Martín Prado

Martín Prado
Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 14
Infielder/Left fielder
Born: (1983-10-27) October 27, 1983 Maracay, Venezuela
Bats: Right Throws: Right
debut
April 23, 2006, for the Atlanta Braves
Career statistics (through March 24, 2014)
Batting average	.291
Hits	973
Home runs	66
Runs batted in	386
Teams
Atlanta Braves (2006–2012) Arizona Diamondbacks (2013–present)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (2010)

Martín Manuel Prado (born October 27, 1983) is a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He plays in Major League Baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prado was traded to Arizona in January 2013. Prior to the trade, he was a member of the Atlanta Braves from 2006–2012. During his time with the Braves, Prado played in the 2010 All-Star Game. Prado has played primarily in left field and third base, although he has experience at shortstop, second base, first base and right field.

Career

2006

Prado made his major league debut on April 23, 2006, going 1 for 2 and logging a triple. He was later sent down to the Triple-A Richmond Braves, but was called back up to the majors later in the season. He hit his first career home run on September 14, 2006, against Jamie Moyer of the Philadelphia Phillies.

2007

Prado was called up for the 2007 season on May 20 and was sent down on June 2. He was called up again on August 7. He was sent down on August 22 to make room for the recently activated Edgar Rentería, but Renterîa was injured in his first at bat. Prado was called up to stay on September 4.

In the 9th inning of the September 12, 2007, game against the New York Mets, Prado hit a ball in play and, upon dropping his bat to head towards first base, the bat stood perfectly upright. SportsNet New York commentator Keith Hernandez described the incident as one "that would never happen in a hundred years."

2009

Prado playing for the Atlanta Braves in 2009

During the 2009 season, Prado stepped in as the Braves' starter at second base when Kelly Johnson went on the disabled list midway through the season. Prado took full advantage of the opportunity, to the extent that he remained the starter at second, batting second in the lineup, even after Johnson's return to the active roster. Prado's final stats for the season consisted of a .307 average, 14 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 64 runs scored in 450 at-bats over the course of 128 games. In addition to playing 63 games at second, he showed versatility by playing 41 games at third and 28 at first.

2010

Prado made a huge statement in his career on May 10, 2010, against the Milwaukee Brewers in which he hit a grand slam against Brewers pitcher, Manny Parra. Over the course of the season, he was moved from the No. 2 spot in the batting order to the leadoff spot to take advantage of his high batting average.

Prado told reporters that he lost 14 pounds during the 2010 off-season doing the P90X fitness program, and is starting spring training stronger and "more agile."

On July 8, 2010, Prado led the Major Leagues in hits with 121 and led the NL with a .325 Batting Average. He was selected to the 2010 All-Star Game as a reserve, and started in place of Chase Utley. In late September, Prado suffered from a hip pointer, and an MRI revealed that he had a torn external oblique, causing him to miss the remainder of the season and the playoffs.

2011

In the 2010–11 off-season the Braves acquired former Florida Marlins starting second baseman Dan Uggla in a trade for Omar Infante and reliever Mike Dunn. Although the trade was widely praised, it left the Braves in a conundrum as they now had two All Star starting second basemen on the roster. Prado was approached about moving to left field, which he did without any public complaint. On May 13, 2011, in a game versus the Washington Nationals in which the Braves were trailing 5–1 in the 7th inning, Prado notched his second career grand slam after a 10-pitch duel with Nationals reliever Sean Burnett, putting the Braves on course to win 6–5 in the 10th inning.

On July 26, 2011 in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates that ended with a controversial call on a play at home plate, Prado went 0-for-9 and left eight men on base. He was on deck when the game ended.

Prado was treated for a staph infection in his right calf and placed on the 15-day DL on June 10, 2011. He returned from the disabled list on July 15, going 2–5 with a home run in his first game back.

2013

After the 2012 season, the Braves traded Prado with Randall Delgado, Nick Ahmed, Zeke Spruill and Brandon Drury to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Justin Upton and Chris Johnson. On January 31, the Diamondbacks and Prado agreed on a 4-year, $40 million extension.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
• Baseball America