UC Irvine junior first baseman Anthony Martinez was selected as the 252nd pick by the Cleveland Guardians in the 2025 MLB draft. The pick came in the eighth round of the draft and Martinez signed with the Guardians for around $214,000 on July 26.
With Martinez off of the Anteaters roster, it is likely that junior outfield/first baseman Rowan Felsch will become a regular starter and play at first base more often.
Martinez was part of the All-Big West Second Team to conclude the 2025 season.
In a game against UC San Diego, Martinez had three RBIs including a home run in a 19-4 loss on May 2.
Against Oregon State University, Martinez had two RBIs including a home run in a 7-4 loss on April 6.
Against UC Riverside, Martinez had two runs, two hits and four RBIs including a home run in a 20-1 victory on March 28.
Against California State University, Northridge, Martinez had three RBIs including a home run in a 15-2 win on March 15.
In a matchup against California State University, Long Beach, Martinez had four RBIs including a home run in a 10-1 victory on March 9.
Martinez finished the 2025 season batting .316 with 29 runs, 68 hits, 58 RBIs, 14 doubles and five home runs.
Prior to the 2025 season, Martinez played on the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League. Martinez hit .278 on the Red Sox in 27 games, where he had 16 runs, 25 hits, four doubles, three home runs, 17 RBIs and had 15 walks. Martinez also struck out nine times while on the Red Sox.
It was thought that Martinez would have been a higher pick in the 2025 Draft following his performance in the 2024 collegiate season, had he carried the same success into the 2025 collegiate season. In 2024, Martinez was part of the All-Big West First Team and set the UC Irvine single-season record for RBIs with 74.
Against California State University, Fullerton, Martinez had a game with two runs, three hits and four RBIs including a home run in a 18-4 victory on May 18, 2024. On May 11, 2024, Martinez had three hits and three RBIs including a home run in a 11-2 win against Long Beach State.
When UC Irvine took on the University of San Diego in San Diego, Martinez contributed a home run in a 8-4 victory for the Anteaters on April 30, 2024. Less than a week prior against UC Riverside on April 26, Martinez had two hits, two runs and four RBIs which included a home run in a 15-1 win. In a 16-3 win against UC San Diego around two weeks prior Martinez had three hits, two hits and four RBIs including a home run.
Against the University of Hawai’i, Martinez proved to be a pivotal force as he had two runs, two hits and four RBIs including two home runs in a 6-3 victory on March 28, 2024.
Jack Fedor is the 2025-2026 Sports Editor. He can be reached at jfedor@uci.edu.
Edited by Benjamin Flores and Annabelle Aguirre