, he took Odor aside and told him, “Just a heads up. My dad doesn’t throw regular BP. He’s going to throw hard. He’s going to be trying to get me out.”
Sandy Martinez, 54, played 17 years professionally as a catcher. He had short stays in the big leagues with Toronto, the Cubs, Marlins, Expos, Indians and Red Sox. He played one game with the Indians in 2004 after hitting 17 home runs for Triple-A Buffalo.
He saw in other players what it took to stay in the big leagues and he was determined to try to help his son do the same.
“I’ve talked to people who played with and against my dad back in the day,” said Martinez. “These all said he had a great arm.”
Special kind of batting practice
It sounds like he still has one.
When Martinez is feeling good at the plate, or wants to face velocity, he tells his father, “Throw to me like a pitcher would throw to me.”
Sandy Martinez doesn’t throw BP from a ramp halfway between the mound and the plate. He has to do it from the mound, or no one can make solid contact against him.
“He throws like a pitcher, I swear to God,“ said Martinez. ”It’s so crazy he has to go all the way back to the mound to throw BP. When he’s close, I can’t get the head of the bat out. So he’s got to move back.”
To Odor, the give and take between father and son makes sense.
“That’s what baseball is all about, right?” said Odor. “Make it difficult during practice so the game becomes easy. That’s what his dad has been doing with him since he was a kid.”
Martinez grew up in the Dominican Republic playing as much basketball as baseball. When asked what kind of player he was, Martinez, 6-0 and 200 pounds, said, “Yeah, I could dunk then, and I can still dunk now. I’ve got more power now.”
But baseball ruled in the Martinez home. Former Indians infielder Michael Martinez is a cousin. Angel’s brother, Sandy Jr., played rookie ball for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Angel Rosario, a step brother, played in the minors for the White Sox, and is now coaching in their minor league system.
Hey, Dad, let’s talk
The ties to home are strong.
Martinez talks to his father before and after every game. Sometimes he calls his dad and sometimes his dad calls him.
“It’s usually back at the hotel,” said Martinez. “He knows my routine after the game.”
They talk about the team’s performance and how Martinez did in that particular game.
“He keeps telling me it’s a tough game,” said Martinez. “He says you’re going to struggle sometimes more than when you feel good.
“He reminds me of how good I am. He keeps my confidence up and and helps me stay positive.”
Sandy Martinez made his son start switch-hitting at a young age. The one thing he never asked him to do was catch.
“He never made me catch,” said Martinez with a smile. “He saw the way I moved around the infield and let me play.”
Guardians center fielder Angel Martinez watches his three-run homer leave the yard in the eighth inning off the Dodgers on May 28, 2025 at Progressive Field.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Angel Martinez the sleeper
For years the Guardians have signed, drafted and traded for middle infielders. Every year they load up on international free agents, and every one of them seems to be a shortstop. That includes Martinez who signed in 2018.
Martinez didn’t come into the organization with a lot of fanfare. There were players in front of him and that number seemed to grow every year. Tyler Freeman, Willi Castro, Ernie Clement, Brayan Rocchio, Aaron Bracho, Jose Tena, Carson Tucker and Gabriel Arias always seemed to be on a faster track.
Whenever Cleveland’s executives talked about Martinez, they called him a “sleeper.” He was someone to keep an eye on even though he didn’t make Cleveland’s top prospect list with MLB.com until 2021.
Martinez, 23, always felt he was more than a sleeper.
“For sure,” he said. “I’m just getting started. This is the beginning. I’m going to keep working and grinding. I’ve got a good feeling that I’m going to do good stuff.”
Style and substance
There is flash to his game.
They’re still clocking his home-run trot at Yankee Stadium on June 4. He wears No.1 on his back and he has a diamond studded necklace in the shape of the numeral one that he wears in games.
“I think if you look good, you play good,” said Martinez.
But Martinez’s game goes much deeper than flash and dash. There is grit and adaptability to it.
When the Guardians asked him to move from the middle infield to the outfield last season, he was not only willing, but he adapted quickly. It represented a chance not only to get to the big leagues, but to stay there.
Martinez knew that even before his father told him.
“At the beginning, I was a little afraid to hit the wall,” said Martinez. “But last year I practiced over and over and over and I got comfortable out there.”
Angel Martinez has spent the last two seasons making the transition from being a middle infielder to an outfielder with the Guardians.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
He played only 43 games in the big leagues last year, but 35 of them were in the outfield.
This season he again opened the year at Columbus, but was quickly recalled on April 9. Martinez has started 39 games in center field, eight at second base and one in right field. He became the regular center fielder when Lane Thomas went on the injured list. With Thomas activated, Martinez has spent the last three games at second.
“Angel has done a really good job of finding ways to help the team win,” said Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations. “Whether that’s in center field, right field or second base, he has that versatility to earn additional playing time. When he’s gotten that time he’s often provided a spark for us offensively.”
Martinez started quickly at the plate, hitting .333 (19 for 57) with five RBI in April. As has been the case with several young hitters in Cleveland’s lineup, the opposition caught up to him. He hit .213 (19 for 89) with three homers and 15 RBI in May. In Wednesday’s 11-2 win over the Reds, Martinez had three hits, but is still only batting .175 (7 for 41) with one homer and four RBI in June.
“The league has made some adjustments, now it’s up to him to make the adjustments right back,” said Antonetti. “The players who can do that are the ones who stay in the big leagues.”
Different throws for different positions
The Guardians love versatility. They preach it to their players. Some can do it, some can’t.
Martinez, in showing the ability to slide back and forth between the infield and outfield, has had to learn two different throwing motions. The infield requires a shorter throwing action, while the outfield requires a longer one.
Kai Correa is the Guardians field coordinator and director of team defense. He worked with Martinez as a young player in the minors and has re-connected with him since rejoining Cleveland’s coaching staff after the 2023 season.
“You have to be thoughtful about going back and forth between the infield and outfield,” said Correa. “It’s like two different books on the bookshelf. If you try to combine the two, that’s where you run into trouble.
“Angel put in the time this offseason. reinventing how he throws from second and separating that from how he throws from the outfield. We’ve seen the fruits of that work.”
Martinez has made it from sleeper to the big leagues. He’s shown his versatility and can hit from both sides of the plate.
He’s the ideal Guardians’ player. Now all he has to do to stay in the big leagues is keep getting better every day. Those daily phone calls between father and son should help.