Víctor Martínez (baseball)

Víctor Jesús Martínez (born December 23, 1978), also known by his nickname "V-Mart", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball designated hitter and catcher.

Martínez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers.

After joining the Tigers, he played mostly as a designated hitter.

Martínez was a five-time MLB All-Star.

He won the Silver Slugger Award twice, and the Edgar Martínez Award once.

For the first time since the awards began in 1980, there was a tie at one position.

On July 16, Martínez also had the best offensive night by an Indians catcher in franchise history; he hit three home runs, singled twice, drew a walk, and drove in a career-high seven runs in a perfect 5-for-5 game against the Seattle Mariners.

Martínez was signed by the Indians as an amateur free agent in 1996.

He was named the Indians 2001 and 2002 Minor League Player of the Year (receiving the "Lou Boudreau Award").

From 2001 to 2003, the Venezuelan slugger batted a combined .330 with 40 home runs and 194 RBI.

After a pair of minor league MVP awards and batting titles in 2001 and 2002, he made his debut with Cleveland as a September call-up on September 10, 2002.

In 2003, Martínez played for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and the Indians.

He finished with a combined .315 batting average, hitting at a .349 clip in August and September with the big league club.

Exhibiting knowledge of the strike zone and an ability to make contact, he reduced his strikeout totals and produced a combined .376 on-base percentage.

He also drove in 63 runs, hitting .323 with runners in scoring position, and was selected to participate in the All-Star Futures Game played at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field.

In his first full major league season, Martínez hit .283 with 23 home runs as the Indians starting catcher for 2004.

He set a record for Indians catchers with 108 RBIs, earned his first All-Star selection, and shared the Silver Slugger honor as the top-hitting American League catcher with Iván Rodríguez.

In June 2005, Martínez was batting .207, but he came into the season's final weekend batting .382 (96-for-251) after the All-Star break, the best for any Major League player in that stretch.

He finished the season with a .305 average, 20 home runs and 80 RBIs.

Beginning in 2006, the Indians occasionally played Martínez at first base.

As a catcher in 2006, he allowed 100 stolen bases, the most in Major League Baseball.

He had a successful season at the plate, hitting .316 with 37 doubles, 16 home runs and 93 RBI.

In 2007, he hit .301 with 25 home runs, led all major league catchers with 114 RBI, and finished seventh in the American League MVP voting.

He made his second AL All-Star team this season.

2008 was an injury-marred season for Víctor, as he played in only 73 games and posted a career-low .278 batting average.

On June 19, 2009, Victor hit his 100th career home run against Rich Harden of the Chicago Cubs.

On July 5, Martínez was selected for the third time to represent Cleveland in the 2009 All Star Game.

On July 31, 2009, Martínez was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price.

His departure from the Indians created a public relations problem for the ballclub.

The team had scheduled two separate Martínez-related promotional giveaways (bobbleheads on August 1, chest protector backpacks five days later) for dates subsequent to the transaction.

Despite the trade, both promotions went off as planned.

After joining the Red Sox in mid-2009, Martínez played both first base and catcher, splitting time behind the plate with Red Sox captain Jason Varitek.

His combined totals for the 2009 season (with Cleveland and Boston) included a .303 batting average, 23 home runs, and 108 RBI.

He also established a career high in walks, with 75.

Following the season, the Red Sox exercised his 2010 option for $7.1 million.

On June 28, 2010, Martínez suffered a fractured left thumb, and was placed on the 15-day DL. He was limited to 127 games, finishing the 2010 season with a .302 batting average, 20 home runs, and 79 runs batted in.

On November 23, 2010, Martínez and the Tigers organization reached an agreement on a four-year, $50 million free agent contract.

On March 31, 2011, Martínez made his debut for the Tigers as a designated hitter against the New York Yankees.

He finished runner-up for the American League Most Valuable Player award in 2014.

When he retired in 2018, he was 7th among all active players in RBIs (1,178).