Brewers Expand International Reach

Ernesto Martinez (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

The Brewers had something in mind when they traded righthanded reliever Damien Magnifico to the Orioles in mid-April for $885,300 in international bonus pool money.

The Orioles are not big players in the international market, but the Brewers hope to expand their reach in that area. The money they picked up from Baltimore more than covered the $800,000 bonus they gave outfielder-first baseman Ernesto Martinez, a Cuban national who left for France in 2014.

The 17-year-old Martinez stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 231 pounds, and the Brewers believe he has significant batting upside, with the potential to develop power.

A lefthanded batter, Martinez played for Cuba in the 15U World Championship in 2014 before leaving for France, where his father played professionally.

Martinez was a member of the French national team that participated in the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifier and represented that country in the 18U European Championship in 2016.

Brewers assistant general manager Matt Arnold, the point man in signing Martinez, said owner Mark Attanasio and general manager David Stearns made a strong commitment to international scouting as the organization looks in all directions for talent.

“Our scouting staff did a great job identifying and evaluating Ernesto,” Arnold said. “Ernesto comes from a baseball family and understands the challenges ahead. He is a very smart player and plans to work very hard to reach his goal of becoming a major league player.”

Martinez worked out at Miller Park after signing his deal and made an impression on Brewers manger Craig Counsell.

“It’s adding another young, athletic player to the system. The more, the better,” Counsell said. “He’s very impressive physically. And for a young kid he’s got a good head on his shoulders.

“He’s excited to go get his career started.”

— Tom Haudricourt covers the Brewers for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel