GASTONIA, N.C. – Gastonia Ghost Peppers infielder Richie Martin had his contract purchased by the Texas Rangers organization on Friday.
Martin, 30, has had a stellar start to the 2025 season with Gastonia, slashing .318/.416/.624 (1.039 OPS). He’s hit seven homers and has driven in 16 runs to go along with a team-high seven steals.
The Detroit native was selected in the first round by the Athletics in 2015 out of the University of Florida. Martin made it to the big leagues with the Baltimore Orioles in 2019, and also played at the MLB level with the O’s in 2021 and 2022.
Martin spent the 2023 season with Triple-A Rochester in the Nationals system, and joined the Baseball Club a season ago.
With Gastonia in 2024, Martin hit .244 with a .755 OPS in 37 games. He played second base and shortstop last year, while also playing third base for the Peppers in 2025.
Martin will report to Triple-A Rock Round in the Rangers organization after becoming the first Gastonia Ghost Pepper to have his contract picked up this season.