The Los Angeles Dodgers have a long lineage of prestigious talent coming through their organization, with several farmhands going on to have Hall of Fame careers with them.
Adrián Beltré most recently was announced as the former Dodgers player elected to the Hall of Fame after a 21-year big league career. Hiroki Kuroda was also inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Now, Russell Martin is the latest former player to receive a high honor, being named as a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024. His 14 years in Major League Baseball included six with the Dodgers and played on four postseason teams, most recently in 2019.
Martin was born in East York, Ontario, Canadia, and would go on to be drafted by the Dodgers in the 17th round of the 2002 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Chipola College.
He took over the Dodgers starting catcher role in the 2006 season at the age of 23, where he’d remain the primary backstop throughout his first tenure with the team. Playing for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays, Martin logged 1693 games between four franchises.
Martin batted .248/.349/.397 with 191 home runs, 771 RBI, 1416 hits, and 803 runs scored over his 14-year career. He was regarded as one of the best defensive catchers throughout his time in MLB.
He is arguably the best Canadian-born catcher in Major League history.
Since retiring, Martin has continued to support his country as part of Team Canada’s coaching staff for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Russell Martin’s last big moment with the Dodgers
Locked into a heated series with the Washington Nationals during the 2019 National League Division Series, the Dodgers trailed 2-1 in the sixth inning.
Martin was tabbed as the backup catcher in his return to the Dodgers, but in Game 3 he delivered with a two-run double off Patrick Corbin to give the Dodgers the lead. They would go on to win the game 10-4, providing the Dodgers with 2-1 series lead.
“Any time you’re in the postseason it’s great. The energy, everything’s magnified,” Martin said in 2019 when reflecting on his journey back to October with the Dodgers. “Yeah, 10 years, it flies by. It’s just nice, it’s a good feeling. We got a good group, and, yeah, I mean, I don’t know what else to say except we’re having fun.”
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