MARMO’S MISSION

On July 24, 2020 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Jose Marmolejos made his Major League debut, starting in left field for the Seattle Mariners. It was his 841st regular season game as a professional; the first 840 were in the minor leagues, all in the Washington Nationals organization after turning pro in 2011 at age 18.

After nearly a decade in the minors and making your MLB debut at age 27, it might be easy to think of those who doubted you. But don’t look to Jose Marmolejos to hold or acknowledge grudges.

“It’s more gratifying and satisfying to prove people right instead of wrong, the ones that really back you up, the ones that always have trust in you,” is the take of Triple-A West’s leading hitter (.360) as of August 30 (1.152 OPS). If you focus on the positive things, everything will fall into the right place. If you just think about ‘oh no, I gotta prove to these people, the ones that were wrong about me’…negative thinking will only lead you to bad results.”

The married father of one with another on the way accumulated 66 big league appearances between the abbreviated 2020 season, and his first 31 appearances of 2021 up with the M’s. After being outrighted to Tacoma by Seattle on May 23, Marmolejos emphatically entered his name into MVP contention, blasting 23 homers and driving in 71 runs in only 72 games for the Rainiers. It was a continuation of his most recent success at the level, when he batted .315 with a .911 OPS in 101 games for Fresno in 2019 (16 HR, 63 RBI), but did not receive a call to the Majors despite his long history with the Nationals – including twice being named their Minor League Player of the Year (2015 and 2016).

While being a league MVP in Triple-A would certainly be something to be proud of, Marmolejos left the Mariners no choice but to call him back up, which they did by selecting him back to their Major League roster on 8/30; the left-hander doesn’t have a whole lot more to prove at Triple-A. Starting in left field and batting sixth later that evening in Seattle, Marmolejos blasted a solo shot in his first big league at-bat since May 19 off Astros starter Luis Garcia, his 10th Major League home run.

The “Marmo”-Mariners match was one that always made sense, following teams passing on the versatile defender in multiple Rule 5 Drafts, and after reaching free agency following 2019.

“I put a lot of things into prayer, so I decided with that and with my family that I was gonna go to free agency and not sign back with the Nationals. I really had this team in my mind and the Mariners were one of the first teams that reached out. For me it was like a signal right there, and it was like it felt right for me, it felt like a perfect fit and it really played out well.”

Like every facet of life during the pandemic year, the excitement of joining the Mariners organization and competing for a big league roster spot would have to be tempered with patience. When spring training was suspended in March 2020, for players to return for “summer camp” prior to a July 24 opening day, it was a certainty Marmolejos would be called into manager Scott Servais’s office at some point. The only question was, would it be to receive the news he’d made his first MLB opening day roster, or was he being optioned to Triple-A?

“There were a lot of different moments that came to my mind when I received the good news from Scott. I mean, I just thought about my family and the times they used to take me to the small fields down in the Dominican Republic and I was just having fun, then watching baseball games and thinking maybe one day I’ll be there. Dreams come true.”

So who gets the first phone call, upon realization of that dream?

I definitely let my dad know, and my wife for sure, I let her know quickly. Those were the first two. They were very happy, my dad got emotional, tearful.”

Long journeys through the minors are never made alone; often times you’ll hear a player remark that “we’re going to (insert MLB city).” Families get called up too, and the monetary gain from even limited Major League service time can change lives.

“They were all happy, they were just being thankful,” said Marmolejos.

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The affable nature of the first baseman/outfielder and his noticeable work ethic endears Jose Marmolejos to his teammates almost instantly, even coming into a new organization. But it helps that he’s also fluent in both Spanish and English, the result of being born in the United States (in New Jersey, and finished high school in Miami), but holding dual citizenship in the Dominican Republic, where he now spends his off-seasons in the biggest baseball player-producing country per capita. Marmolejos is able to avoid many of the paperwork and bureaucracy burdens that sidetrack other Latino and international players that live abroad, while trying to earn a better life for their families during the season in the U.S.

“The Dominican Republic, that’s where I grew up and was raised, I used to come to the States every summer, but most of my life I’ve been in the Dominican Republic. Thank God I can just buy a plane ticket and just travel. It’s not like I have to go to the embassy down there or have to get a work visa or anything like that, so that’s a big bonus, being born in this country and automatically having that citizenship.”

With so many Dominican legends reaching the end of Hall-of-Fame careers at this point in time, it’s as if younger players from the country are walking onto big league fields from Triple-A to play against Ted Williams or Willie Mays. That is not a metaphorical overstatement the way some of the current stars are revered in Marmolejos’s age bracket.

When he hit his first Major League homer, on July 30, 2020 in Anaheim, a three-run shot off Dylan Bundy with two out in the first inning, there was Albert Pujols at first base waiting for Marmolejos as he trotted.

“I grew up watching him do amazing things on a baseball field, and then getting to first base and him just saying hello and telling me to keep going, that I have a good swing…it’s just gratifying. It’s an honor and a blessing to even shake the man’s hand. It was amazing.”

Marmolejos made enough of an impression to break camp with Seattle once again this past spring, meaning that after the COVID season, he’d actually play big league games in front of fans by making consecutive opening day rosters. For someone who played in 840 minor league games, this was in no way to be taken for granted, and had to feel like getting called up for the first time…twice. In the Mariners opener at T-Mobile Park against San Francisco, Marmolejos drove in a run as a pinch-hitter during an 8-7 win in 10 innings. He played his first full game of the season (at first base) on April 8 at Minnesota, homering for the first time in front of a Major League audience, a solo shot off Jose Berrios in the sixth inning.

“It was another feeling for sure, it was an amazing feeling hearing everybody being loud and hearing the crowds have fun whenever there was a rally going. It was amazing to hear.”

Whether it's in Tacoma or Seattle, Marmolejos’s teammates can depend on his approach never changing, whatever his surroundings.

“Of course, it’s difficult. Going through the minor leagues is a grind, but at the same time it’ll teach you that if you’re going on the right path, it means you’re focusing on your work, controlling what you can control and working on your game and swing every day. Because if you start thinking about other roster moves or what is happening around you, it can only get you stuck. The best thing that I’ve learned in my career is staying within myself and learning to be thankful and positive about my situation, regardless of if I’m in the big leagues or not.

It’s the same as when I hit that homer against the Angels, I was just thanking God for the opportunity. I was thanking God for me being in that moment and just embracing it and having fun. It’s all a major blessing.”