HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Martin Maldonado woke up with a different feeling than normal. While Friday is just another day on the MLB calendar, for Maldonado it marked a milestone: 10 years of Major League service time.
"I woke up today with a lot of emotions," Maldonado said. "Something that I always go for and something that I wanted to accomplish in my career."
Accumulating 10 years of service time is a major accomplishment for players. Very few players accomplish the dream of playing in the Majors, but only a small percentage last 10 full seasons. Maldonado had a mountain of gifts in the empty locker next to him, and he had spent the day fielding congratulatory calls and messages, but the one that might've meant the most was a phone call from Arnold Chroan, the Anaheim Angels scout who signed him in 2004 for $10,000.
"It's really special for any big leaguer," Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr, who posted a congratulatory message for Maldonado on Instagram, said. "Just really happy for Maldy. That's my guy right there, that's my brother. Just more than teammates, for sure. Just become really, really close family friends over the years."
Maldonado did not take the traditional route to his 10 years. An unheralded, 27th round pick, he spent almost eight full seasons before in the minor leagues before making his Major League debut in 2011 with the Milwaukee Brewers after the Angels released him in 2007, so Friday was a day of reflection.
"All the hard work your family does for you, taking you to the games, when they didn't mean anything, just for fun.
"Just to be able to sign and then on my journey in the minor leagues, even my journey to the big leagues wasn't easy. I started as a backup catcher for five, six years, got released one year in the minor leagues. It wasn't easy."
At 35 years old, Maldonado has turned himself into a mainstay of the Astros. Only four catchers have started more games since 2020, and he has started 28-of-29 playoff games.
"He's constantly our unsung hero," McCullers said. It's just the way he does it with the pitching staff. He's one of our main vocal leaders in here. He's just a guy that means a whole lot to our to our team, regardless of what shows up in the box."
Maldonado is the fifth Astro to hit 10 years of service time, joining Jose Altuve, Jason Castro, Michael Brantley, and Justin Verlander
