Nicholas Scott Martini (born June 27, 1990) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

in the

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

organization. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

, and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

, and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

NC Dinos The NC Dinos () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Changwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Since 2019, their home stadium is Changwon NC Park. NC Dinos are owned by video game developer NCSoft Corporation. History On ...

Career

Amateur career

Martini is from

Crystal Lake, Illinois Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is northwest of Chicago. The population was 40,269 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Crystal L ...

, and grew up as a fan of the

(MLB). He graduated from Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake in 2008; Martini attended

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Kansas State Wildcats The Kansas State Wildcats (variously "Kansas State", "K-State", or "KSU") are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The School colors, official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are gener ...

. In 2010, Martini won the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

's Baseball Player of the Year Award, sharing the honor with Aaron Senne. After the 2010 season, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie All ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

. Martini safely reached base in 93 consecutive games during the 2009 through 2011 seasons.

St. Louis Cardinals

The

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

selected Martini in the seventh round, with the 230th overall selection, of the 2011 MLB draft. He made his professional debut with the Low-A

Batavia Muckdogs The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city o ...

. In 2012, he played for the Single-A

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, on ...

, slashing .266/.361/.344 with two home runs and 52

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs). The next year, Martini played for the Single-A

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Pe ...

, batting .252/.339/.329 with two home runs and 36 RBIs. He split the 2014 season between the High-A

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

and the Double-A

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They are members of the Texas League's North Division and serve as the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Springfield Cardinals began pl ...

, posting a .260/.337/.385 batting line to go along with career-highs in home runs (7) and RBI (60). In 2015, Martini played for the Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbird ...

and Springfield, accumulating a .285/.392/.407 batting line with six home runs and 46 RBIs. The next season, he again split the year between Memphis and Springfield, slashing .259/.352/.354 with five home runs and 39 RBIs. He returned to Memphis and Springfield for a third straight split year in 2017, posting a .294/.382/.423 slash line with career-highs in home runs (8) and RBIs (70). After playing for seven years in the Cards’

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

(MiLB) system, he was granted

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on November 6, 2017.

Oakland Athletics

On January 10, 2018, Martini signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

to begin the season. On June 6, 2018, Martini was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. On June 23, Martini notched his first career hit, which drove in the winning run in a 7–6 victory over the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. On September 20, he hit his first big league

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

off

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Francisco Arcia, who had been summoned to pitch in mop-up duty in a 21–3 blowout victory by the Athletics. Martini finished the season with a slash line of .296/.397/.414. The Athletics optioned Martini to the Triple-A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a comm ...

before the 2019 season, where he played until he was called up on July 22. He pitched the eighth inning of a July 22, 11–1 loss against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

, giving up two walks but no runs, and was returned to Las Vegas the next day. On August 25, Martini was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

after going 1-for-11 in six major league games.

San Diego Padres

On August 28, 2019, Martini was claimed off waivers by the

. In 26 games for the Padres, Martini logged a .244/.344/.317 batting line with five RBIs. He was designated for assignment on November 20, 2019.

Philadelphia Phillies

On November 25, 2019, Martini was claimed off waivers by the

. He was designated for assignment by the team on January 8, 2020, following the signing of Shogo Akiyama. On January 14, 2020, Martini was claimed off waivers by the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. He was designated for assignment on February 15. He was outrighted on February 19 and invited to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Martini did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He became a free agent on November 2.

Chicago Cubs

On January 2, 2021, Martini signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On May 7, 2021, Martini was selected to the active roster after

Ian Happ Ian Edward Happ (born August 12, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at the University of Cincinnati for the Cincinnati Bearcats baseball team. The ...

was placed on the injured list. Martini went for 1-for-12 with one RBI in 12 games before being designated for assignment on June 5. Martini was outrighted to the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

on June 7. On September 8, Martini was re-selected to the 40-man roster. Martini was again outrighted to the Triple-A

on October 3. He elected free agency on November 5, 2021.

NC Dinos

On December 21, 2021, Martini signed with the

of the

for $550,000 in salary and signing bonus, with an additional $250,000 possible from incentives. Martini played in 139 games for the Dinos in 2022, slashing .296/.365/.461 with 16 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. Martini was named an All-Star for the Dinos in 2022 became a free agent after the season.

Cincinnati Reds

On February 3, 2023, Martini signed a minor league contract with the

organization. In 93 games for the Triple–A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

, he hit .275/.393/.481 with 15 home runs and 65 RBI. On August 22, the Reds selected Martini's contract, adding him to the major league roster. In 29 games for Cincinnati, he batted .264/.329/.583 with six home runs and 16 RBI. Martini made the Reds'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster in 2024 and hit two home runs on Opening Day. On July 10, 2024, Martini underwent surgery to repair ligament damage in his thumb. He had suffered the injury while sliding into second base in a July 6 loss against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

. Martini was activated from the 60–day injured list on September 24. In 52 total games for Cincinnati, he slashed .212/.272/.370 with five home runs and 24 RBI. On November 1, Martini was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Louisville.

Colorado Rockies

On January 15, 2025, Martini signed a minor league contract with the

. On March 23, the Rockies selected Martini's contract after he made the team's

roster. In 43 appearances for Colorado, he batted .225/.288/.294 with one home run and four RBI. Martini was designated for assignment by the Rockies on May 30. On June 2, he elected free agency in lieu of an outright assignment to the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

Athletics

On June 5, 2025, Martini signed a minor league contract with the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martini, Nick 1990 births Living people Baseball players from McHenry County, Illinois Batavia Muckdogs players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players Colorado Rockies players Falmouth Commodores players Iowa Cubs players Kansas State Wildcats baseball players KBO League outfielders Las Vegas Aviators players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball outfielders Memphis Redbirds players Nashville Sounds players NC Dinos players 21st-century American sportsmen Oakland Athletics players Palm Beach Cardinals players Sportspeople from Crystal Lake, Illinois Peoria Chiefs players Quad Cities River Bandits players San Diego Padres players Springfield Cardinals players