Nick Martini Bio
Nicholas Scott Martini (born June 27, 1990) is an American professional baseball outfielder. Martini has spent more than a decade in professional baseball, moving between the minor leagues, Major League Baseball (MLB), and international competition. He has appeared in the majors for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies, and he played in the KBO League for the NC Dinos. He is currently a free agent after most recently playing for the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.
Early Life and Background
Nicholas Scott Martini was born on June 27, 1990, in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and grew up rooting for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball. He attended Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake and graduated in 2008. His upbringing in the Chicago suburbs, combined with a lifelong attachment to the Cubs, helped shape his early interest in the game.
Martini went on to attend Kansas State University, where he played college baseball for the Kansas State Wildcats. In 2010, he was named the Big 12 Conference’s Baseball Player of the Year, sharing the honor with Aaron Senne. After that 2010 college season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League, a traditional finishing school for top amateur talent. Martini safely reached base in 93 consecutive games across the 2009 through 2011 seasons, a stretch that showed the plate discipline that has defined his career.
Path to Baseball
Martini’s college production and Cape Cod League experience put him on the radar of MLB scouts. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the seventh round, with the 230th overall pick, of the 2011 MLB draft. He made his professional debut that summer with the Low-A Batavia Muckdogs, beginning a long climb through the Cardinals’ farm system.
Over the next several seasons, Martini worked his way up the ladder one level at a time. He played for the Single-A Quad Cities River Bandits in 2012, the Single-A Peoria Chiefs in 2013, and split 2014 between the High-A Palm Beach Cardinals and the Double-A Springfield Cardinals. By 2015 he had reached Triple-A Memphis, and he bounced between Memphis and Springfield through 2017. After seven seasons in the Cardinals’ minor league system, he was granted free agency on November 6, 2017, still looking for his first big league opportunity.
Nick Martini Career
Early Career (2011–2017)
Martini’s early professional years were spent learning the strike zone and refining his approach in the Cardinals’ system. In 2012 at Quad Cities, he slashed .266/.361/.344 with two home runs and 52 runs batted in (RBIs). The following year at Peoria, he batted .252/.339/.329 with two home runs and 36 RBIs. His 2014 split between Palm Beach and Springfield produced a .260/.337/.385 line, with career highs at the time in home runs (7) and RBI (60).
After reaching Triple-A Memphis in 2015, Martini posted a .285/.392/.407 line with six home runs and 46 RBIs, and he returned to Memphis and Springfield in 2016 with a .259/.352/.354 line. In 2017, his third straight year shuttling between the two clubs, he set new personal bests with eight home runs and 70 RBIs while batting .294/.382/.423. That production was finally enough to earn him a look from a major league club.
Oakland Athletics (2018–2019)
On January 10, 2018, Martini signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics and was assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He earned his first call-up on June 6, 2018, when the Athletics selected his contract. On June 23, he collected his first major league hit, a single that drove in the winning run in a 7–6 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Two months later, on September 20, he hit his first big league home run off Los Angeles Angels catcher Francisco Arcia during a 21–3 Oakland win. Martini finished 2018 with a .296/.397/.414 slash line, a strong debut for a long-awaited first taste of the majors.
The 2019 season was more turbulent. Martini was optioned to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators and recalled on July 22, when he even pitched an inning of relief in an 11–1 loss to the Houston Astros. He went 1-for-11 across six major league games and was designated for assignment on August 25, ending his time in Oakland.
San Diego Padres (2019)
On August 28, 2019, Martini was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres. In 26 games with San Diego, he logged a .244/.344/.317 line with five RBIs. He was designated for assignment on November 20, 2019, closing out a season in which he had played for three different organizations.
Chicago Cubs (2021)
After a year spent navigating the waiver wire, including brief stops with the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, Martini signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs on January 2, 2021. He was selected to the active roster on May 7 after Ian Happ was placed on the injured list, then went 1-for-12 with one RBI in 12 games before being designated for assignment on June 5. The Cubs outrighted him to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, recalled him in September, and outrighted him again in October. Martini elected free agency on November 5, 2021.
NC Dinos (2022)
On December 21, 2021, Martini signed with the NC Dinos of the KBO League for a $550,000 salary and signing bonus, with up to $250,000 more possible through incentives. The move overseas paid off. In 139 games for the Dinos in 2022, he slashed .296/.365/.461 with 16 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. He was named a KBO All-Star that season before becoming a free agent.
Cincinnati Reds (2023–2024)
Martini signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds on February 3, 2023, and spent most of the year with the Triple-A Louisville Bats, hitting .275/.393/.481 with 15 home runs and 65 RBI. The Reds selected his contract on August 22, and in 29 big league games he batted .264/.329/.583 with six home runs and 16 RBI. In 2024, Martini made the Reds’ Opening Day roster and hit two home runs on Opening Day. A thumb injury suffered sliding into second base on July 6 led to ligament surgery on July 10, and he did not return until September 24. In 52 total games for Cincinnati that year, he slashed .212/.272/.370 with five home runs and 24 RBI, and on November 1 he was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Louisville.
Colorado Rockies (2025)
On January 15, 2025, Martini signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies, and on March 23 the club selected his contract after he made the Opening Day roster. In 43 appearances for Colorado, he batted .225/.288/.294 with one home run and four RBI. Martini was designated for assignment on May 30 and elected free agency on June 2 in lieu of an outright assignment to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. He later signed a minor league deal with the Athletics on June 5, 2025, appeared in 74 games for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, and elected free agency again on November 6.
Driving Style and Strengths
Martini has built his career on plate discipline, on-base skills, and the ability to play all three outfield positions. He rarely strikes out at excessive rates and has consistently produced on-base percentages well above his batting averages, including a .397 mark in his 2018 Oakland debut and a .461 slugging percentage in his KBO All-Star season. The combination of contact hitting, patient at-bats, and versatility has allowed him to stay in professional baseball for more than a decade.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key moments in Martini’s career include his first major league hit, a walk-off single for Oakland against the Chicago White Sox in 2018, and his first big league home run later that same season. He was a 2022 KBO All-Star with the NC Dinos, and he opened the 2024 season with Cincinnati by hitting two home runs on Opening Day. Reaching the majors after seven minor league seasons with St. Louis also stands as a defining milestone in his career.
Nick Martini Career Wins
As an outfielder rather than a pitcher, Martini’s career is measured by offensive production, milestones, and honors rather than traditional win totals. His most celebrated individual honor is the 2022 KBO All-Star selection with the NC Dinos, where he also posted his strongest combined power-and-average season.
MLB Highlights
Through the 2025 season, Martini has batted .248 with 14 home runs and 74 RBIs across his major league career. He has played in the majors for five organizations, including a 2018 Oakland debut that produced a .296/.397/.414 line and a 2023 Reds stint in which he hit six home runs in just 29 games.
International Highlights
Martini’s 2022 campaign with the NC Dinos was his signature international season, as he slashed .296/.365/.461 with 16 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 139 games while earning All-Star recognition. That year remains his most productive at the plate in any league.
Nick Martini Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Public information about Martini’s family and personal life is limited. He is an American by nationality and was raised in Crystal Lake, Illinois, where he attended Prairie Ridge High School before continuing his career at Kansas State University.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season began with Martini signing a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on January 15 and making the Opening Day roster after his contract was selected on March 23. In 43 appearances for Colorado, he batted .225/.288/.294 with one home run and four RBI before being designated for assignment on May 30 and electing free agency on June 2.
Shortly after, on June 5, Martini signed a minor league contract with the Athletics, returning to the organization where he had made his major league debut in 2018. He spent the rest of the year with the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, batting .259/.383/.434 with 10 home runs and 44 RBI in 74 appearances. He elected free agency again on November 6, ending his 2025 campaign in the upper minors rather than the majors.
Looking ahead, Martini’s 2025 numbers underline a familiar pattern in his career: strong on-base numbers paired with modest power. His .383 on-base percentage in Triple-A showed his plate discipline is intact, even if another major league opportunity did not materialize. As a free agent, he will look to add to a versatile resume that already includes time in the majors, the KBO, and Triple-A.