Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Cuban outfielder Julio Pablo Martinez agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers that includes a $2.8 million signing bonus and will make his debut for the organization in the Dominican Summer League.
The Rangers announced the deal with the 22-year-old on Thursday, more than four months after he held an open tryout for all teams and about six weeks after he could sign with any major league organization.
Martinez debuted with the Cuban national league at age 16, and hit .293 over five seasons. In his final season with Guantanamo and Camaguey, the speedy left-hander hit .333 with six homers and 24 stolen bases in 61 games. He had 52 walks and 30 strikeouts.
On a conference call, the 5-foot-10 Martinez said through a translator that his goal is to be in the major leagues within three years.
___
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
