Dress number “2”, GM Inaba decided “He was an impressive player before”
Nippon Ham announced on the 22nd that it has reached a contract agreement with catcher Ariel Martinez, who left Chunichi at the end of this season. The team is now away, outfielder Kensuke Kondo exercised his FA rights and transferred him to Softbank. Among the acquisition of Fushimi Toratake catcher from Orix, a new “catcher capable of hitting the airport” has been added to the force.
Martinez came to Japan in 2018 as a training player for Chunichi. He earned a controlled contract in mid-2020, and played 39 games in the first team that year. This season, under the policy of manager Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, he will seriously challenge the airport to use his hitting power. In the 1st Army, he played 11 games at first base and 58 games in the outfield, and did not participate as a catcher. 276 batting average, 8 home runs, and 24 RBI in 82 games.
GM Atsunori Inaba said through the team, “He has been an impressive player for a long time. His batting, which combines wide angle shots with power, has the potential to become the mainstay of the current Fighters. Although the leagues different, he is already 3. Having experience with Japanese baseball during the season is a big advantage,” he said. “He is 26 years old, so he still has room to improve. I heard that he is very keen on research, and should be good at grasping the characteristics of opposing pitchers. I have high expectations for him,” he said.
Here are Martinez’s comments:
“I am happy and excited to be part of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. I am looking forward to meeting my new teammates and staff members.
