Today is a very big day for Seattle Mariners’ fans. The day the announcement is made for this years’ Hall of Fame selections. Players typically have 10 years on the ballot, and this is the final year for #11, Edgar Martinez. Some members of the Baseball Writers Association, (BBWA) have released their ballots publicly, prior to today’s vote, and the trend for his induction is looking very good.
A little about Edgar
Edgar grew up in Puerto Rico, and somewhat reluctantly signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners. He spent his entire career with the Seattle Mariners, and is one of the most beloved sports figures across all Seattle athletic teams. He has a street named after him in Seattle, and I always say that if he ever needed a kidney, at least half of Seattle would line up to donate one to him.
He’s been the star of many Mariners’ commercials, often poking fun at himself.
About those stats
I’m not a stat person, but I do know that he’s long had the stats that deserve some HOF recognition. I’ll let someone else make the stat case for him being in the HOF:
- Despite his late start, Martinez’ 3,619 career times on base is better than the career total of 96 Hall of Fame position players.
- As a late bloomer, Martinez is in some significant company. There have been 51 players in MLB history who have logged 5,000 or more plate appearances in their age 32 seasons and beyond. Edgar’s 153 OPS+ for those years is third best is the history of the game, behind Bonds and Babe Ruth and just ahead of Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.
- Edgar is also 4th in RBI (behind Cap Anson, Ruth and Bonds) for age 32+ players.
- For players of all ages, he’s one of 15 players (minimum 5,000 PA) with a .310/.410/.510 (BA/OBP/SLG) slash line. The others? 10 Hall of Famers, Manny Ramirez, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Todd Helton (eligible for the Hall in 2019) and the still active Joey Votto.
- Thanks to Ryan Spaeder in The Sporting News for this one: Edgar is one of five players in MLB history with at least six straight seasons with a slash line of .320/.420/.550. The others? Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby and Ruth.
www.cooperstowncred.com/...
The bottom line is he’s really good. You may be asking yourself why hasn’t he already been selected to the HOF, and the bottom line is there are misguided, arrogant purist voters who still haven’t accepted the fact that the American League teams play with a Designated Hitter position. The position has been around since 1973! They have penalized Edgar for playing an official position in Major League Baseball. They say he didn’t have to play both sides of the field, that he was only an offensive position. My response to that is so what?
These same baseball writers that have denied Edgar his place in the HOF in the past, have also voted for American League pitchers, who only play defense. They’ve voted for closers -- pitchers that typically only pitch a handful of innings each week, and if they’re from the American League, they don’t hit.
In 2004, Edgar Martinez retired, and I was fortunate enough to see him play in his very last game. It was a beautiful day. Ichiro Suzuki was also being honored for breaking the singles hit record, and the MLB Commissioner was there to announce that from that season going forward, the DH of the Year award would be titled, the Edgar Martinez award. Yup, just like the best pitcher receives the Cy Young award each year, the best DH now receives the Edgar Martinez award.
So tell me, how can you not vote to put Edgar in the Hall of Fame? You can't, and if you try, I will swat you down.
About those memories from his opponents
“The toughest guy I faced I think — with all due respect to all the players in the league — was Edgar Martinez. He had to make me throw at least 13 fastballs above 95 (each time we faced). I was hard-breathing after that. Edgar was a guy that had the ability to foul off pitches, and it pissed me off because I couldn’t get the guy out.”
Pedro Martinez (on MLB Network Jan 6, 2015)
“Edgar Martinez is, hands down, the best hitter that I’ve ever seen. I’m glad I didn’t have to face him too much. Having seen him play from ’89 to all the way when I left, I got to see him a lot against great pitchers. Like I said, hands down, he is the best pure hitter that I got to see on a nightly basis. And I hope that his time comes soon, that he gets a phone call stating that he’s a Hall of Fame player, because he is.”
Randy Johnson (on MLB Network Jan 6, 2015)
“The toughest – and thank God he retired – Edgar Martinez. Oh my God. I think every pitcher will say that, because this man was tough. Great man, though – respected the game, did what he had to do for his team. That’s what you appreciate about players, when a player come and do what is right for the game of baseball, for his team and teammates.”
Mariano Rivera (to the New York Daily News, in April 2013)
www.cooperstowncred.com/...
About those memories from his fans
The biggest highlight is from the incredible 1995 season. He had an amazing post season, and his double in the final game of the American League Division series catapulted the team in the AL Championship series for the first time. The team was down a run in the 11th inning, when this happened,
Definitely how Mariners’ fans are feeling right now!
And yes, we’ve got tissues ready, too
The announcement will be at 3pm, Pacific. If he is selected, you will probably be able to hear the cheers from wherever you may be at the time. I’ll update the diary, either way.
Thanks for reading, and voting.