Gustavo Martínez (minors02)

Gustavo Adolfo Martínez Duluc

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 187 lb.

• Born November 9, 1975 in Santo Domingo D.R.

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Gustavo Martínez has pitched for 20 years, appearing for teams in the Dominican Republic, USA, Mexico, Taiwan, Colombia, Italy, Venezuela and Nicaragua. He peaked at the AAA level. He won Pitcher of the Year in two different countries.

Signed initially by the Seattle Mariners, Martínez was 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA for the 1998 DSL Mariners. With the same team in 1999, he dazzled at 5-0 with 8 saves and a 0.74 ERA. He struck out 122 in 73 innings and allowed only 29 hits. He was named the Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Year. He won the ERA title by .35, and his mark was the 4th-best in league history to that point.

Coming to America, he was 6-3 with a save and a 3.59 ERA for the 2000 AZL Mariners, striking out 53 in 42 2/3 IP though he walked 25. Helping his team to the Arizona League title, he tied Derrick Van Dusen for the league lead in wins and missed the top 10 in strikeouts by one despite being almost entirely a reliever (17 GP, 1 GS). He rose through the ranks in 2001, appearing for the class A Everett AquaSox (5-3, 2.67), AA San Antonio Missions (1.93 in 2 G) and AAA Tacoma Rainiers (1-0, 1 R, 2 H in 6 IP). He tied James Harden for the Northwest League in strikeouts (100), was third in ERA (behind Jesse Foppert and Angel Guzman) and led in hit batsmen (18). He was not the All-Star RHP as that went to Guzman.

The Santo Domingo native pitched for three teams in 2002 as well - the San Bernardino Stampede (2-3, 2 Sv, 3.79), San Antonio (3-5, 3.24) and Tacoma (0-1, 5.40) - in an off-year. At 26, he had been old for his level and was not likely to be deemed a prospect at this point. In 2002-2003, he was 3-1 with a 4.43 ERA for the Gigantes del Cibao in his Dominican Winter League debut.

He was a solid reliever for the 2003 Missions (7-6, 3.13) but again had control problems (50 BB in 92 IP). He had a 2-0, 2.84 record for the 2003-2004 Gigantes and was 1-0 with a save in the postseason. In 2004, he pitched for San Antonio (2-3, 3.75) and Tacoma (6-7, Sv, 4.83), starting primarily again. He led Mariners farmhands with 82 walks (6 ahead of Rich Dorman) and tied for 3rd in losses. In 2004-2005, he fell to 1-1, 9.28 for the Gigantes.

Let go by Seattle, he signed with Mexico's Langosteros de Cancun but struggled in four starts (1-1, 7.64 ERA, 1.98 WHIP). He was 2-0 with a save and a 4.32 ERA for the Leones del Escogido in the winter of 2005-2006. In the summer of 2006, he was 2-2 with a 4.24 ERA for the La New Bears in the Chinese Professional Baseball League; control again proved his undoing. He finished the year in the Colombian League with the Toros de Sincelejo and with Escogido (1-1, 9.69, 13 BB in 13 IP).

The veteran's next stop was the Lancaster Barnstormers, for whom he was 8-8 with a 4.30 ERA in 2007. He tied for 10th in the Atlantic League in wins, while leading with 18 wild pitches. He only pitched 2/3 of an inning for Escogido in 2007-2008, allowing one run and going 0-1. Signing with Telemarket Rimini in the Italian Baseball League for 2008, he was 4-4 with two saves but a 1.17 ERA; he struck out 88 in 76 2/3 IP. He led the league in ERA, .17 ahead of Cody Cillo, nine years after his prior ERA title. He was second in Ks, 8 behind Carlos Richetti. He won the Pitcher of the Year Award, just as he had done 9 years prior.

Martínez had a 5.40 ERA in two games for the 2008-2009 Tigres del Licey and also pitched for the Venezuelan League's Cardenales de Lara (0 R in 3 IP in the regular season, 2.45 ERA in the semifinals) In 2009, he was a lights-out closer for Rimini (1-2, 8 Sv, 2.32, .157 opponent average, 44 K in 31 IP) and was 1-1 with a save and a 2.79 ERA in the postseason. He led the league in saves, two ahead of Luis Ramirez and Fabio Milano.

Moving to Parma for his final season in Italy, he fell to 6-4, 2.66 and again had the walk problem (35 in 64 1/3 IP). He tied for 9th in the IBL in wins and tied Enorbel Marquez for 6th in walks. He had a 4.00 ERA in three games in the semifinals and was 1-1 with a 2.04 ERA in the 2010 Italian Series. He lost the opener to Bologna in a pitcher's duel with Jesus Matos, got a no-decision in game 4 (Parma rallied to win) and got the victory in game 7 with one run in five to outduel Matos; Marco Grifantini closed it out. It was Parma's first title in 13 years. He finished his Italian career 13-12 with 11 saves and a 2.15 ERA in 48 games. In 217 1/3 IP, he whiffed 228 and walked 98. Opponents hit .189/.295/.248.

He spent the next few years in Nicaragua. He had a 3.38 ERA for the Nicaraguan national team in the 2012 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, serving up a homer to Giovanny Urshela; his four strikeouts tied big leaguer Erasmo Ramirez for the lead. He was 10-4 with a 2.24 ERA for Dantos in the Nicaraguan summer league in 2013. He led the league with 16 wild pitches. He beat top rival Panama in the finale of the 2013 Central American Games. He improved to 12-3, 2.10 in 2014, though he led with 69 walks. He allowed 3 runs in 4 innings in his lone start in the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Gustavo was 7-3 with a save and a 2.05 ERA for Dantos in '15; he led with 17 wild pitches. He was rocked by Team USA in the 2015 Pan American Games in his lone start; he allowed 7 hits, 3 walks, 2 hit batsmen and 5 runs in 3 1/3 IP. He did not have Nicaragua's highest ERA in the event - both Junior Téllez and José Luis Sáenz was higher. He had a 11-6, 3.37 record for Dantos in 2016 at age 40. He again led in wild pitches (18). He did well in his only start at the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, shutting down the German national team for five innings (4 H, 2 K) and leaving with a 2-0 lead; Samuel Estrada relieved. The bullpen blew it, though, giving him a no-decision; Nicaragua would win, but it went to extra innings. He led Nicaragua in IP and ERA in the event. He tied Corey Baker for 5th in the event in ERA (four pitchers with a 0.00 ERA had more innings).

The old-timer got a big call for Nicaragua in the 2017 Central American Games, facing Panama. He allowed only 3 hits and no walks in six shutout innings, striking out two, leaving with a 1-0 duel with Abraham Atencio Jr.; Jorge Bucardo took over in what would be a 2-1 win. He had the best ERA in the round-robin phase; Jorge Zavala was next with 0 ER in 5 1/3 IP. Nicaragua wound up with the Gold.

Notable Achievements

• 1999 Pitcher of the Year Dominican Summer League DSL Mariners
• 2008 Pitcher of the Year Italian Baseball League Telemarket Rimini