Former Cal Bear and major league prospect Alex Martinez shares more than just a last name with some of the top pitchers in the pros. He also has electric stuff.

Martinez, whose fastball speed ranges between 88 and 95 miles per hour, has been a key pitcher for the Dons this season, as well as a third basemen.

After recieving a Mickey Mouse bat and ball as a gift at the age of 1, Martinez developed a passion for baseball and a willingness to learn about the game he’s played his entire life.

A native of Union City and graduate of Logan High School, Martinez, 20, spent his freshmen year at the University of California Berkeley, playing on the baseball team.

“Traveling, getting on planes to go play made you feel like a pro,” Martinez said. “I learned a lot about the game of baseball. More than I thought I already knew.”

Family issues and low grades cut Martinez’s time at Cal short, but resulted in enrollment at De Anza College.
“My coach [at Cal] told me to go somewhere for a year and pull my grades up,” Martinez said.

Under advisement from his step-father, an old friend of De Anza baseball head coach Erick Raich, Martinez decided to play for the Dons.

“Having to get the last three outs is always the most fun part, because it’s the hardest three outs to get,” Martinez said. “It’s always an intense atmosphere.”

Martinez said that Raich has made him a better player, which shows through the numbers he has posted this season, with an earned run average of 2.47 in 69.1 innings pitched.

“He’s our big horse,” Raich said. “He’s big for us every game.”

The Dons’ conference record as of Friday was 12-7 and their overall record was 17-16.

Martinez said that teammate Alex Zarate’s stellar season thus far has pushed him to be a better pitcher with each player trying to one-up each other on the mound.

This improvement led to major league scouts attending De Anza baseball games, at home and on the road.

“It’s definitely a lot of fun seeing radar guns in the stands,” said Martinez, whose fastball speed is between 88 and 95 miles per hour.

“He’s got velocity and his changeup is a plus pitch,” Raich said. A former associate scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Martinez said he is considering declaring for this summer’s major league draft.

“I want to go pro with it,” Martinez said. “If not, I see myself wanting to coach the game because I just want to be around it.”

Martinez knows exactly what team he would like to go to in the draft: “No matter what the money, definitely the A’s.”