Lisa McDonald
Darryl Tahirali
NHLKiDD
Whenever Edgar Martinez had a great season (which happened a lot), a debate would constantly rage as to whether a Designated Hitter should be in contention for an MVP award. Now that Martinez’ career is over the new debate is whether a Designated Hitter is worthy of the Hall of Fame.
If any career DH can make the Hall think about it, it is Edgar Martinez. The life long Seattle Mariner was a pure hitter in every sense of the word. He hit for decent power (over three hundred career homers), could find the gap (over five hundred career doubles) and hit for average. He also had great patience at the plate as shown by his high amount of Walks.
In the late 90’s, the Mariners were loaded and featured future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. It was widely thought that following Griffey’s departure that Edgar Martinez would be exposed in the batting order. This didn’t happen as Edgar had his best offensive season of his career.
So does all of this make Edgar Martinez a Hall of Fame inductee? He played sparingly in the field after 1995 and was not a very fast athlete. Still, for pure hitting, few were better in his era, and if anyone will test the Designated Hitter theory for the Hall it will be Edgar Martinez.
The Bullet Points:
Country of Origin:
New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Eligible Since:
2010
Position:
3B, DH
Played for:
Seattle Mariners
Major Accolades and Awards:
7 Time All Star (1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001 & 2003)
Silver Slugger (5) (AL) (1992, 1995, 1997, 2001 & 2003)
Batting Titles (2) (AL) (1992 & 1995)
Highest On Base Percentage (3) (AL) (1995, 1998 & 1999)
Most Runs Scored (1) (AL) (1995)
Most Doubles (2) (AL) (1992 & 1995)
Most Runs Batted In (1) (AL) (2000)
Highest OPS (1) (AL) (1995)
Other Points of Note:
Roberto Clemente Award (2004)
Top Ten MVP Finishes:
(AL: 1995, 3rd) & (AL: 2000, 6th)
7 Top Ten Finishes (Batting Average)
11 Top Ten Finishes (On Base Percentage)
6 Top Ten Finishes (Slugging Percentage)
3 Top Ten Finishes (Most Runs Scored)
3 Top Ten Finishes (Most Hits)
5 Top Ten Finishes (Most Doubles)
1 Top Ten Finish (Most Home Runs)
3 Top Ten Finishes (Most Runs Batted In)
8 Top Ten Finishes (Most Walks)
7 Top Ten Finishes (WAR for Position Players)
8 Top Ten Finishes (OPS)
Notable All Time Rankings:
22. On Base Percentage: .418
36. OPS: .933
42. Doubles: 514
43. Walks: 1,283
70. Slugging Percentage: .515
70. WAR for Position Players: 67.2
96. Batting Average: .312
Vote Percentage Received for the Hall of Fame:
2010: 36.2
2011: 32.9
Should Be Inducted As A:
Seattle Mariner
Comments
No one who spent the bulk of his years as a DH belongs in the hall. The DH rule should be abolished.
You are an ignoranus,(That 's not a typo.)
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