Oakland Ballers Add First Baseman

The latest addition to the B's roster could be a force at the plate

The Oakland Ballers (a.k.a. B's) have added a very intriguing bat to their lineup in first baseman Noah Martinez. The 24-year-old hit .306 with a .442 OBP, 13 homers, and walked (50) more than he struck out (41) during the 2023 season with the University of Pittsburgh. He also started all 55 games for Pitt.

Martinez spent some time in the MLB Draft League and got a little time in the outfield as well, primarily in left field. He was introduced as a first baseman by the Ballers, so it seems safe to say that is where he'll be, at least to start the season. 

In the MLB Draft League he hit .265 with a .406 OBP and 13 walks to seven strikeouts in 64 plate appearances. With his eye at the plate, he should do very well in the Pioneer League. 

B's manager Micah Franklin said of Martinez, “I was really impressed by what Noah did at Pitt. The ACC is a tough conference to do the kinds of things that he did there. He walked more than he struck out, was one of the team leaders, and drove the ball all over the place. I’m looking forward to seeing him do the same with us in Oakland.”

In a video on social media, Martinez gave a brief statement. "Just want to come on here and say I'm super excited to get going. Thank you to the organization for an awesome opportunity for us, and then bringing baseball back to Oakland, which the fans so rightly deserve. Super excited to get going." 

The team has also announced the time and date of the League's open tryouts. The first one will be in Davenport, Florida from February 9-11, followed by one in Scottsdale, Arizona from April 16-18 at Salt River Fields, where the Diamondbacks and Rockies play their Spring Training games.

At the end of the tryout, 12 players will be drafted and offered a contract to attend a PL team's Spring Training. More information can be found here.

There is now Ballers gear available in both green and black available at Oaklandish.

You can follow the Ballers on Twitter @OaklandBallers