Julio Daniel Martinez (born August 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Boston Red Sox. He made his MLB debut in 2011. A right-handed thrower and batter, Martinez stands tall and weighs . He is of Cuban descent. A native of Miami, Florida, Martinez attended Nova Southeastern University (NSU) before the Astros selected him in the 20th round with the 611th pick in the 2009 amateur draft. He is the first player drafted from NSU to play in the major leagues. He is a five-time MLB All-Star selection and a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, as well as the only player to earn the latter honor twice in the same season. On September 4, 2017, Martinez became the 18th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a single game, doing so versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. During the Red Sox' 2018 World Series run, he won the American League (AL) Hank Aaron Award as the league's top offensive performer, leading the league in RBIs, while placing second in batting average and home runs. He also won the 2018 Players Choice Award for Player of the Year. Career Amateur career Martinez attended Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida, and graduated in 2006. The Minnesota Twins selected Martinez in the 36th round, with the 1,086th overall selection, of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign with the Twins. Instead, Martinez attended Nova Southeastern University (NSU), where he played college baseball for the Sharks from 2007 through 2009. He set the school's career record for home runs with 32, ranked second in batting average (.394), third in runs batted in (RBI, 142), and fourth in slugging percentage (.691). In 2009, he batted .428 with 15 home runs and set a program record with 73 runs scored. He was a two-time All-Sunshine State Conference baseball player. In 2014, Martinez was inducted into the NSU Sharks Hall of Fame. Houston Astros Draft and minor leagues The Houston Astros selected Martinez in the 20th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft with the 611th overall selection. He was signed by Greg Brown, who later became the head coach at NSU. Martinez started his professional career with the Greeneville