HUNTSVILLE — After years of toiling in the minor leagues, Dustin Martin can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Rising through the ranks of the minor league system all the way from Rookie League, the former Sam Houston outfielder is playing some of his best baseball these days and will play in Wednesday’s Triple-A All-Star Game in Allentown Pa., which will be televised at 6 p.m. on the MLB Network.

“Once I saw it online that I was on the all-star roster, I was a bit excited,” Martin said in a phone interview last Tuesday. “It’s been a great ride these past few years. That lets me know that I’m one step closer to getting my wish of making it to the big leagues.”

It’s been a long, tough road for Martin to get to this point in his career, but the hard work and effort he put in over the years is now paying off.

“I’ve put in my time,” Martin said. “Starting out, I’ve played in (Class A) short season and I’ve gone up the ranks every year. It’s taken a long time to get to this level. It’s not like the NFL where you get drafted and you’re playing at the (top) professional level right away. In baseball, you really have to pay your dues.”

In his second full season with the Rochester Red Wings, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, Martin has driven in as many runs as he did all of the 2009 season. He’s hit nearly twice as many home runs and already has connected for 83 hits.

Being among some of the best in Triple-A baseball, Martin knows that getting to play in the All-Star Game is not only a reward for a solid first half of the season, but a chance to impress those in the Twins organization and scouts from other teams.

“I know I’m close to getting called up,” Martin said. “If you’re putting up good numbers, then they can’t ignore you for too long. Plus, there’s 32 teams out there looking, too.

“This is a great achievement, but this definitely isn’t where I want to finish. Getting to play in the big leagues is ultimately where I want to go and be able to play at that level. You want to play and compete with the best. Triple-A is good, but the best players are in the majors and that’s where I want to be.”

After he was drafted by the New York Mets in the 26th round of the MLB first-year player draft in 2006, Martin admitted that the first couple of years were a little rough baseball-wise and on the wallet.

“The money wasn’t too good when I first started out,” Martin said. “If you go to play winter ball in Venezuela, which is what I got to do, that’s when you see some money start to roll in. Luckily, I had a degree so I was able to depend on some business ventures.

“As far as baseball goes, it’s a real grind. You’re playing 142 games in 150 days. Basically, you play a bunch of baseball.”

While making a minimal amount of money — $1,100 is the maximum a player can earn monthly in his first contract season, plus $25 a day for meals on the road — which is why many players call it quits after two or three years, Martin has been able to stick it out.

After a full year of playing for the Fort Myers Miracle in the Florida State League at the Class A advanced level, Martin was brought up to Double-A in 2008 with the New Britain Rock Cats in the Eastern League.

Martin had another successful season, hitting .290 with 10 home runs and driving in 72 runs. The left-handed slugger was promoted yet again last year, this time to Triple-A, joining Rochester.

The former Bearkat had a productive season with the Red Wings, but wasn’t satisfied with his performance. Being just one promotion away from the majors, Martin went to Venezuela in the winter to do some fine-tuning on his stroke.

“I went to Venezuela to because I knew my swing needed work,” Martin said. “We had a lot of success and I was able to bring that swing into this season and do some good things so far.”

Now under the bright lights at the Triple-A All-Star Game, featuring the International League and Pacific League All-Stars, Martin can put his talents to good use.

“It’s been a complete blessing,” Martin added. “I still have a bunch of people from Sam Houston supporting me. I couldn’t do it without their support.”



Back in the big leagues

Robert Manuel, a teammate of Martin’s at Sam Houston State in 2005, was also selected to once again team up with Martin on the International League All-Star team as a member of the Pawtucket Red Sox.

However, Manuel won’t be pitching in Wednesday’s game because he was called up from Pawtucket, where he went 4-1 with an 0.98 earned run average in 26 relief appearances, to pitch for the Boston Red Sox.

Since being called up on July 2, Manuel has pitched well for Boston. Through Saturday, the former Bearkat has made four appearances, allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings.

In his first outing on July 3, Manuel, who inherited a 9-1 lead in the ninth against the Baltimore Orioles, allowed a pair of runs to cross home plate before coaxing Julio Lugo to pop out to shallow center field to end the game.

Manuel’s next two appearances went a little smoother as he held Tampa Bay scoreless through 1 1/3 innings.

Most recently, Manuel, pitching with a 14-2 lead, allowed just one run to score in a pair of middle relief innings against Toronto on Friday to earn his third hold in four attempts.

This is Manuel’s second stint in the big leagues. Last season, Manuel made his major league debut on his birthday and ended up pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings in three appearances for the Cincinnati Reds.