J.D. Martin reached the Major Leagues with the Washington Nationals in 2009 after being selected by Cleveland in the first round of the 2001 draft. The right-hander made 24 MLB appearances, all as a starter, across the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He finished his Major League career with six wins, nine losses, a 4.32 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 125 innings.

What makes Martin’s baseball story different is the amount of professional experience that followed his time in the Majors. He continued pitching in the minor leagues for several organizations, including the Tampa Bay Rays system, where he had a productive 2013 season. He went 16-4 that year and became one of the more experienced pitchers in the Durham Bulls rotation.

Martin later joined the Los Angeles Dodgers organization on a minor league contract in 2019. He made 22 starts between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City that season, giving his career another connection to the Dodgers system even though he did not appear for Los Angeles at the Major League level. The J.D. Martin T-Shirt offers baseball fans a player-focused way to remember a career shaped not only by his time in the Majors, but also by the persistence required to remain in professional baseball for so many seasons.