Leonys Martin: Contract, Trade, Illness, Wife & Net Worth

There’s a famous Babe Ruth quote that goes, “Don’t let the fear of striking out keep you behind from playing the game.”

Just like how the quotes state, Leonys Martin never gave up on anything in life, may it be fighting a life-threatening disease or playing baseball in the fields.

Leonys Martin, aka “Ikadi,” is a Cuban-American professional baseball athlete who plays for the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB).

Before playing at the MLB and NPB, Martin initially played for a local Cuban team Villa Clara and represented the Cuban national baseball team.

Furthermore, in this article, we will be providing you with all the insights about Martin’s family, illness, career, and net worth. But, first, let’s peep in some of his quick facts.

Leonys Martin | Quick Facts

Full Name	Leonys Martin Tapanes
Birth Date	March 6th, 1988
Birth Place	Corralillo, Villa Clara, Cuba
Age	36 Years Old
Nickname	Ikadi
Nationality	Cuban- American
Religion	Not Available
Education	Not Available
Horoscope	Pisces
Father’s Name	Oscar Martin
Mother’s Name	Not Available
Siblings	four
Height	1.88 m
Weight	86 kgs
Build	Athletic
Shoe Size	Not Available
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Brown
Position	Center Fielder
League	MLB, NPB
Throws	Right
Bats	Left
Marital Status	Married
Spouse	Yaimira Martin
Children	Kristen Martin, Leonys Liam Martin, Jayden Martin
Profession	Professional Baseball Athlete
Debut	MLB- September 2nd, 2011 NPB- July 26th, 2019
Former Teams	Texas Rangers Seattle Mariners Chicago Cubs Detroit Tigers Cleveland Indians
Team	Chiba Lotte Marines
Net Worth	$100k – $1 million
Social Media	Twitter, Instagram
Merch	Autographed Baseball, Cards
Last Update	October, 2024

Leonys Martin | Early Life, Family, & Education

The famous Cuban- American baseball athlete Leonys was born on March 6th, 1988, in Corralillo, Villa Clara, Cuba. His father, Oscar Martin, worked as a foreman in a fishing company.

He was the one who taught Leonys how to play baseball during his youth days. Moreover, Leonys has four siblings, three sisters, and a brother. Unfortunately, the details regarding his mother and siblings are not available from any sources.

However, we know that Leony’s parents are divorced, and his mother and four siblings reside in Cuba. On the other hand, his father lives in Miami.

While growing up, Martin played as a shortstop, third base, and second base before becoming a professional center fielder. Also, he became a naturalized US citizen on June 25th, 2018.

According to the horoscope, Leonys falls under the sun sign Pisces. People with Pisces as their sun sign are known for being friendly, selfless, and empathetic.

Age, Height, and Body Measurements

Furthermore, this baseball star has an athletic build with a height of 1.88 m and 86 kgs as his weight. His physique plays a significant role in backing him up for his center fielder position.

Education

The details regarding Martin’s educational background have not been made public by him to date. However, we know that he was born and raised in Cuba. Hence, we can assume that he graduated from Cuban educational institutions.

Leonys Martin | Career and Profession

Cuba

Before becoming an MLB professional athlete, his early Cuban baseball career was very successful as well.

Leonys joined Villa Clara, a baseball club that plays in the Cuban National Series, at 17. Also, he played for the Cuban national baseball team, where he earned $40 a week.

During the 2009–2010 season, he batted at .326 with 23 doubles10 home runs and 48 RBIs. In the entire five seasons with Villa Clara, he batted at .314.

Moreover, for the Cuban national team, Leonys appeared for the 2006 World Junior Baseball Championship and the 2009 World Port Tournament, where Cuba won.

Because of his exceptional performance during the tournament, the World Junior baseball team called him to play as the fourth outfielder for the 2009 World Baseball Classic roster. He was the youngest player on the team.

Additionally, Leonys also played representing Cuba in the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship.

Martin left Cuba during the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship and traveled to Tokyo before landing in Mexico. He successfully requested Major League Baseball to become a free agent after he arrived in Mexico. 

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Texas Rangers

After becoming a free agent of the MLB, Leonys signed a five-year contract worth $15.5 million with a $5 million signing bonus with the Texas Rangers on May 4th, 2011. Additionally, the Rangers added him to their 40 man roster.

They extended his spring training before assigning him to the Frisco RoughRiders, a Class AA team of the Rangers affiliated to the Texas League.

After playing for the Frisco and batting at .348 with a .435 on-base percentage, Leonys was promoted by the Rangers in the Round Rock Express of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in July.

He worked on base run and defenses with the Rock Express team coach Gary Pettis for two days. Throughout his time representing the Express, Leonys batted at .263 with no home runs and 175 at-bats with 17 runs. 

Kinsler's home run, that was a great moment! pic.twitter.com/knuaJ0e3Cz

— Leonys Martin (@leonys27martin) April 8, 2013

The Texas Rangers promoted Leonys to the major leagues on August 30th, 2011. Martin made his major league debut on September 2nd, where he recorded his first MLB hit while playing against the Boston Red Sox.

Moreover, during 2013, Leonys made the Rangers’ 25 man roster and started as a center field on Opening Day, playing against the Houston Astros. Then, on April 21st, he hit the first home run of his major league career off while playing against Seattle Mariners.

Similarly, on June 25th, Leonys recorded his major league career’s first multi-home run game with two solo shots while playing against the New York Yankees. He hit at .260 for the 2013 season and set a career-high 36 bases.

He played in the full season of 2014 while hitting at .274 with 31 stolen bases and a career-high of 155 games. Unfortunately, he suffered from an injury in 2015 and played in only 95 games.

Seattle Mariners 

The Rangers traded Leonys to the Seattle Mariners after the 2015 season, with Anthony Bass in exchange for James Jones, Patrick Kivlehan, and Tom Wilhelmsen.

During his time playing for the Mariners, he set a career-high home run in the 2016 season.

Moreover, the Mariners nominated Martin for an assignment on April 23rd, 2017, and sent him to Triple-A until a team purchased his contract by the end of July. Then, again, on August 23rd, he was sent by the Mariners for his second assignment.

Great team win tonight !!!Thank you to the all fans so much love ,Love you guys .Go Mariners 👏👏💪🏼💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/xcx9o0Ndr8

— Leonys Martin (@leonys27martin) July 1, 2016

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs acquired Martin on August 31st, 2017; in between the Mariners and Cubs, Leonys batted at .281/ .172/.232 in 2017.

He made it to the Chicago Cubs 2017 playoff roster thanks to his above-average speed and defenses.

However, the Cubs sent him to the Triple-A on November 6th, 2017, and elected free agency following that day. 

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers signed a one-year contract worth $1.75 million with Martin on December 5th, 2017. He hit his career first grand slam on April 19th, 2018, while playing against Baltimore Orioles.

Also, he hit a home run in games of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 25th. Hence, becoming the first players of the Detroit Tigers to do so.

Moreover, on May 8th, the Tigers placed Leonys on the 10-day disabled due to a hamstring strain. Similarly, he was placed on the disabled list for the second time on July 2nd.

Cleveland Indians

The Detroit Tigers traded Kyle Dowdy and Leonys to the Cleveland Indians on July 31st, 2018, in exchange for Willi Castro.

Sadly, after nine days due to an undisclosed illness, Indians placed Leonys on the 10-day disabled list.

On August 9th, he was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic and received utmost care in the Intensive Care Unit.

Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations, announced Leonys was healing from a life-threatening bacterial infection on August 13th, 201. He also added that Martin’s return to the fields is uncertain.

Thus, The Indians ruled Leonys out for the remaining season of 2018 on August 22nd.

Moreover, Leonys signed a one-year contract with the Indians on October 31st, 2018, withdrawing salary adjustment for the 2019 season.

He was designated for assignment by the Indians on July 22nd, 2019. However, soon after clearing the waivers, he was released by the Indians on June 27th, 2019.

Chiba Lotte Marines

Leonys signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) on July 14th, 2019. Also, he signed a one-year contract extension with the Marines to remain on the team.

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Leonys Martin | Japan Stats

Year	WAR	AB	H	HR	BA	R	RBI	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS
Career	11.4	2532	617	58	.244	334	228	126	.301	.367	.668

Leonys Martin | Net Worth & Salary

While looking back at Martin’s career contract details, his estimated salary while playing for the Seattle Mariners was around $4 million. 

He signed a five-year contract worth $15.5 million with a $5 million signing bonus with Texas Rangers.

Similarly, The Detroit Tigers signed a one-year contract worth $1.75 million with Martin. On the other hand, his salary while playing for other teams is not available from any sources.

After adding up all his career earnings up to 2020, the total amount sums up to approximately $29 million.

Thus, the presumable net worth of Leonys Martin falls around $29 million.

Leonys Martin | Wife and Children

Martin’s wife, Yaimira Martin, was born and raised in Cuba like her husband. But, reportedly, she left Cuba and moved to the USA shortly after Leonys left the country.

Together they have three beautiful children whose names are Kristen Martin, Leonys Liam Martin, Jayden Martin. Kristen is the oldest child.

She turned eight years old on February 9th, 2020. Similarly, Liam was born on April 1st, 2016, and the youngest child was born on March 13th, 2020.

Leonys Martin | Social Media Presence

Martin is quite active on social media. He usually posts about his game highlights. On Instagram, Leonys has around78.9k followers. 

Similarly, on Twitter, he has around 44.5k followers. You can follow him on his social media platforms to get the latest news on him.

Interesting Facts about Leonys Martin

Martin’s mother named him after Lionel Riche, an American singer, songwriter, television judge, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. Most importantly, Riche was a favorite musical artist of Martin’s mother.

Leonys Martin | FAqs

Has Leonys recovered from his injury?

Leonys suffered from a life-threatening bacterial infection in 2018. He was admitted to an intensive care unit and was successfully recovered from it.