Marauders’ Martinez Confident for Future in Pittsburgh

There’s a lot to like about Jeter Martinez.

When speaking with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitching prospect shortly before a mid-week game between the Bradenton Marauders and Tampa Tarpons at LECOM Park, it’s easy to forget that he’s 20 years old.

Putting his baseball prowess aside, Jeter is well-mannered, speaks English well, which is an accomplishment since he self-taught through watching music videos, TV shows, and picking up words from listening to his teammates talk, and comes across as far more mature than his age.

Being on your own as a teenager in a foreign land has a way of making a youngster grow up faster. Martinez knows the meaning of self-sufficiency.

“I grew up in Mexico, and I stayed there until I was 15. Then, I came to Florida to start training. I didn’t know any English, but I was open to learn from everyone,” Martinez said prior to Wednesday’s home game.

A self-professed baseball fan, Martinez recalls many happy times at his family’s home in Durango, located in north-central Mexico, watching MLB games. There was one
team the Martinez household favored.

“My family was always Yankees fans. You know my first name comes from Derek Jeter.”

In Bradenton now, and wherever his next stop along his journey that hopefully leads to pitching at PNC Park, Martinez is having fun living his dream. The 2026 Florida State
League tour is Martinez’s second since being traded to the Pirates at MLB‘s trade deadline last July 30.

Martinez, a right-handed starter, in 2025 one of the Seattle Mariners’ top 30 prospects, came to the Pirates’ organization in exchange for lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson. Seen as a long-term pitching prospect, there’s no need to rush Martinez’s development.

So far this season, Martinez has collected 39 strikeouts in 37.1 innings of work. In 10 games with the 2026 Marauders, Martinez has a 3.13 ERA and is 1-2 as a starter.

The road traveled to Bradenton demonstrates professional progress for Martinez.

After signing with Seattle at 17, Martinez spent a season at the rookie level in the Dominican League. 2024 brought Martinez to the Arizona Complex League, but by 2025, Martinez’s travel plans became tricky.

“We (Modesto Nuts/Mariners Single-A affiliate in the California League) were playing
on the road. I was having a catch, getting ready for the game, and then our pitching coach came over to talk with me,” Martinez recalls of that now memorable day in his career at Valley Strong Ballpark in Visalia, Calif. “He says that I’m done for the day, and I thought that was weird. Next, he tells me we just traded you to the Pirates. My initial reaction was that he was kidding me. That was an emotional moment.”

At 19, Martinez, with the help of a support system including his family, navigated changing employers and strengthening his ability to travel independently across the country. Shocked that he was traded, as the process settled in of having a new professional opportunity with the Pirates, Martinez says he quickly was happy to move on.

“It’s not always a bad thing to get traded,” Martinez says. “I always have trust in God. He has a purpose for us.”

Martinez, at the innocent age of 15, came to Florida to begin his formal training in baseball. Settling in Boca Raton, except for one visit while being accompanied by his mother, Martinez was on his own. Pitching at showcases before scouts, this is where the Mariners first became familiar with Martinez and would ultimately sign him.

For a year and a half, Martinez worked on his English and perfected his pitching.

“When I was 15, I didn’t realize what a big deal it was to have scouts watching me. But it's been a fun experience. I’m living my dream,” Martinez explains.

As for the famous Yankees' first name, Martinez would like to meet his namesake one day.

“It would be cool if I get to meet him.”

On Saturday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Martinez pitched a season-high eight strikeouts in Jupiter, Fla. The 4-1 win over the Hammerheads (Miami Marlins affiliate) topped off a 6.0 inning shutout performance.

There’s plenty more opportunities this season for Martinez to impress the Pirates’ player development personnel that may lead to a second stay with the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pirates High-A affiliate), or beyond.