Ramon Alberto Marte puffed out his chest and beamed with pride.
His wife Francia Serrano, who was seated next to him, put her face into her hands and wept.
Their son, Noelvi Marte, had just signed a deal worth more than a million dollars with the Mariners at the club¡¯s complex in the Dominican Republic, and the parents knew their boy¡¯s life was never going to be the same.
¡°I remember all of the emotion and the tears of joy,¡± Marte, 17, said in Spanish. ¡°They told me I deserved everything that was coming to me because I worked so hard and that they were proud of me. I remember going back to my town and there was a party waiting for me. It was a day I¡¯ll never forget.¡±
The date was July 2, 2018, the start of the international signing period, and the day Marte officially became a professional ball player. It¡¯s also when he became a student of the game and a part of the Mariners¡¯ future.
Marte, who ranked No. 10 on MLB.com's Top 30 International Prospects List last year, is now the Mariners' No. 13 prospect.
¡°We see an exciting young player who we think will impact the Major Leagues,¡± said Andy McKay, the Mariners' director of player development. ¡°This is first full professional season and he obviously answered the call. He¡¯s been great and he really could not have played any better as a first-year player in our system.¡±
Marte slashed .309/.371/.511 with nine home runs and 54 RBIs in 65 Dominican Summer League games. He also racked up 18 doubles, four triples and stole 17 bases.
¡°Playing in the summer league helped me learn a lot about professional baseball and what it takes,¡± Marte said. ¡°The biggest challenge was going a week without getting a hit, but never losing faith in myself and trusting that I could get out of the slump. I¡¯m a champion and champions never quit. I¡¯ve learned to keep that mentality no matter the situation.¡±
International prospects like Marte often start training at 13 years old and showcase their talents for big league scouts during the next two years so they can sign when eligible at 16. An international prospect¡¯s life is fun but chaotic, full of showcases, private workouts and games designed to give evaluators a chance to scout the young players as often as possible.
In Marte¡¯s case, he moved away from his modest home in the northeastern part of the island to the capital 70 miles away to begin training at Raul Valera¡¯s academy in Santo Domingo at 14. Valera, who is best known in international scouting circles by his childhood nickname Banana, has trained players for 30 years.
¡°That first practice for Banana stands out because he put me to bat and he just kept staring at me and analyzing me,¡± Marte said. ¡°And here I was a little afraid because I knew I had to do a good job for him to accept me at his program. Thank God I had a good day and I thank God for Banana helping me develop my talent. He treated me like a son and I¡¯ll never forget that.¡±
In general, trainers like Valera receive a percentage of a prospect¡¯s signing bonus for housing, feeding and training the player in the years leading up to the prospect¡¯s signing. Banana is a member of Major League Baseball¡¯s Trainer Partnership Program.
¡°He showed so much potential with his bat and he was so intelligent. Those were the first things that you noticed when you saw him,¡± Valera said from the Dominican Republic. ¡°He was in my program for two years and we quickly realized that the swing he had was going to develop into something special.¡±
Mariners international scouts, led by Eddy Toledo, the club¡¯s scouting coordinator in the Dominican Republic, and former international director Tim Kissner, spotted Marte three years ago at Banana¡¯s program. They quickly made him a top target. What they saw was an athletic shortstop who played with tons of energy and had the potential to be a five-tool player. Marte could run and he was big and strong. He also had the ¡°wow¡± factor combined with great makeup.
The teen eventually signed for $1.55 million at the club¡¯s complex with his parents by his side. He was immediately placed into the club¡¯s academy. There was no time to waste.
¡°Noelvi is in a window that from a strength and conditioning standpoint, we can have a big impact on his body, which is a big emphasis with us,¡± McKay said. ¡°At his age and experience level, all of the things off the field are really critical. Things like his ability to learn English, his ability to work in classroom and other programs like financial literacy along with continuing to refine his skills. He¡¯s very young and he has a long way to go, but that gives us a lot of time to work and we are ecstatic he¡¯s in our system. There are very high expectations for him.¡±
Marte¡¯s education will continue next month when he travels to the club¡¯s Spring Training complex in Arizona to participate in the team's high-performance camp for prospects, a six-week program focused on developing minds and bodies. Last year, Julio Rodriguez, the club¡¯s No. 3 prospect, who signed on July 2, 2017, followed a similar program and is shining in the Minors.
Members of this year¡¯s international class, highlighted by outfielder George Feliz, who signed with the Mariners for $900,000, will also eventually make their way to Arizona after playing in the Dominican Summer League in 2020.
¡°For me, my goal is to be consistent in what I do and keep learning something new every day,¡± Marte said. ¡°I want to do a good job when I get to the United States and keep giving the best I have. I¡¯ll never quit trying to make my family proud of me.¡±