SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2024
VOTE OZZIE
X’S MARTINEZ UP FOR LAST MAN IN
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The American Association has announced that IF Ozzie Martinez has been nominated for the last man in for the West Division All-Star team for the 2024 American Association All-Star game July 23 at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas. Martinez is one of five players nominated, and the Explorers are looking to secure your vote. There’s one spot left on both the West and East rosters, and the American Association is letting the fans decide who will be in KC later this month. Fans can vote at the link here, and voting will conclude on Thursday, July 11 at 12:00 p.m. CT.
Ozzie Martinez joined the Explorers this season with a long career behind him that includes two seasons at the major league level. The veteran infielder has spent each of the last three seasons in the American Association, following a few years in the Atlantic League. This season, Martinez is hitting .302 with four home runs and 25 RBI. On July 5 he drove in four runs against Milwaukee, and just over a week prior, he drove in five runs, including a grand slam against the Milkmen on June 30. In his first game on May 26, he hit a solo home run in his first at bat as an Explorer in a win over the Chicago Dogs.
Martinez spent last year with the Sioux Falls Canaries, playing in 71 games across the season. In total, the righty bat earned a .277 batting average to pair with a .352 on-base percentage. 2022 was Martinez’s first year with the Canaries, and throughout the season he posted a .271 batting average with a .697 OPS over 86 games. In 2021, Martinez played for the Cleburne Railroaders. With Cleburne, the infielder batted an impressive .315 with a .855 OPS and 14 homers. He also had a career-high 56 RBIs to pair with 81 runs scored.
In 2010, Martinez made his major league debut with the Florida Marlins as a September call-up from AA Jacksonville. He finished the season in the MLB playing 14 games and scoring eight runs while batting .326 with an .848 OPS. Martinez last played in the majors in 2011 when he would split the season between the Florida Marlins and AAA New Orleans. A native of Carolina, Puerto Rico, Martinez played at Porterville College in California.
About the All-Star Game: The 3-day break in the season will serve – yet again – as the halfway point for the 117-day campaign for the league. It will feature the AAPB Home Run Derby and KC Celebrity Softball Game, on Monday July 22 followed by the American Association All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 23. Get more information about the 2024 All-Star Game: 2024 American Association All-Star Game Information
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