Evel Bastida-Martinez

Evel Bastida-Martinez (known as Eber or Ebert Bastida Martínez in Cuba)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.

• Born February 28, 1979 in Havana, Havana Cuba

• BR Minors page

Biographical information

Evel Bastida-Martinez is a former minor league baseball infielder who played in the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles organizations from 2002 to 2004.

Bastida hit .306/.403/.378 in four seasons in Cuba and fielded .934.

He came to the United States in a small boat from Cuba in 2000, leaving his wife and kids behind. He supposedly was only 21, which seems odd for a player who had spent four years in the Cuban leagues and was a father. Many Cuban refugees have lied about their ages upon coming to America. He quickly caught the eye of Seattle scout Pedro Grifol. He was deemed draft eligible, so the Mariners took him in the seventh round (220th overall) of the 2002 amateur draft.

He began his professional career that very same year with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, and he did well in his short stint with them. In 11 games, he collected 14 hits in 40 at-bats for a .350 batting average. He hit no home runs and drove three runs in. His .350 average was tops on the team.

With the Inland Empire 66ers in 2003, he played in 87 games, collecting 79 hits in 288 at-bats for a .274 batting average. He hit five home runs and drove 32 runs in, stealing six bases. On August 18, he was at the center of one of the biggest brawls of the year. In the 15th inning, he was hit by a pitch from Josh Kranawetter. Bastida charged the mound and hit Kranawetter in the back with his bat. He was suspended indefinitely and later charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to 200 hours and community service and anger management counseling.

2004 would end up being his final year in the minors, and he didn't do too well. He spent time with the Timber Rattlers and San Antonio Missions of the Mariners organization and the Delmarva Shorebirds and Frederick Keys of the Orioles organization - to whom he'd been sent in an unknown transaction. Overall, he played in 101 games, collecting 75 hits in 345 at-bats for a .217 batting average. He stole a career high 15 bases that year.

He was released from the Orioles on April 8, 2005.

Overall, Bastida-Martinez played in 199 minor league games, collecting 168 hits in 673 at-bats for a .250 batting average. He scored 93 runs, drove 68 runs in, doubles 24 times, tripled three times and homered nine times. He stole 25 bases in 40 chances.

Sources

• 2003 Topps baseball card, #663
• 2005 Guia Official de Beisbol
• Seattlepi.com article on Bastida's 2003 attack