Former New York Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez was one of the core players in their dynasty in the late 1990s.
He was the heir to former team captain Don Mattingly, who retired in 1995.
This was a major hole to replace, but he stepped in and won the hearts of Yankee fans.
Happy 51st birthday, Tino Martinez! 🎉
The former first baseman won 4 World Series titles in 7 seasons in the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/uyYaxHm6LE
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) December 7, 2018
However, he is sometimes forgotten as being one of the better hitters in the MLB during that time.
An established player in the MLB prior to 1996, Martinez joined a team balanced between young and veteran players.
In this role, he took the next step in his career.
After his time with the Yankees, he lost his spot among the league’s best first baseman.
Whatever happened to Martinez, how did his career turn out and where is he now?
Consistency At First Base
Martinez broke into the league during the 1990 season with the Seattle Mariners.
However, he never played a primary role until the 1995 season, when he really established himself.
That year, he hit .293 with 31 home runs and 111 RBI, earning a spot in the All-Star game.
However, the Mariners elected to trade him to the Yankees that offseason.
In a package deal, the team got both Martinez and right-handed pitcher Jeff Nelson, who also played a big role in the Yankees World Series runs.
Martinez embraced the challenge of replacing Mattingly, who manned the position for 14 seasons in the Bronx.
He stepped right into the role during the 1996 season.
Tino Martinez is the greatest Yankees first baseman of the last 25-years.
I don’t think there’s a viable debate here. He produced and was in the middle of multiple championships.
That’s everything you want out of a guy who puts on pinstripes. pic.twitter.com/bTcchrU6LF
— Joe 🗽 🗽 (@Yankeelibrarian) March 29, 2020
In 155 games at first base, he hit .292 with 25 home runs and 117 RBI.
It was in 1997 that he really made a statement, though.
During that year, he hit .296 with 44 home runs and 141 RBI.
He was fourth in the league in home runs, also winning the Home Run Derby.
This performance was good to be the runner-up for the MVP award, being beat out by former teammate Ken Griffey Jr.
While he never matched that season, he continued producing for the Yankees through 2001.
Over this time, he was part of four World Series championships.
My dad just sent me this video he took of the Tino Martinez grand slam in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series. My dad used to bring his video camera everywhere 😂 This is when the Yankees had what it took to get over the hump EVERY. YEAR. pic.twitter.com/C4XmQKTHua
— Kyle Kondor (@Kyle_Kondor) October 23, 2019
Gradual Drop In Production
That offseason he signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals to replace Mark McGwire.
Tino Martinez – Cardinals – First Base pic.twitter.com/9iNm0Fmkdv
— Wax Pack Rips (@PackRips) September 5, 2015
While he didn’t play terribly, he just wasn’t as productive as in the years before.
In the 2002 season, he hit .262 with 21 home runs and 75 RBI.
He hit .273 in 2003 but slugged just 15 home runs.
After that season, with the Cardinals planning on moving a young Albert Pujols to first base, the team traded Martinez to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Here, in 2004, Martinez posted a .262 average with 23 home runs.
Finally, he concluded his career with the Yankees again in 2005, hitting 17 home runs with a .241 average.
By the end of his career, he tallied 339 career home runs, 1,925 hits and a .271 batting average.
Martinez Becomes Coach
Following his career playing first base, Martinez became a coach for the Miami Marlins.
He was hired in 2013 as a hitting coach for the major league organization, his first coaching job in professional baseball.
This didn’t ultimately pay off, as Martinez lasted less than a year in the position.
Tino Martinez resigns as @Marlins hitting coach: http://t.co/5IvkLQl4sJ
— MLB (@MLB) July 28, 2013
There were allegations from players on the team that Martinez was abusive.
While Martinez denied the reports, he resigned during the season.
After this, some of his notable positions have been as the hitting coach of the 2017 United States World Baseball Classic team and special instructor with the Yankees.
Either way, he is remembered fondly by Yankees fans who watched him as the team built their dynasty at the turn of the century.
He was a core piece of this, and developed himself into a fantastic hitter over his career.
NEXT: 3 Yankees Players Who Should Be In The Hall Of Fame
Sioux says
This article doesn’t mention him battling cancer and obviously defeating it. I speak of Tino all the time, he was one of the greats! Yankees will always be my favorite team and they have an amazing team this year but I will never forget those years with Tino ( and yes Strawberry I dare to say) when they were the most harmonious as a team. It was like they knew what each other were thinking which resulted in many trips to the play offs and World Series. Aaron has put together an amazing team this year I hope they aspire to the harmony those greats lived and played they will be unstoppable!!!