Leonys Martín discussed with Cuban Baseball Digest what FEPCUBE means to him and the experience of training with other Cuban players.
Leonys’ career began at 17 with Villa Clara in the Cuban National Series in 2005. His breakout season was in 2007, hitting .398 with 9 triples and 14 doubles in 77 games. He also participated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
In 2010, Martín defected from Cuba and signed a 5-year deal with the Texas Rangers. He played in Double-A, hitting .348, and .263 in Triple-A before being promoted to the Texas Rangers. His MLB debut was on September 2, 2011, where he got his first hit.
He played with Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland before leaving MLB and joining the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan in 2019. In his second game with the Marines, he hit his first NPB home run. He finished the season hitting .232 with 13 home runs in 52 games. In his first full season with the team, he hit .234 with 25 home runs and 65 RBIs. During the season, there was a “myth” with fans that if Martín hits a home run, the team doesn’t lose. The myth was broken when the team lost after he hit his 23rd home run of the season.
In 2021, Leonys was selected as a Pacific League All-Star. He became the fastest player to reach 10 home runs in the Pacific League since 1985. He won the March/April Monthly MVP award, hitting .271 with 10 homers and 24 RBIs in 31 games.
Martín signed a minor league contract with the Mariners in 2023. Leonys’ game and character are reasons why many fans see him as a leader of the FEPCUBE team.
Some people see you as a leader on this team. Do you feel that your a leader on this team?
I’m one of the guys on the team, I don’t wanna say leader. I’m just here to help. I just want to be helpful for the other guys. This is something huge it means a lot for us.
You’re in immaculate shape, how do you stay in shape?
I’m kind of in my retirement right now, but that doesn’t mean that I’m have to lose my shape. Been going to the gym, running staying in my routine. Now I have the opportunity to be back in the field so that helps. I’ve been doing the same thing for 12 months.
How do you see this team coming togethers? Its been a lot of practices, do you see everyone getting in baseball shape?
Yeah, most of the guys have been active during the offseason. So I don’t think its going to be a problem, they’re still in shape. They’ve been here for a long time. This tournament in Colombia is gonna be very close to Spring Training. They’ve been doing their routine for a while now.
Are you gonna be in the lab tomorrow?
Yeah I’m going to be there.
What position are you playing tomorrow?
I’m going to be in right field.
Do you have a message for the exile community on this team?
I just wanna say, we really appreciate what you guys have been doing for us and the support. We’re gonna do the best to make you guys happy. We do everything for the Cuban community.