After a senior high school season in 1986 watched by scouts, Chicago Clemente High's Darryl Martin looked forward to the June draft, The Chicago Tribune wrote.
But he also had an eye on college, if need be, he told The Tribune.
"Lots of kids want to play pro and I'm one of them," Martin told The Tribune. "If everything is fair, I'll want to sign. But I'm trying to keep a low-key. I'm not letting anything go to my head. But if I do get drafted and sign, I'm going to be really happy."
Martin did end up signing that year and he went on to see time in six professional seasons. He topped out at high-A.
Martin's career began that year, taken by the Tigers in the seventh round of the draft out of Clemente.
Martin started with the Tigers at rookie Bristol. He hit .256 over 27 games. He then moved to single-A Fayetteville for 1987.
Tigers minor league field coordinator Tom Gamboa described Martin and two others on the club to The Detroit Free Press as outfielders with speed and strong arms.
Martin hit .226 over 118 games for Fayetteville in 1987 and stole 25 bases. He returned to Fayetteville for 1988 and 1989.
He hit a two-run home run in a May 1989 game, homered and doubled in a June win and doubled in a July 1989 contest. Overall, he hit .223 in 1988 and .248 in 1989.
Martin moved to high-A Lakeland for 1990. He hit a game-winning two-run home run in a July game. He hit .246 in 110 games. He then played 10 final games in 1993 with the Rockies at high-A Central Valley.
Martin has since gone on to get into the sign business. In 2021, he's listed as the president and CEO at Martin Branding Group, which provides design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of signage.
- Chicago Tribune, June 2, 1986: Martin's year began sour, turned sweet
- Detroit Free Press, June 24, 1987: Generals' individual efforts worthy of attention
Made the Majors:1,261-33.9%
Never Made Majors:2,457-66.1%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:522
10+ Seasons in the Minors:309
Looked up his company - they did signage for the White Sox stadium, whatever it is called now. Pretty cool.
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