Los Jefes: Nationals manager Dave Martinez

Nationals manager Dave Martinez is the elder statement among Latino managers and coaches in major American sports. After a solid 16-year big league playing career, he steadily paid his dues as a coach and bench coach for 10 seasons before taking his managerial debut in 2018.

Martinez, who will turn 60 on Sept. 26, received interviews for almost 10 managerial jobs from 2010 until he finally got his chance with the Nationals in 2017. Two years after serving as bench coach of the World Series champion Cubs, Martinez led the Nationals to the franchise’s first title in 2018.

In honor of Latino Heritage Month, Our Esquina is celebrating by highlighting Latino excellence in leadership with a series of Q&A’s with Major League Baseball’s five Latino managers.

Martinez, who was born in New York, has Puerto Rican roots.

‘Great feeling’

Our Esquina: What does it mean to be one of five Latino managers in MLB: 

Dave Martinez: It’s a great feeling to have five managers representing their countries and their heritage. It’s awesome for me because it gives people hope and inspiration that anything is possible. You just got to put the work in. I always tell the guys that are here even though I’m Latino and I love being Latino this job is based on merit, right. You got to do your job and you got to do it well. And now to see five guys who have made it up here and done that, it’s awesome.”

OE: What has been the best advice you’ve received on being a manager?

DM: Always be where your feet are. Joe (Maddon) used to tell me, ‘Be present every day.’ That’s one thing I always tell myself, ‘no matter what, be present.’

OE: How have your bilingual skills helped you? 

DM: Oh, if you look at our locker room now, we got a lot of Latin guys out there, so it’s definitely helped a lot. I’m able to translate some of the analytical stuff that we’re trying to get to them, which is great. It’s definitely helped a lot.

‘Dave Martinez is passionate’

OE: How important is it for you to represent the culture and the specific Latino group?

DM: I always tell a lot of our American players, ‘Put yourself in their shoes, right. You go to their country for a year or two and play and understand the food and culture and know what they go through to come here. It’s different. It’s a lot different. I try to bond both of them together so that they understand what it’s like. But I try to help them also understand what it’s like to play here and do the little things that they need to succeed not only on the field but off the field.

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OE: What’s the best advice you’d give to an aspiring Latino manager to make it to the big leagues.

DM: Like I said, anything is possible. Just put the work in.

OE: For people who don’t know you, what should they know? 

DM: Dave Martinez is passionate about what he does, no matter what it is.