1986
Born August 16, 1986
Naguabo, , P.R.
Martín Maldonado Marquee
b. August 16, 1986 · Milwaukee Brewers 2011–2016, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2017–2018, Houston Astros 2018–2023, Kansas City Royals 2019, Chicago Cubs 2019, Chicago White Sox 2024, San Diego Padres 2025
He won a Gold Glove in 2017 for the Angels and was traded four times in the decade after, always for the same reason: pitching staffs threw better with him catching. Houston kept him for six years across two stints, including the 2022 club that won the World Series.
Fifteen seasons gave him 731 hits, 138 doubles, 119 home runs, 384 runs batted in and a .203 average across 1,172 games behind the plate. His caught-stealing rate and his pitch-framing numbers were consistently among the best in the game, which is why the average never cost him a job.
He is from Naguabo, Puerto Rico, and caught for Puerto Rico in three World Baseball Classics, including the 2023 team that reached the semifinals. He is not on a Hall of Fame ballot.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Glove | 1 | 2017 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | MIL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| 2012 | MIL | 78 | 233 | 22 | 62 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 30 | 17 | 56 | 1 | .266 |
| 2013 | MIL | 67 | 183 | 13 | 31 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 13 | 53 | 0 | .169 |
| 2014 | MIL | 52 | 111 | 14 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 11 | 32 | 0 | .234 |
| 2015 | MIL | 79 | 229 | 19 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 22 | 23 | 65 | 0 | .210 |
| 2016 | MIL | 76 | 208 | 21 | 42 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 35 | 56 | 1 | .202 |
| 2017 | LAA | 138 | 429 | 43 | 95 | 19 | 1 | 14 | 38 | 15 | 119 | 0 | .221 |
| 2018 | HOU/LAA | 119 | 373 | 39 | 84 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 44 | 16 | 98 | 0 | .225 |
| 2019 | CHC/HOU/KCR | 105 | 333 | 46 | 71 | 19 | 0 | 12 | 27 | 32 | 86 | 0 | .213 |
| 2020 | HOU | 47 | 135 | 19 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 24 | 27 | 51 | 1 | .215 |
| 2021 | HOU | 125 | 373 | 40 | 64 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 36 | 47 | 127 | 0 | .172 |
| 2022 | HOU | 113 | 344 | 40 | 64 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 45 | 22 | 116 | 0 | .186 |
| 2023 | HOU | 117 | 362 | 33 | 69 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 36 | 30 | 139 | 0 | .191 |
| 2024 | CHW | 48 | 135 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 51 | 0 | .119 |
| 2025 | SDP | 64 | 147 | 11 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 57 | 0 | .204 |
| Career | — | 1231 | 3596 | 369 | 731 | 138 | 4 | 119 | 384 | 304 | 1107 | 3 | .203 |
Pitching, season by season
| Year | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | MIL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 2023 | HOU | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 36.00 |
| Career | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18.00 |
On this day & linked events
2011
Major-league debut: Martín Maldonado
Martín Maldonado made a major-league debut on September 3, 2011.
Image: Jninja, CC BY-SA 3.0