Kyle J. Martin (born November 13, 1992) 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 ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for the

Cleburne Railroaders The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team based in Cleburne, Texas, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The team, which began play in 2017, plays i ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. He was drafted 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 ...

in the fourth round of the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

, and played in the

2015 WBSC Premier12 The 2015 WBSC Premier12 was an international baseball championship sponsored by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the inaugural event of the WBSC Premier12. It was held from November 8 to 21 in Taiwan and Japan. The South Korea ...

Career

Amateur career

Martin attended Wade Hampton High School in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

. He enrolled at the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

and 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

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...

. The

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

selected Martin in the 20th round of the

2014 MLB draft The 2014 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June 6, and the last 30 round ...

, but he did not sign with the Angels, opting to return to South Carolina for his senior year. As a senior,

Louisville Slugger Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

named Martin a Second Team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

Philadelphia Phillies

The

selected Martin in the fourth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, and he signed with the Phillies. After signing, he was assigned to the

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locat ...

where he posted a .279 batting average with five home runs and 37 RBIs. In 2016, Martin played for the

Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 20 ...

where he batted .250 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs. In 2017, he played with the

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The R ...

where he batted .193 with 22 home runs and 68 RBIs. In 2018, with the

and the

, he batted .198 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs. Martin was released from the Phillies organization on May 28, 2019.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

On June 5, 2019, Martin signed with the

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. On January 28, 2020, Martin re-signed with Winnipeg. He led the league in RBIs with 51, while also belting 16 home runs in 60 games. He was named an American Association All-Star for the 2020 season. On January 20, 2021, Martin again re-signed with the Goldeyes. He repeated as the league leader in RBIs with 106 and second in home runs with 31, which were both single-season franchise records for Winnipeg. He also earned a second-consecutive All-Star selection.

Guerreros de Oaxaca

On December 20, 2021, Martin's contract was purchased by the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 39 games, he batted .364/.480/.884 with a league-leading 18 home runs and 47 RBI. Martin also led all of professional baseball with a 1.365

OPS OPS may refer to: Organizations * Obscene Publications Squad, a former unit of the Metropolitan Police in London, England * Oceanic Preservation Society * Office of Public Safety, a former US government agency * Orchestre philharmonique de Strasb ...

prior to his departure from the team.

San Diego Padres

On June 8, 2022, the

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. ...

signed Martin to a minor league contract and assigned him to the Triple-A

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team based in El Paso, Texas. The Chihuahuas compete in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Sou ...

. He played in 79 games for El Paso, hitting .257/.352/.529 with 17 home runs and 46 RBI. Martin elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Guerreros de Oaxaca (second stint)

On March 28, 2023, Martin re-signed with the

of the

. In 86 games for the team, he batted .258/.363/.563 with 26 home runs and 75 RBI. Martin made 72 appearances for Oaxaca during the 2024 season, batting .278/.388/.553 with 21 home runs and 68 RBI.

Cleburne Railroaders

On January 28, 2025, Martin signed with the

of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Kyle 1992 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball first basemen Clearwater Threshers players Cleburne Railroaders players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Lakewood BlueClaws players Reading Fightin Phils players South Carolina Gamecocks baseball players Baseball players from Greenville, South Carolina United States national baseball team players Winnipeg Goldeyes players 2015 WBSC Premier12 players