Chito Martinez, former Baltimore Orioles outfielder and Mid-South resident, dies at 59
Chito Martinez − the only Major League Baseball player from Belize − died April 20 in Lake Cormorant, Mississippi.
He was 59 and died of a heart attack, according to Crescent City Sports.
After being selected by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round of the 1984 MLB draft, Martinez spent six seasons in the minor leagues − including two (1988-89) with the Memphis Chicks, then the Royals' Double A affiliate.
Martinez, whose family emigrated to New Orleans when he was 2 years old, reached the big leagues in 1991 as an outfielder with the Baltimore Orioles. He got off to a hot start, belting 13 home runs following his midseason promotion.
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Martinez also became the first player in Orioles history to hit safely in the first six games of his career. He spent parts of the next two seasons with Baltimore but finished his MLB career with 18 home runs and a .259 batting average in 158 games.
Martinez played the first two seasons of his professional career with the Chicks in Memphis. He played in 268 games and hit 36 home runs, 36 doubles and had 127 RBIs. Among his teammates during his Chicks career were future MLB players Brian McRae, Tom Gordon and Kevin Appier.
One of Martinez's sons, Drew, was a star player at Christian Brothers before suiting up for the University of Memphis. As a Tiger, Drew Martinez was a two-time All-Conference USA selection. He was a 23rd round pick of the San Francisco Giants in 2010.
Drew Martinez was a member of the 2022 Memphis M-Club Hall of Fame class. He is currently a fundamentals coach for the Eugene Emeralds (the high-A affiliate for the Giants).
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Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X, and sign up for the Memphis Basketball Insider text group.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Chito Martinez death: Orioles OF from Belize, Mid-South resident, dies
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