In 2002, at the tender age of 18, Andy Marte led the Appalachian League in RBI, was second in home runs, and had a composite line of .281/.344/.492. That performance made Marte an interesting prospect to be closely followed in 2003. This past summer, in the Carolina League, Marte had another solid performance and jumped to grade-A prospect status. Baseball Prospectus minor league expert David Cameron said that Marte was the player "that most amazed me" in his most recent chat.
Marte is getting regular playing time at the Dominican Winter League as the third baseman of the Azucareros del Este club, and he was kind enough to have a brief conversation with Baseball Prospectus. We interviewed Marte before his team most recent game at the Estadio Tetelo Vargas in San Pedro de Macoris.
Baseball Prospectus: Can you tell us a little about your background, how you were signed, by whom, and how was the process to become a professional ballplayer for you?
Andy Marte: I'm from San Francisco de Macorís, and as every Dominican, played baseball since I was a kid. I played in a local league named "Liga Rafael Mena" and Mr. Mena himself saw that I had talent. He started to work with me, getting me ready and prepared to eventually sign for pro baseball. During that time, we found an attorney named Leo Mercedes and he became some sort of an agent for us. Then we were able to get non-immigrant visas from the U.S., eventually travel there, and the Braves signed me in Atlanta for a very good bonus.
BP: So that means you were actually signed in the United States, right?
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