Meet Martin Benjamin Maldonado Valdés, a professional baseball catcher for the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball (MLB), who was born in Puerto Rico on August 16, 1986.
Maldonado attended high at the Juan. J Nunez High School in Nuagbo but he didn’t attend college after graduating from high school to play baseball.
He has previously played in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Chicago Cubs. Maldonado was taken by the Angels in the 27th round of the 2004 MLB Draft. He made his Major League Baseball debut in 2011 for the Brewers.
The Anaheim Angels selected Maldonado in the 27th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. He batted .217/.277/.233 in his rookie season as a pro while playing for the Arizona League Angels.
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.
He batted a combined .229/.290/.313 in 2008 while playing for the Brevard County Manatees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League and the Huntsville Stars of the Class AA Southern League.
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. Among catchers in the AL, his 13 passed balls were the second-most.
Maldanado previously played for the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals before he was exchanged by the Cubs for outfielder Tony Kemp by the Houston Astros on July 31, 2019.