Police: Marlins shortstop prospect shot in Puerto Rico was case of mistaken identity

Police: Wounded Marlins prospect ‘innocent victim’

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A Florida Marlins shortstop prospect wounded in a drive-by shooting on this U.S. island was the innocent victim of gangsters battling for control of drug distribution in nearby public housing projects, police said Thursday.

Police spokeswoman Maria Rivera told reporters that Osvaldo Martinez Pizarro, 21, was caught Wednesday in the middle of drug-related gunfire at an intersection in the city of Carolina and was not the intended target.

Rivera said it “seems that (gunmen) confused him with another person” as Martinez drove through Carolina, just east of the Caribbean island’s capital, San Juan. There have been no arrests.

Martinez, who was shot three times, is recuperating from surgery and is in stable condition. An emergency room physician, Dr. Benjamin Rodriguez, said his “wounds did not have complications and they did not injure organs.”

Martinez was signed by the Marlins in 2006 and plays for the Jupiter Hammerheads minor league team. He played in 130 games this season, batting .254 with 45 RBIs. He has also played for the Criollos of Caguas in Puerto Rico, and recently began playing with the Arecibo Wolves.

The general manager of the Criollos club, Frankie Thon, described Martinez as a quiet, responsible young man who never caused the team any trouble. He believed Martinez will still be a good prospect for the Major Leagues after his recovery.

Traffickers in Puerto Rico use public housing projects, many of them fenced off from surrounding communities, as distribution points for cocaine and heroin.