Al Martin

AL MARTIN CARVED out an 11-year career in the majors. It took him seven minor-league seasons before he was called up to the major leagues, but he proved to be a strong hitter with good power and excellent speed. His career was not without turbulence, as he encountered several off-field issues, including legal disputes and personal controversies.

He was born Albert Lee Scales in West Covina, California, on November 24, 1967, to Albert and Donna (née Faulkner) Scales. His parents divorced when he was 7, and his mother remarried a man named Ernest Martin in 1979.1 Albert later adopted his stepfather’s surname. He attended Rowland High School in Rowland Heights, a community located approximately 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. As a senior, the left-handed outfielder-first baseman made first-team All-Sierra League, hitting .463 with 30 RBIs.2

In the eighth round, 198th pick overall, of the June 1985 Amateur Draft, Martin was selected by the Atlanta Braves. After scout Bob Wadsworth signed him, the Braves sent Martin to their Gulf Coast League rookie club, where he played in played in 40 games and hit .232.3 Although he stood 6-foot-2 and was listed at 220 pounds, he showed little power in his rookie season in the minors.

For much of 1986 and all of 1987, he played for the Class-A Sumter Braves in the South Atlantic League. The 1987 season showed his improving hitting prowess, as he hit .253, slugged 12 home runs, and drove in 64 runs. Over 117 games that season, he also had 27 stolen bases, flashing the great speed that always had enticed scouts.

He continued to work his way up the minor-league ladder, and by 1990, he was in Double-A Greenville of the Southern League. At 22 years old, he was regularly playing the outfield, demonstrating his excellent speed on the bases, and hitting for a reasonable average.

According to public records, Martin married Catherine Carita Young on April 8, 1991, in West Palm Beach, Florida.4 During the 1991 season, which started with him playing again in Greenville, he was promoted to Triple-A Richmond of the International League. In 44 games after being promoted, Martin batted .278 with five home runs and stolen 11 bases.

Going into the 1992 season, the Atlanta Braves’ outfield roster was loaded, including starters Ron Gant, Otis Nixon, and David Justice. Backing them up was a bench consisting of Deion Sanders and Lonnie Smith, along with a strong group of minor-league prospects. This blocked Martin from breaking into the major-league roster, and the Braves granted him his free agency on October 15, 1991. Less than a month later, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who assigned him to the Buffalo Bisons, their Triple-A affiliate.

Martin blossomed in Buffalo, hitting .305 in 125 games. He showed power by slugging 20 home runs with a .920 OPS. In late July of that season, he was rewarded with a promotion to Pittsburgh.

Martin’s first major-league appearance was on July 28, 1992, in the top of the seventh inning, when he pinch-hit for the pitcher, Blas Minor, with the Pirates trailing the Chicago Cubs, 7–0. In that first major-league at-bat, Martin struck out. That month, he appeared in just two games, both as a pinch-hitter and both resulting in strikeouts. He was soon sent back to Buffalo, although he was recalled again in mid-September after rosters expanded.

The Pirates were in the final stages of a strong season in which they won the National League East Division and faced the Atlanta Braves for the National League Championship Series, so Martin’s participation after his recall was limited. On September 26, he entered the game in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter for Lloyd McClendon, with the Pirates holding a commanding 17–2 lead over the New York Mets. Batting against Mark Dewey, he singled to left field for his first major-league hit. In his brief 1992 season in the majors, he appeared in 12 games with a .167/.154/.333 slash line that included a triple and five strikeouts.

After the 1992 season, Barry Bonds left the Pirates to sign a six-year, $44 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. After seven seasons in Pittsburgh, Bonds had left behind a legacy that included two MVP Awards, three Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and two All-Star appearances. He was also the left fielder, where Martin was now expected to play. Asked about replacing a legend, Martin replied, “I’m not Barry Bonds. I’m just going to be Al Martin.”5 Pirates manager Jim Leyland supported his new left fielder, “It’s just not fair to Albert Martin, Barry Bonds is the best left fielder I’ve ever seen.”6

In his first full season in Pittsburgh, Martin overcame the pressures of replacing Bonds. Finishing fifth overall in the Rookie of the Year vote—a year in which Mike Piazza was selected—he had a .281/.338/.481 slash line in 143 games and collected 18 home runs and 64 RBIs. Martin’s subsequent season was cut short due to a left wrist injury, suffered on July 12, 1994, but in 82 games, he hit .286 with an OPS of .824.

Martin became one of the most popular players in Pittsburgh during the post-Bonds era, working extensively in the community. He was a popular clubhouse presence, as he would willingly counsel a young player learning his way around the majors. In the community, he created “Al’s Army” to buy tickets for underprivileged children.7

By 1997, Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy decided it was time to rebuild, so he slashed the annual payroll from $21 million dollars to $9 million and retooled the roster with younger players and low-cost veterans. However, the previous October, the Pirates rewarded Martin with a three-year contract worth $7.9 million.8 McClatchy singled out Martin for his time in Pittsburgh, saying, “You want people like Al Martin on your team, and he is a perfect young veteran to have on a rebuilding club like this one.”9

His performance over his three-year agreement was generally strong. In 1999, he had his best major-league season, hitting .277 and slugging 24 home runs. His OPS was a career-high .844. He added 20 steals that year, showcasing both his power and his speed.

On February 23, 2000, the Pirates, still looking to pare their payroll, traded Martin to the San Diego Padres in a deal that saw John Vander Wal and two minor-league pitchers go to Pittsburgh. The Pirates also added cash to the transaction. Brian Giles, Pirates outfielder and a teammate of Martin, said Martin’s aggressive play and eagerness to counsel young players would be missed. “That took a little heart out of this ballclub,” Giles said. “He’s the kind of player everyone wants on a team.”10

Soon after the trade, details emerged that Martin was arrested on a domestic violence charge after a woman, claiming to be his wife, accused him of bigamy. An argument had escalated after the woman, Shawn Michelle Haggerty-Martin, had told Martin she was frustrated that he was still married to another woman.

Martin later said that heading to San Diego’s spring training facility and clubhouse with that hanging over him was difficult. “I’m totally innocent, and I walk into my new team’s clubhouse, and the players are looking at me, maybe waiting for me to throw someone through a wall.”11

It ultimately came to light that Martin had married Haggerty-Martin on December 11, 1998, in a Las Vegas ceremony. He claimed he didn’t think that ceremony was legitimate. On November 1, 2000, Martin pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence as part of plea agreement.12

Although these charges lingered over Martin, he entered the 2000 season as the Padres’ regular left fielder. Through the first four months of the season, he hit .306 and batted at the top of the lineup. On July 31, the Padres traded him to the Seattle Mariners for utilityman John Mabry and reliever Tom Davey. Concerned about the baggage that Martin would bring with him, Mariners general manager Pat Gillick said, “We’ve checked with a number of people as to what type of person he is. I think he’ll be a good fit for this ballclub. There are some issues that need to be resolved regarding the incident this spring.”13

Gillick also called Martin a “quality left-handed bat” and laid out the team’s plans to use Martin as part of a platoon with Rickey Henderson, who could be temperamental in a part-time role. Gillick commented that Martin “is as fast or faster than Mike Cameron,” which greatly upgraded the lineup. Manager Lou Piniella said there could be games in which he used both Henderson and Martin at the top of the lineup then Cameron and Mark McLemore at the bottom.14

Although Martin initially started well after the trade, he began to struggle down the stretch, and Piniella opted to go with Henderson again late in the year.

Spring training in 2001 provided a fresh start for Martin, who received a strong endorsement from his manager. “He’s a really good kid,” said Piniella, “and we know he can do better than he showed last year. We’re looking to him to show us his normal performance this spring.”15 However, when the 2001 season started, Martin did not get off to a good start and was mired in a slump throughout April, hitting only .118. With this slow start, Martin failed to endear himself with Mariners fans. His lone early-season highlight occurred on April 22, when he started at DH in place of future Hall of Famer Edgar Martínez against the Anaheim Angels and bashed a long home run and a double.

“I’m just happy I got a chance to contribute today,” Martin said. “Before the game, I told Edgar, ‘I’m just going to hit like I’m you.’ This whole series I felt good. I just had some bad luck.”16

In May 2001, Martin falsely claimed that he had played football at the University of Southern California during an interview with the Seattle Times. He said that crashing into teammate Carlos Guillén during a Mariners game reminded him of a 1986 football game between USC and Michigan. “For some reason, probably because I was young and dumb, I decided I could make a head-on stop of [Michigan’s] Leroy Hoard,” said Martin. “I hit him, or rather he hit me. You remember those big tree-trunk legs Hoard had? That’s what hit me.”17

After a source pointed out that USC had not played Michigan in 1986 or at all in the decade before the 1989 Rose Bowl, the Times began looking into whether Martin had actually played for USC. Coaches and players at USC and at Martin’s high school said they had no knowledge of Martin ever attending or playing at the university, and USC had no record of him ever enrolling, receiving scholarship money or playing in a game. He also was not in any of the USC team pictures.18

When confronted with this information, Martin said he would provide proof to the Times but never did. The Mariners then removed information regarding his time at USC from their media guide.

Mariners teammate Bret Boone, who actually attended USC, would tease Martin in the clubhouse and on the team plane. While not nasty, it was said that Martin didn’t seem part of the team as he did before. “It was a real strange twist,” said John McLaren, then Mariners bench coach. “Truthfully, I liked him so much, I didn’t want to see him get torn up inside.”19

By July of 2001, Martin continued to struggle at the plate and was rumored to be in trade talks. “You want to earn your keep,” he told the Seattle Times, “and I definitely haven’t done that. Nobody in their right mind loves to stink.”20 A trade never transpired, and when the 2001 season ended, Martin had played in 100 games for the Mariners, batting .240 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs. He claimed his poor performance was a result of some bad habits that lingered after he was traded to Seattle.21

The Mariners had a 116–46 record that season, a major-league record for wins in a season (tied with the 1906 Chicago Cubs), and that earned the ballclub the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award.22 The Mariners beat the Cleveland Indians, three games to two, in the American League Division Series. They lost four games to one to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Martin was on the playoff roster for both series, appearing in five games. He recorded one hit and scored two runs in four plate appearances. He was granted his free agency at the end of the season.

In February 2002, he signed a minor-league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals but was released late in spring training.23 He did not play at all that season. Martin attempted a return to the major leagues in 2003 with the Florida Marlins. Again, he was released late in spring training. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with former Mariners manager Piniella at the helm, signed him the day after he was released by the Marlins.

Martin returned to Seattle in the summer of 2003 wearing a Devil Rays uniform. His solo home run on August 28, the last he would hit in the majors, gave Tampa Bay a 2–0 lead in a game they’d win, 3–2. When asked if revenge was on his mind, Martin said, “Nah, I’m happy we just won. Those guys in that clubhouse over there are still special to me, so it’s not like, ‘Let’s go out and beat them.’ The most significant thing was that it’s Lou’s birthday. I know he really, really cares.”24

Curiously, Martin again made headlines that season for embellishing his past accomplishments. In the Devil Rays’ media guide, Martin claimed to have been selected to the 1994 National League All-Star team when, in fact, he hadn’t. When asked about this discrepancy, Martin exclaimed, “I was hurt in ’94. I wasn’t on the team. I got selected. I got chosen, not selected. In ’94, Carlos Garcia went to that game.” When further asked to clarify, Martin said, “Before the game was started, I was selected to the team. … I’m not going to get involved in any part of this. I tried to get involved in one thing before, and it turned into a nightmare. I’m not going down that road again.”25

Martin finished the 2003 season with the Rays, playing as a DH in 100 games and delivering a 252/.306/.357 slash line to go with three home runs and 26 RBIs. September 21, 2003, would be the final time he would play in the major leagues; he had one hit in four at-bats against the New York Yankees.

In 2004, Martin made the jump to Korea to play with the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). In the KBO, he had a .291/.383/.433 slash line in 107 games.

Martin was an exceptional athlete, blending strength with quickness. He earned the respect of his teammates and invested in his community. The challenges in his personal life and embellishments about his past achievements remain difficult to fully reconcile.

SOURCES

In addition to the sources shown in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com.

Al Martin has not been in the public eye since retirement. Attempts to contact him about his post-baseball activities have been unsuccessful.

NOTES

1 California, U.S., Divorce Index, 1966-1984. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1141/records/4197036, accessed January 11, 2026; California, U.S., Marriage Index, 1960-1985. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1144/records/7694601, accessed January 11, 2026.

2 “1985 Spring Baseball Draft: A Progress Report on 23 Valley Stars,” Los Angeles Times, July 11, 1985: 236.

3 Al Martin’s William Weiss Publicity Questionnaire, June 23, 1986. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61599/records/72716, accessed January 11, 2026.

4 Florida, U.S., County Marriage Record, 1823-1982. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61369/records/1984590, accessed January 11, 2026.

5 Paul Meyer, “Pirates will try Martin in left,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 21, 1993: D2.

6 Meyer, D1.

7 Associated Press, “Martin was leader in Pirates’ Clubhouse,” ESPN.com, March 22, 2000. https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/2000/0322/440509.html, accessed January 14, 2026.

8 Jack Etkin, “Martin happy he stayed with Pirates,” Standard-Times (New Bedford, Massachusetts), July 10, 2011. https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/sports/1997/05/18/martin-happy-he-stayed-with/50614134007/, accessed January 14, 2026.

9 John Perrotto, “The Survivor,” Beaver County (Pennsylvania) Times, March 30, 1997: B5.

10 Associated Press, “Pirates trade Martin to Padres,” CBS News, February 23, 2000. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pirates-trade-martin-to-padres/, accessed January 14, 2026.

11 Bob Finnigan, “After last year’s disaster, M’s now can call on Al,” Seattle Times, February 25, 2001.

12 Chuck Finder, “Martin Pleads Guilty,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 2, 2000: B7.

13 Bob Sherwin, “M’s move to left, land Martin,” Seattle Times, August 1, 2000: D1.

14 Sherwin.

15 Sherwin.

16 José Miguel Romero, “M’s a sweeping success vs. Angels – Martin powers Seattle with double, HR,” Seattle Times, April 23, 2001.

17 “Looks like Al Martin never played at USC,” Seattle Times, August 28, 2001: C5.

18 “Looks like Al Martin.”

19 Mike Berardino, “No Signs of an All-Star,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, June 22, 2003: 7C.

20 Blaine Newnham, “Martin’s bat finally speaks as trade talks grow louder,” Seattle Times, July 26, 2001: D1.

21 Seattle Post-Intelligencer Staff, “A moment with … Al Martin, former Mariners left fielder,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 26, 2002. https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/a-moment-with-al-martin-former-mariners-left-1081636.php, accessed January 14, 2026.

22 See information on this award at MLB.com: https://www.mlb.com/awards/commissioners-historic-achievement-award

23 “Ex-Mariner Martin joins Cardinals,” Seattle Times, February 9, 2002: D3.

24 Jayda Evans, “Martin haunts his former team with home run – Ex-Seattle left fielder happy to help Piniella celebrate birthday happily,” Seattle Times, August 29, 2003: C7.

25 Berardino.