Martin Benjamin Maldonado Valdés, a professional baseball catcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB), was born in Puerto Rico on August 16, 1986.
He has previously played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, and Kansas City Royals. Maldonado was chosen by the Angels in the 27th round of the 2004 MLB Draft.
The Anaheim Angels selected Maldonado in the 27th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. He batted.217/.277/.233 during his rookie season as a professional while playing for the Arizona League Angels.
He played for Arizona once more in 2005, as well as the Orem Owlz at the rookie level. He had one more season with the Arizona Angels in 2006, batting.222/.329/.270, before being dismissed.
Maldonado played for the West Virginia Power in the Class A South Atlantic League in 2007 after signing a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, batting.223/.309/.288.
In exchange for pitcher prospect Patrick Sandoval and money from the international pool, the Angels traded Maldonado to the Houston Astros on July 26, 2018.
After catcher Salvador Pérez suffered a season-ending elbow injury on March 11, 2019, the Kansas City Royals signed Maldonado to a one-year, $2.5 million contract.
Maldonado and the Astros reached a one-year, $5 million contract deal on April 21, 2021, with a $5 million vesting option for the 2023 campaign after his initial final stay at the Chicago Cubs.
Martin Maldanado is the son of former baseball player Candy Maldanado. Cándido Maldonado Guadarrama, a former outfielder in Major League Baseball from Puerto Rico, was born on September 5, 1960.
Candy played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers between 1981 and 1995.