Marty Cordova

[William Malone]

Martin Kevin Cordova was born on July 10, 1969 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Minnesota Twins drafted him in round ten of the 1989 MLB Draft out of Orange Coast College. He struggled early on in his minor league career. Cordova hit .216 at the Class-A level in 1990, and .212 at the High-A level in 1991. Minnesota kept him at High-A in 1992, and Cordova finally broke out. He hit .341 with 131 RBI over 134 games, winning California League Player of the Year. Cordova spent 1993 in Double-A, and 1994 in Triple-A.

Minnesota opened 1995 with Cordova as their Opening Day left fielder. He hit .277 with 24 home runs, 84 RBI and 20 stolen bases. It was just the third 20/20 season in Twins history, following Larry Hisle in 1977 and Kirby Puckett in 1985. Only Torii Hunter and Brian Dozier have accomplished this since. He also became the first Twins player not named Harmon Killebrew to homer in five consecutive games. Dozier and Nelson Cruz have since accomplished this.

His sophomore season was arguably better. Cordova hit .309 with a then-Twins record 46 doubles. Justin Morneau passed him with 47 doubles in 2008. He drove in 111 runs, and his .991 fielding percentage led all American League left fielders. His 23 game hit streak that June is tied for the sixth longest in club history.

Cordova regressed over the next few seasons, making multiple trips to the disabled list due to various back ailments. He hit just .262 with 39 home runs and 190 RBI between 1997 and 1999, missing 140 games across those three years. Cordova also spent long stretches serving as the Twins designated hitter, especially in 1999. Minnesota non-tendered him after the 1999 season. He signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox, but was cut near the end of spring training. Cordova signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, playing just 62 games for them while continuing to battle through back pain.

His career got back on track in 2001 with the Cleveland Indians. Cordova hit .301 with 20 home runs and 69 RBI that year, helping Cleveland beat out his former team in a tight AL Central race. He went 3-for-12 with an RBI in the ALDS. The Indians dragged the historic 116 win Seattle Mariners to five games, but were defeated.

This bounce back season helped Cordova earn a three year contract with the Baltimore Orioles in free agency. He continued to produce in 2002, but injuries limited him to just nine games in 2003. A few more setbacks forced him to miss all of 2004. He signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2005, but opted to retire just a day into spring training.

Cordova attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas with current UFC CEO Dana White. The two are still very close friends today, and Cordova can be spotted ringside at many UFC events.

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