Edgar Martinez Hall Of Fame Vote: Seattle Mariners Legend Finds Increased Support From BBWAA
Edgar Martinez Hall of Fame vote totals are continuing to increase as more members of the BBWAA reveal their ballots for the year. Martinez is receiving more support this year than at any time in the past, and the Seattle Mariners legend could be getting very close to an induction ceremony. A report by baseball analyst Ryan Thibodaux provides an updated look on the latest Hall of Fame votes, tabulating the results of writers who have either submitted their ballot anonymously to Tibbs or made it publically available for consumption.
In the updated vote totals, Edgar Martinez has been listed on 66.9 percent of the ballots. He is on 85 of the 127 public ballots, possibly forecasting a huge increase from the 2016 Hall of Fame voting cycle. Last year, Martinez appeared on 43.4 percent of the ballots, but there was also a measurable difference between those who made their votes public and those who kept their votes private. The private voters were far more likely to snub Martinez on their ballots.
So how much support does Edgar Martinez need on 2017 Hall of Fame ballots to receive enough votes this year? Tibbs calculates that Martinez needs to show up on 78.6 percent of the ballots that have not yet been counted. It is estimated that 327 votes are needed to be inducted as part of the 2017 Hall of Fame class, meaning Martinez needs to appear on about 242 more ballots. The numbers that Thibodaux has calculated are through 10:20 a.m. PT on December 28.
Edgar Martinez spent his entire 18-year career in Major League Baseball with the Seattle Mariners. During that time, he became one of just 10 players in MLB history to have at least 300 home runs, 500 doubles, 1000 walks, a 0.300 batting average, and an on-base percentage of 0.400 or better. He clearly made his mark on the game, with former commissioner Bud Selig naming the award for the best designated hitter after him. Now hitters take home the “Edgar Martinez Award” for being the best DH in a given season.
Martinez finished his career with a 0.312 batting average, a 0.418 on-base percentage, and a 0.933 OPS. He amassed 2,247 hits, 1,283 walks, and 1,261 RBIs during that time. Martinez also won two batting titles, led the league in on-base percentage three times, and also had 838 extra base hits in his career. His OPS+ was 147 with a WAR of 68.3 in 7,213 at-bats. Appearing in the ALDS four times, Martinez posted a 0.375 batting average, 0.481 on-base percentage, 1.262 OPS, seven home runs, and 20 RBIs over 17 games.
Many baseball fans like to compare hitters from the past and present to determine whether they did enough to earn a spot in Cooperstown. One statistic that can do that is career WAR, where Martinez (68.3) stacks up very nicely with many current members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. That list includes Ryne Sandberg (67.5), Ernie Banks (67.4), Don Drysdale (67.2),Roberto Alomar (66.8), Duke Snider (66.5), Craig Biggio (65.1), Andre Dawson (64.4), Dave Winfield (63.8), Bob Feller (63.8), Jackie Robinson (61.4), Harmon Killebrew (60.4), Yogi Berra (59.5), Whitey Ford (57.3), and Sandy Koufax (49.0). For comparison purposes, David Ortiz finished at 55.4 over his career.
Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America have until the end of December to submit their ballots for the 2017 Hall of Fame class. In the latest update by Ryan Thibodaux, players with a high enough percentage of the public votes to earn induction include Jeff Bagwell (92.9 percent), Tim Raines (90.6 percent), Ivan Rodriguez (84.3 percent), and Vlad Guerrero (76.4 percent). Trevor Hoffman (71.7 percent), Barry Bonds (70.9 percent), and Roger Clemens (70.9 percent) are just outside of the required 75 percent for induction.
The odds are long for Edgar Martinez to receive enough support to join the 2017 Hall of Fame class, but the increase in support he has received over the past 12 months could indicate that Cooperstown might be calling very soon.
[Featured Image by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images]
