Background
Martin was born in Rich Square, North Carolina and attended Guilford College.
Martin was born in Rich Square, North Carolina and attended Guilford College.
He played from 1936 to 1943. He began his professional baseball career in the Saint Louis Cardinals organization in 1934. The following season, he hit.338 in the Piedmont League.
He was brought up to the major league club in 1936.
Martin platooned with Frankie Frisch in his rookie season and hit.298, with career-highs in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He was named to the National League All-Star team
Martin continued to play semi-regularly for Saint Louis for the rest of the decade. However, in 1940 his batting numbers declined, and he was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the season.
He played parts of two seasons there.
In 1943, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs and played a few games for them. Then, he served in the United States Navy for three years. Martin returned to professional baseball in 1946.
He played in the Pacific Coast League for one season and finished his career with two seasons in the Coastal Plain League.
Martin died in Severn, North Carolina at the age of 84.