KINSTON, North Carolina (January 26, 2025) – The Down East Bird Dawgs continue their offseason player spotlight series with a closer look at RHP Greg Martinez, LHP Caden O’Brien, INF Yassel Pino, and RHP David Tiburcio after exercising their contract options for the 2026 season.

The group features a mix of pitchers and position players who played key roles during the Bird Dawgs inaugural 2025 campaign.

Martinez opened the 2025 season as the Bird Dawgs primary closer, appearing in 11 games and recording four saves while posting a 4.73 ERA before suffering a season-ending injury. After allowing seven runs in his first outing, Martinez rebounded by making 10 consecutive scoreless appearances. Before joining Down East, Martinez spent five collegiate seasons at Louisiana Tech, where he made 83 appearances and struck out 163 batters.

O’Brien was acquired in a midseason trade with the Tri-City ValleyCats and appeared in 16 games for the Bird Dawgs in 2025, including two starts. A native of Maiden, North Carolina, O’Brien played collegiately at the University of North Carolina, where he ranks fifth in program history with 112 career appearances while posting a 3.91 ERA. As a freshman in 2018, O’Brien became the ninth pitcher in UNC history to record at least seven wins without a loss in a single season and earned D1Baseball Second Team Freshman All-America honors.

Pino was a key contributor in the Bird Dawgs lineup during the 2025 season, appearing in a team-high 91 games while batting .289 with 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He also holds a place in club history as the first player to hit a home run for the Bird Dawgs. Pino was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 29th round of the 2019 MLB Draft and spent five seasons in the organization’s minor league system.

Tiburcio joined the Bird Dawgs as a midseason acquisition after beginning the 2025 season with the New Jersey Jackals, where he allowed two runs across six appearances. After signing with Down East in June, Tiburcio made 22 appearances and posted a 4.62 ERA. He previously spent four seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, reaching Low-A Rancho Cucamonga.

Martinez, O’Brien, Pino, and Tiburcio are among the returning players set to contribute as the Bird Dawgs build toward the 2026 season.