Historic season earns Goldeyes' Martin international opportunity

The Winnipeg Goldeyes transferred the contract of first baseman Kyle Martin to the Mexican League’s Guerreros de Oaxaca on Monday. Photo: Winnipeg Goldeyes

December 21, 2021

By Steve Schuster

Winnipeg Goldeyes

The Winnipeg Goldeyes transferred the contract of first baseman Kyle Martin to the Mexican League’s Guerreros de Oaxaca on Monday.

Martin was voted an American Association All-Star for a second consecutive year after hitting .280 with 31 home runs and 106 RBIs in 99 games played. The 31 home runs and 106 RBIs both established franchise single-season records, while the latter set an American Association benchmark that had stood since 2009.

Since joining the Goldeyes midway through the 2019 season, the Greenville, S.C., native ranks second in the American Association in home runs (61), first in RBIs (224), and first in WAR (9.57).

“I’m very happy that Kyle is getting this opportunity in Mexico,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney. “Kyle has been a big time run-producer during his time with the Goldeyes, and players like him are invaluable on the field and in the clubhouse. I wish him nothing but the best and thank him for everything he’s done for us.”

Martin is currently playing for the Mexican Pacific Winter League’s (MXPW) Mayos de Navojoa where he leads the circuit with 17 home runs and ranks tied for second with 43 RBIs in 51 games. Navojoa holds the MXPW’s best record (39-26). The league champion advances to the prestigious Caribbean Series in late-January.

Oaxaca (pronounced wah-HAH-kuh) plays in the Mexican Summer League, or Liga Mexico de Beisbol (LMB) whose season overlaps with the schedules traditionally seen in the American Association and other North American professional leagues. The LMB is comprised of the best Mexican-born players, as well as the top available talent from other countries.

In the 2021 calendar year, Martin now has 48 home runs and 149 RBIs in 150 games played between Winnipeg and Navojoa. The 29-year-old was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fourth round in 2015 out of the University of South Carolina (Columbia, South Carolina), and reached the double-A level in both 2017 and 2018.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes open the 2022 season on Friday, May 13 versus the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Shaw Park.