J.D. Martinez

Julio Daniel Martinez was drafted by the Houston Astros with the 611th overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft. A designated hitter by position, he has played for the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers in his career so far. He is currently a free agent and is reportedly in talks with the New York Mets for the 2024 MLB season. However, the Los Angeles Angels are also interested in him.

Hailing from Miami, Florida, United States, J.D. Martinez made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros on July 30, 2011. Ever since he has established himself as one of the most talented players and one of the best hitters in the league. He is a six-time MLB All-Star player and also became the World Series Champion in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox. He won the Silver Slugger Award thrice including two times in 2018. Furthermore, Martinez led the AL in RBIs (130) in the 2018 MLB season and also won the AL Hank Aaron Award the same year.

With 315 home runs and 1002 RBIs in his career so far, Martinez will be a powerhouse hitter for either the New York Mets or the Los Angeles Angels, depending on who manages to land him before the 2024 MLB season begins.

J.D. Martinez’ Personal Information

J.D. Martinez's Early Life

J.D. Martinez was born and raised in Miami, Florida, United States. He enrolled at Charles. W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States where he played varsity baseball for the school team, the Flanagan Falcons. His impressive basketball skills during his high school career led to the Minnesota Twins drafting him with the 1,086th overall pick in the 2006 MLB draft. However, he declined the offer and instead committed to Nova Southeastern University (NSU) where he played collegiate baseball for the Nova Southeastern Sharks.

Throughout his collegiate baseball career spanning from 2007 to 2009, J.D. Martinez established a career record in home runs with 32 home runs, ranked #2 in batting average, #3 in RBIs and #4 in slugging percentage. He was notable for being an All Sunshine State Conference baseball player twice throughout his career. In 2014, he became a Nova Southeastern Sharks Hall of Famer.

The Houston Astros drafted J.D. Martinez with the 611th overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft and started his professional career in MiLB. He started his professional baseball career with the Tri-City ValleyCats and Greeneville Astros (Rookie). Besides these teams, he also played for Corpus Christi Hooks (Double-A) and Lexington Legend. He finally made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros on July 30, 2011. Later, he also played for other minor league teams like Leones del Caracas, Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A), Lakeland Flying Tigers (Single-A) and Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A).

J.D. Martinez's Personal Life

J.D. Martinez, in his personal life has his parents - his father Julio Martinez and his mother Mayra Martinez. He is also in a relationship with his girlfriend Brooke Wheeler. He is Cuban in ethnicity and can speak Spanish fluently.

J.D. Martinez has also involved himself in multiple philanthropic activities to give back to his community. He became a part of No Kid Hungry during the Covid-19 pandemic. He worked with the organization to protect the kids from vulnerability by providing them with meals. He continues to work with them so that every child can eat three meals per day.

Martinez is also a part of Pros for Heroes, The Florida Mental Health Coalition, Samaritan’s Purse, Sufficient Grace Ministries, and the Louisville YMCA.

J.D. Martinez's Family Background

J.D. Martinez’s family consists of his father Julio Martinez and his mother Mayra Martinez. They came to the United States from Cuba to escape the Communist regime.

Julio Martinez is the father of J.D. Martinez. He used to be a fan of the Boston Red Sox and he hated the New York Yankees. He stated that his son was not originally meant to be a baseball player. His father Cecilio Angelio Martinez was the mayor of the Matanzas during the Castro era. Unfortunately, he escaped communist Cuba, emigrated to the United States in 1961 and Julio Martinez followed his father to Florida in 1962.

Talking about his son, J.D Martinez, Julio Martinez stated that he got his son to play Little League so that he would stay busy and occupied. This also ensured that his son stayed out of trouble. He also wanted his son to be involved in something, which ultimately led to his development as a baseball player.

Mayra Martinez is the mother of J.D. Martinez. Like her husband, she is also a Cuban immigrant, however, she has not provided details on when she came to the United States. She stated that the main reason that her son is a good baseball player is because of the work ethic she and her husband taught him. This has made him very meticulous to the point that he sometimes does not talk to his parents when he watches baseball-hitting videos.

Besides his parents, J.D. Martinez also has his sisters, brother-in-law, nephew, and nieces as part of his family. They all went on a family trip to Tanzania and enjoyed the safari there in 2019.

J.D. Martinez’s Girlfriend

J.D. Martinez is in a relationship with his girlfriend Brooke Wheeler. She is presently 30 years old as of February 2024. She is a model, dancer, and former cheerleader and has created a successful career for herself. Her passion and commitment to dancing have allowed her to showcase her performance all across the United States. She also owns an Etsy shop called @stashandsass.etsy.com where she sells clothing apparel. However, she seems to have taken down her Etsy store presently.

J.D. Martinez and Brooke Wheeler first appeared together in 2017. The couple made their relationship public during the Boston Red Sox championship game in 2018 and has gotten closer ever since. The couple goes on vacation to various destinations and spends quality time with each other.

Brooke Wheeler is available on Instagram as @brookealexandra and it has 501 posts with 2,698 followers in her account. She shares images from her personal life with her followers on this account. She is also active on X as @Brookeeee_xo and has 1,135 followers on her account. However, she has not used this account since January 4, 2018.

J.D. Martinez was also in a relationship with Ariana Aubert before his relationship with Brooke Wheeler.

J.D. Martinez's Kids

J.D. Martinez and his girlfriend Brooke Wheeler do not have any children as of now.

J.D. Martinez's Social Media

J.D. Martinez enjoys quite a social media presence. He is available on Instagram as @jdmartinez28 and it has 621 posts and 352K followers in it. He uses this account to post images about his professional baseball career as well as his personal life with his friends and family members.

Martinez is also active on X as @JDMartinez28 and he has 138.1K followers in his account. He tweets on various important matters as well as about his professional career and personal life for his followers on this account.

J.D. Martinez's Net Worth

J.D. Martinez, as per online sources, is estimated to have a net worth of approximately $25.6 million as of 2024. His impressive skills as a baseball player in the MLB, his various endorsement deals, and his business ventures have all contributed to an increase in his net worth.

J.D. Martinez as Brand Ambassador

J.D. Martinez has been chosen to be an athlete brand ambassador by Oofos, an active recovery footwear brand in May 2023. As part of the deal, Martinez will be cooperating with the brand to display how active recovery from injuries is an important part of his successful career in MLB.

Moreover, Martinez has also endorsed various brands like Adidas, DUNKIN, Bank of America, Planet Oat, Franklin Sports, and Modelo. He receives $700,000 from his endorsement deals.

J.D. Martinez's Investments

J.D. Martinez has also invested in businesses. He has invested in Eight Fitness, a company that makes products that help its customers in sleep fitness. The owners of the company are Matteo Franceschetti, Massimo Andreassi Bassi, Alexandra Zatarin, and Andrea Ballarini. They are notable for their flagship product, the pod mattresses which allows the user to control the temperature reliably. The product is also available on Amazon Echo devices.

J.D. Martinez's Career Stats

J.D. Martinez is already a veteran in the world of MLB. He has proved himself to be one of the best hitters in the league, no matter whatever team he plays for. This is a look at his career stats so far presented in a table format:

Source: mlb.com

J.D. Martinez's Achievements

J.D. Martinez has gained considerable achievements in his career as a designated hitter so far in the MLB. As a veteran in the league, he has kept fans entertained with his hitting prowess and baseball skills.

This is a look at the achievements gained by J.D. Martinez in his career so far:

J.D. Martinez's Contract

J.D. Martinez is presently a free agent and is yet to sign a new contract for the 2024 MLB season. He last signed a one-year contract worth $10,000,000 with the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 30, 2022. He earned the same from the 2023 MLB season and became a free agent at the end of the season.

Talking about his contract history, J.D. Martinez signed a contract with the Houston Astros on June 15, 2009, for which he received a signing bonus of $30,000. He next signed a one-year contract worth $483,000 with the team on March 2, 2012. However, the Houston Astros released him on March 24, 2024.

J.D. Martinez next signed a contract worth $500,000 with the Detroit Tigers on March 24, 2014. He next signed a one-year contract worth $3 million with the team on January 16, 2015. Next, Martinez signed a one-year contract worth $18.5 million and avoided arbitration with the team on February 8, 2016. He was traded by the Detroit Tigers on July 18, 2017 to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Sergio Alcantara, Jose King, and Dawl Lugo.

J.D. Martinez then signed a five-year contract worth $110 million with the Boston Red Sox on February 19, 2018. Next, he exercised a $23.75 million player option for the 2020 season with the team on November 4, 2019. He then exercized a $19.35 million player option with the team for the 2021 season on November 1, 2020. He again exercized the same player option with the team for the 2022 season on November 7, 2021. He started his free agency after the season. Then he signed his last contract in 2023.

J.D. Martinez's Diet

J.D. Martinez follows a plant-based diet. He has reduced eating meat to decrease the inflammation in his body. He stated that he feels better from the diet as he no longer suffers from aching in his joints.

Martinez also linked eating the Rockie Dog, and the Helton Burger in San Francisco. In his Fridge Tour video, he showed that he likes eating different kinds of berries, almonds, and salads among other foods. Moreover, he likes to eat antioxidants every morning. If he’s playing, then he eats a smoothie before a game. Otherwise, after working out he comes back and cooks something light to eat. He also likes seafood. He also stated that since he is getting older, he has to be careful about what he is eating. That being said, his favorite cheat meal is pizza.

J.D. Martinez's House

J.D. Martinez’s house is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. The front of his home has a gong that he purchased during a trip to Thailand. It is customary for visitors to bang the gong before entering his house. His house has a space which is filled with tall ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and paintings that he purchases during his travels.

The house has an open-concept kitchen, living room, and dining space with a fireplace, an area for entertainment, a large table for dining, and more space suitable for large parties. Between the dining room and the living space, there is a construction of a headless woman through nails, which he calls “Nailtalia.” The place above the fireplace is going to have a custom painting by a painter with whom Martinez is working.

However, the most memorable part of the house is “the J.D. room” filled with his huge collection of sports memorabilia like shoes, jerseys, hats and other sports equipment. This room also serves as the gaming room for J.D. Martinez, complete with a computer and a “gaming chair.” He spends time in this room with his gamer friends.

J.D. Martinez's Cars

J.D. Martinez has a revamped white colored Audi A7 as one of his cars. This car was revamped by MC Customs in Miami, Florida, United States in 2013. He fitted his car with black Vellano rims.

His car has a turbocharged V-6 that generates 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. His car also has features like stop-and-go technology, night vision, and advanced driver assistance.

J.D. Martinez also had shown interest in a concept Cadillac during his time with the Detroit Tigers.