17 Edgar HOF Clips

The case for Edgar Martinez
for the Hall of Fame
National voices weigh in on Martinezs Hall of Fame credentials
#EdgarHOF
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE AUTHOR PAGE NUMBERS
JAWS and the 2017 Hall of Fame ballot: Edgar Martinez By Jay Jaffe..........................................1-4
Edgar Martinezs improbable path to becoming a Mariners icon By Larry Stone..........................4-7
Daily Ace Report (Dec. 5, 2016) By Ryan M. Spaeder.....................................................................7-9
Why the best relievers, DHs should have a real shot at making the Hall By Jayson Stark.......... 9-11
Randy Johnson: Vote Edgar Martinez By Jerry Crasnick........................................................... 11-12
Edgar Martinez absolutely Hall of Fame material, Griffeys say By Jerry Crasnick................... 12-13
When It Comes to the Hall of Fame, David Ortiz Is No Edgar Martinez By Jeff J. Snider........... 13-15
Why not Edgar? By Charles Gattin............................................................................................ 15-16
Edgar Martinez and the Hall of Fame By Tony Blengino............................................................ 16-19
Hall of Fame Ballot (Part 2) By Joe Posnanski.......................................................................... 19-27
The 10 players Id elect to the Baseball Hall of Fame and those who miss the cut By Jonah Keri...... 27-31
My Hall of Fame Ballot Breakdown By Mark Newman.............................................................. 32-36
New Arizona manager Torey Lovullo: Edgar is a Hall of Fame By Bob Dutton.............................. 36
The Cooperstown Debates Officially Begin for David Ortiz But Lets Not Forget About Edgar Martinez By Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr...... 36-38
#EdgarHOF
#EdgarHOF
December 6, 2016
JAWS and the 2017 Hall of Fame ballot: Edgar Martinez
By Jay Jaffe | Sports Illustrated
The following article is part of my ongoing look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2017 Hall of Fame ballot. Originally written
for the 2013 election, it has been updated to reflect recent voting results as well as additional research. For a detailed
introduction to this year's ballot, please see here. For an introduction to JAWS, see here.
All Edgar Martinez did was hita statement that is almost completely true in both the literal and figurative senses. Even
after adjusting for his high-scoring surroundings, Martinez could flat-out rake. A high-average, high-on-base percentage
hitting machine with plenty of power, his numbers place him among the top 30 or 40 hitters of all time even after adjusting
for the high-offense era. Martinez played a key role in putting the Mariners on the map as an American League West
powerhouse, emerging as a folk hero to a fan base that watched Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez lead
the franchise's charge to relevancy, then force their ways out of town over contract issues. But while Griffey and Rodriguez
were two-way stars at key up-the-middle positions and Johnson was a flamethrowing ace, Martinez spent the bulk of his
career as a designated hitter. In that capacity, he merely put a claim on being the best one in baseball history.
More than four decades after it was introducedin the most significant rule change since the AL adopted the foul strike rule
in 1903the DH continues to rankle purists who would rather watch pitchers risk injury as they flail away with ineptitude
(Bartolo Colon excepted). Not until 2014 was the first player ever to spend a majority of his career as a DH inducted into
the Hall of Fame: Frank Thomas, who made 57% of his plate appearances in that capacity. Thomas's election came a full
decade after Paul Molitor became the Halls first player to spend the plurality of his career (44%) as a DH after bouncing all
around the infield. By comparison, Martinez took 72% of his plate appearances as a DH; David Ortizwhose 2016 victory
lap spurred plenty of Hall of Fame discussiontook 88%.
When I reviewed Molitor's Hall of Fame case in 2004 (in my Baseball Prospectus debut, at a point when my system wasn't
even called JAWS), I considered him as a third baseman because he had spent 788 games there and the majority of his
games playing somewhere in the infield. He had generated real defensive value (26 Fielding Runs Above Average according
to the measure of the time), strengthening a case that was virtually automatic by dint of his membership in the 3,000 hit
club. I have maintained that precedent in examining other candidates who spent good chunks of their careers at DH
mainly outfielders (Harold Baines, Jose Canseco, Chili Davis) with superficially impressive counting stats but no real shot
at gaining entry to Cooperstownin part because JAWS enables easy comparisons with Hall of Famers not only at a given
position but also with the at-large field of enshrined hitters. I've stuck to that precedent in examining the case of Martinez,
who ranks fourth on the all-time list for games by a DH at 1,403 but also played 564 games at third base and another 28 at
first base.
I've compared Martinez to the Hall's third basemen, corner infielders and hitters in general, mainly because when properly
used, JAWS is a tool used to build an argument, not answer a simple yes/no question. Within its positional adjustments,
which account for the differing degrees of difficulty along the defensive spectrum, the Wins Above Replacement system
levies in a substantial penalty for not playing the field. But even with that penalty incorporated into his annual WAR and
even after he got such a late start (his first season playing at least 100 games didn't come until age 27), Martinez measures
up as valuable enough to merit a bronze plaque. A two-time batting champion and a seven-time All-Star, he posted eye-
opening numbers even in an era full of them and created enough value even while riding the pine between trips to the plate
to score better than many of the current ballot's more celebrated position players.
But since making a solid debut on the 2010 ballot with 36.2% of the vote, Martinez has had a hard time expanding his base
of support. After plunging into the mid-20s as the ballot grew more crowded, his candidacy appeared dead in its tracks,
particularly given the Halls 2014 rule change, which truncated his eligibility from 15 years to 10. But still theres hope. He
vaulted from 27.0% in 2015 to 43.4% in 16, his seventh year of eligibility, and while making up the remaining ground over
three election cycles is a tall order, falling short with at least 50% or even 60% would still bode well for eventual
enshrinement. This hitting machine hasnt taken his last at-bat.
Martinez was born in New York City in 1963 but was raised by his maternal grandparents in the Maguayo neighborhood of
Dorado, Puerto Rico, as his parents divorced shortly after he was born. He grew up three houses away from his cousin
Carmelo Martinez, a major leaguer from 1983 to '91. Martinez's parents remarried when Edgar was 11, but he chose to
remain with his grandparents. By then, he'd caught the baseball bug, drawn to the game by the heroics of Puerto Rican icon
1|ThecaseforEdgarMartinezfortheHallofFame
#EdgarHOF
Roberto Clemente. He honed his swing with a broomstick, obliterating bottle caps, rocks and even droplets of water as they
fell from the roof.
In 1982eight years before MLB made Puerto Rico subject to the amateur drafta nearly 20-year-old Martinez was making
$4 an hour on an assembly line at a pharmaceutical plant, taking classes at American University in San Juan and playing
semipro ball on the weekends when Mariners scout Marty Martinez (no relation) signed him for a $4,000 bonus. Old by
prospect standards, he hit just .173/.304/.202 in 126 plate appearances for Seattle's Northwest League affiliate in 1983 but
quickly improved. He broke out in his age-24 season in 1987, hitting .329/.434/.473 at Triple A Calgary.
Blocked at third base by Jim Presley, a one-tool player whose eight major league seasons and 135 homers amounted to
0.2 WAR, Martinez had to settle for cups of coffee from the Mariners in 1987 and '88. After opening the 89 season as the
starter in Seattle, he struggled so mightily (.240/.314/.304 in 196 plate appearances) that he was briefly sent back down.
He stuck in the majors for good in 1990, hitting .302/.397/.433 for a 133 OPS+. The Total Zone system estimates that his
defense at the hot corner was 13 runs above average, giving him a hefty 5.5 WAR that season, good for seventh in the
league. A year later, Martinez hit .307/.405/.452the first of 11 seasons with an OBP above .400and helped the Mariners
crack .500 for the first time in franchise history. Again he was above average defensively (+6 runs) en route to 6.1 WAR,
eighth in the league.
In 1992, Martinez won his first AL batting title, hitting .343/.404/.544 with a league-leading 46 doubles, and his 6.5 WAR tied
for fifth in the league, though his season ended about three weeks early due to a bone spur in his right shoulder that required
surgery. His woes were just beginning, as he was limited to a total of 131 games over the next two seasons due to hamstring
and wrist injuries as well as the players' strike. In '94 Seattle to relieved him of his defensive responsibilities; although
Martinez was seven runs above average at the hot corner, the Mariners needed his bat far more than his glove. Over the
remaining decade of his career, he would play just 34 more games in the field, never making more than seven starts in a
season, usually in interleague road games.
The decision paid off. In 1995, even while donning his mitt for just seven games, Martinez set a career-high with 7.0 WAR,
good for second in the league. He hit .356/.479/.628, leading the league in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS+
(185) and doubles (52) and helping Seattle to its first playoff berth. He was a one-man wrecking crew in the Division Series
against the Yankees, batting .571/.667/1.000 with four three-hit efforts and reaching base safely 18 times in five games.
Martinez is still the co-holder of the record for most hits in a Division Series (12), and his 21 total bases rank fifth. Meanwhile,
The Double (as it's remembered in the Pacific Northwest) that he hit in the 11th inning of the decisive Game 5 scored the
tying and winning runs and is on the short list of hits that have taken on lives of their own. The euphoria of that moment
helped generate the groundswell of support that secured the Mariners a new taxpayer-funded stadium within a week of the
series ending. In 2004, the city of Seattle renamed one of the streets leading to Safeco Field "Edgar Martinez Drive."
The 1995 season began a seven-year stretch in which Martinez hit a combined .329/.446/.574 and averaged 42 doubles,
28 homers, 107 walks and 5.8 WAR per year (40.6 total). He led the AL in on-base percentage again in 1998 (.429) and '99
(.447) after finishing second with even higher figures in '96 (.464, behind Mark McGwire's .467) and '97 (.4558 to Thomas's
.4561), and placed third in OPS+ three straight times ('96 to '98) before falling to fifth or sixth in the next three seasons.
During that span, he was the second-best hitter in baseball, at least based on the batting component of WAR; his 380 runs
above average trailed only Barry Bondss 443.
Defensive value is built into WAR in two ways: by estimating a players relative value (runs above or below average via
Total Zone or, from 2003 onward, Defensive Runs Saved); and with positional adjustments that change over time to account
for skill required to play the position, based largely on the distribution of balls in play. In the baseball-reference.com version
of WAR, a full season at third base has a value of +2 runs, which is to say that showing up for work and filling that spot
without burning down the stadium is worth two extra runs beyond average. By comparison, a full season at DH has a value
of -15 runs, so it takes an extra 17 runs per year for an average fielder at the hot corner to offset such a move with his bat.
In other words, the But he was a DH, not a complete player! sentiment is baked into the valuations, and even while being
docked 13 or 14 runs per year due to his time at DH (he played just 33 games at third and first in that span), Martinez tied
with Sammy Sosa as the majors' fifth-most valuable position player from 1995 to 2001, behind Bonds (56.7), Rodriguez
(46.6), Jeff Bagwell (44.8) and Griffey (41.0). The Griffey comparison is particularly startling: The centerfielder on those
Mariners teams won an MVP award and four Gold Gloves during that stretch and led the AL in homers for three years in a
row (twice with 56)and he was more valuable than Martinez by an annual margin of roughly half a run.
#EdgarHOF
Seattle reached the playoffs again in 1997, 2000 and in '01, tying the MLB record in the latter season with 116 wins despite
not having Johnson, Griffey or Rodriguez, all of whom had departed. Even in his age-38 season, Martinez was hardly
window dressing on that team, hitting .306/.423/.543 with 40 doubles, 23 homers, a 160 OPS+ (fifth in the league) and 4.8
WAR. He played three more seasons, hitting well for two of them, before retiring. On Oct. 3, 2004, in a ceremony after
Martinez played his final game, commissioner Bud Selig showed up to announce that the annual Outstanding Designated
Hitter Award, which he had won five times, would be renamed in his honor.
Martinez isn't the first Hall of Fame candidate to benefit from spending his twilight years as a DH. Molitor reached the 3,000-
hits plateau and Cooperstown largely because of what he did there, and likewise for Thomas and the 500-homer benchmark.
George Brett's 3,000th hit and the 500th home runs of Reggie Jackson, Eddie Murray and Jim Thome all came when they
were serving as DH; 101 of Jackson's 573 dingers, 92 of Murray's 504 and 205 of Thome's 612 (including No. 600 as well)
came in that capacity. Nonetheless, Martinez's case is an interesting test for the voters. He played so few games in the field
not only because he established himself at a relatively advanced age but also because the risk/reward payoff wasn't merited
once he emerged as an elite hitter (though it's likely the Mariners could have stuck him at first basea much easier position
than third, requiring less mobilityhad they so desired).
It's also worth considering that Martinez played in an era of increased specialization, particularly regarding bullpen roles.
Teams concerned with the limitations of a pitcher's stamina, health and/or repertoire often convert starters to relievers, who
rarely produce enough value within their smaller roles to merit consideration for the Hall. Mariano Rivera is the best example;
it's quite possible he'd have never approached a Hall of Fame level had he remained a starter. Martinez was the Mariano
Rivera of DHs: He was so good within his limited role that he produced enough value to transcend it.
(By the way, Martinez owned Rivera: .579/.652/1.053 in 23 plate appearances. The great reliever told Charlie Rose in 2013:
"The only guy that I didn't want to face, when a tough situation comes, was Edgar Martnez.... It didn't matter how I threw
the ball. I couldn't get him out. Oh my God, he had more than my number. He had my breakfast, lunch and dinner.")
In terms of the numbers he put up only as a DH, Martinez ranks third in hits (1,607) behind Ortiz (2,191) and Baines (1,690).
Hes third in home runs (243) behind Ortiz (485) and Thomas (269), second in doubles (370 to Ortizs 557) and total bases
(2,718 to Ortizs 4,239). His .959 OPS at the position (on .314/.428/.532 hitting) tops Ortizs .942 (.289/.383/.559) and every
other player with at least 2,000 plate appearances in that role, and thats without considering the relative impacts of their
ballpark. In terms of overall OPS+ at all positionsimportant, as it adjusts for the differing park and league scoring
environmentsMartinez has the edge on Ortiz, 147 to 141, not to mention a roughly 13-win edge in terms of WAR (68.3 to
55.4) in 1,417 fewer career plate appearances. Prorated, Martinez produced 5.1 WAR per 650 plate appearances compared
to Ortizs 3.6 WARa 43% advantage for Edgar even before career length is considered. Even with that substantial penalty
built into WAR for the last decade of his careerroughly 1.5 wins per year!Martinez ranked among the ALs top 10 in
WAR seven times; by comparison, Ortiz did so three times.
Whats more, Martinez created enough value as a hitter to surpass the career, peak and JAWS standards among Hall of
Fame third basemen by about one win apiece, ranking 11th among third basemen on the latter front. Hes 1.5 points behind
Molitor, but with a peak thats four wins higher. The margin between Martinez and the field is slightly larger when you expand
the comparison to enshrined corner infielders (first and third base) or all hitters (with catchers given a boost to put them on
the same scale as the other positions), as noted in the table up top.
All of that is without factoring in the late start to his major league career. From his age-27 season onward, Martinez created
more value (67.6 WAR) than all but 20 position players, 19 of whom are in Cooperstown; Bonds is the lone exception. Of
the top 35 on that list, only A-Rod, Bonds, Chipper Jones, Pete Rose and the still-active Adrian Beltre and Ichiro Suzuki
aren't already enshrined. Throw in the black and gray ink (two batting titles and a second-place finish; three OBP titles and
three second places; one OPS+ lead and six top-five finishes), seven All-Star appearances, his all-time rankings in OBP
(12th among hitters with 7,000 plate appearances), OPS+ (27th) and WAR batting runs (34th) as well as the impact of the
1995 postseason upon Seattle baseball history, and his case is strong enough to push him even further over the line.
Voters have been slow to come around to that conclusion, though Martinez does have a substantial bloc of support. Four
years into his eligibility, he was nearly halfway there, reaching 36.5% in 2012, and after getting lost in the shuffle in the next
two years (with 25.2% in '14 and 27.0% in '15) he jumped by 16.4%the cycles second-largest gainto 43.4%. Thats not
a lost-cause level in terms of modern voting history (since 1966, when the BBWAA returned to annual voting): Bert Blyleven
(35.4%), Bruce Sutter (38.5) and Duke Snider (41.0) all fared even worse in their seventh years of eligibility and were
eventually elected by the writers. The rub is that all three needed more time than Martinez has left on the ballot thanks to
#EdgarHOF
that 2014 rule change, which reduced the maximum number of years on the ballot from 15 to 10 (three players were
grandfathered in and allowed to stay for 15 years). Snider was elected in in his 11th year, Sutter his 13th and Blyleven his
14th. After Tim Raines, Martinez may be the candidate harmed the most by the change, because his only path to election
was a long, slow building of consensus.
It would be a shame if Martinez had to wait decades for such recognition. He was clearly one of the best hitters in baseball,
not only of his era but also of all time. Though the bulk of his career was spent as a designated hitter, advanced metrics
show that his superiority with the bat transcended the role. He was more valuable than the average Hall of Fame position
player and more valuable than a handful of players who reached the 500 home run or 3,000 hit milestones in much longer
careers. His 68.3 WAR is the same as one of the five players who have both, Eddie Murrayand Murray had 48% more
plate appearances. Edgar Martinez belongs in Cooperstown.
August 11, 2017

Edgar Martinezs improbable path to becoming a Mariners icon
By Larry Stone | The Seattle Times
Edgar Martinez had a blessed baseball career, one that has earned him a street in his honor outside Safeco Field and an
award for designated hitters in his name, brought him to the brink of Cooperstown and won him a lifetime of affection in
his adopted hometown.
But as he settles in for the latest incarnation of unabashed Edgar love the retirement of his No. 11 jersey on Saturday
at Safeco Field Martinezs mind wanders back to the not-so-good old days.
He reflects on Bellingham in 1983, a 20-year-old fresh from Puerto Rico experiencing culture shock and hitting .173 in the
Northwest League. He thought of Wausau, Wis., the next year, when he broke out with a .303 average in the Midwest
League but still was stamped as a good-field, little-hit, borderline prospect. And he pondered all those years in the late
1980s he dominated the Pacific Coast League in Calgary, only to be blocked from a major-league job by the Mariners
third-base incumbents, Jim Presley and Darnell Coles.
Edgar Hall of Fame Stat No. 1: 309

Edgar Martinez is one of just nine players in baseball history to have 300-plus home runs (309), 500-plus doubles
(514), 1,000-plus walks (1,283), a career batting average above .300 (.312), and an on-base percentage above
.400 (.418). The others are Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, Chipper Jones, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams,
Manny Ramirez and Todd Helton.
When I reflect, thats where my mind tends to go, Martinez said this week from the Oakland Coliseum just before
heading off to batting practice in his current job as the Mariners hitting coach. All the hard work in the minor leagues.
Those were the times I didnt have any idea of what was going to happen in the future.
What would happen, of course, was two batting titles, a Hall of Fame statistical portfolio and the most famous hit in
Mariners history. Martinez was the rare guy that would draw opposing players to the bench during batting practice to try to
glean some mechanical tip, but mostly just to admire an artist at work.
In talking this week to former Mariners manager Lou Piniella, who regretfully will miss this weekend because of illness, I
could hear the reverence for the man they called Papi long before David Ortiz earned a similar honorific.
If every player I ever managed was just like Edgar, believe me, I would have never had any problems, Piniella said.
Yes, its easy to romanticize Martinez, with that sweet swing still emblazoned in the minds of Mariner fans, as a chosen
one whose success was preordained. But in retrospect, there were numerous junctures that could have stopped him in his
tracks from becoming what former second baseman Bret Boone called the greatest Mariner of all-time.
No sure thing
As Edgar reminded me, it was once murky and uncertain, dating to his childhood in Maguayo, the neighborhood in
Dorado, Puerto Rico, where he grew up. Born in New York, Martinez had moved in with his grandparents in Maguayo as
an infant, along with his two siblings, when his parents split up.
#EdgarHOF
At age 11, Martinezs parents reconciled and summoned the children to New York. His younger brother Elliott and older
sister Sonia went. After anguishing soul-searching, Edgar chose to remain with his grandparents.
Edgar Hall of Fame Stat No. 2: 21

Martinez is one of just 21 players in MLB history with a career average over .300, on-base percentage over .400
and slugging percentage over .500 (.515). All but three of the eligible players are in the Hall of Fame.
I was in a real hard situation, Martinez told me in 2001 when I visited Maguayo for an article on his roots. I wasnt sure
what I was doing, really, but I went with my feelings. I felt my grandparents needed me. I remember all the work they
needed to do. I just felt great staying with them. I felt it was the right decision.
Who knows what path Martinezs baseball career would have taken in New York? Instead, it was nurtured in the backyard
of his home on Calle 13 in baseball-crazy Maguayo, where he and his cousin, future major-leaguer Carmelo Martinez,
would play ball, hitting anything that the other threw at them balls, rocks, bottle caps, even taped-up Christmas
ornaments. When it rained, Martinez would go outside and swing at raindrops. And when his grandfather was involved in
one of his frequent backyard construction projects, Edgar would take a broomstick and hit rocks all over the yard.
All that made him a solid youth hitter, but scouts flocked to Carmelo and largely ignored Edgar, deemed too skinny and
weak to provide much power. Instead, Edgar enrolled at American University in San Juan to study business
administration. He worked a day job supervising a furniture store and a night job at a General Electric factory. At age 20,
he figured his baseball career would be limited to the semipro team for which he played.
I was thinking, Well, I have to go and prepare myself for a good job, he told me. At that point, I sort of lost hope of
signing.
But fate intervened once more in the form of an early-morning tryout in nearby Bayamon, run by Seattle scout Marty
Martinez (no relation). The owner of Edgars semipro team convinced him to give it a whirl, but Edgar, who had worked
through the previous night, nearly missed the tryout when a friend who was supposed to tell him the time forgot to call.
The owner, however, rousted him and made sure he got to the field, where Marty Martinez was impressed enough to offer
a $4,000 bonus.
Thats amazing, right? Edgar said. It took someone to think of me and show up at my house.
Edgar Hall of Fame Stat No. 3: .418

Among retired players since 1945 with at least 7,500 plate appearances, Martinez is one of just four with a career
on-base percentage of at least .418 (also Barry Bonds, Mickey Mantle and Frank Thomas), and one of only 13
players with a career batting average of at least .312. His .418 OBP is 17th on the all-time list and fourth-best
among right-handed hitters.
And then it took Carmelo beseeching his cousin to sign when Edgar had concluded that the bonus offer and an uncertain
future in pro ball wasnt enough to offset what he felt was a comfortable life in Puerto Rico.
I had a good job that paid well early in my life, he said. I had a new car, I was going to college at night, playing semipro
and making some money at baseball. At that age, I thought I didnt need to take that risk right now for the amount of
money offered. But Carmelo convinced me to take that chance.
I was wrong on Edgar

And thus was Mariner, and baseball, history altered once more. There would be more bumps along the way, and more
moments when providence or more accurately, people who believed in Martinez intervened. For instance, after his
struggling debut season in Bellingham, Marty Martinez had to convince Hal Keller, then Seattles general manager, to
send Edgar to the instructional league in Arizona. Keller felt the league was reserved for prospects, which wasnt how he
viewed Edgar. But Martinez hit .340 in the instructional league and was on his way.
I was wrong on Edgar, Keller would tell me years later. I never thought hed hit in the big leagues.
#EdgarHOF
As brilliant as Martinezs career was, one still has to wonder how much even better it would have been if the Mariners had
called him up to stay in 1987, when he hit .329 in Calgary, or 1988, when he hit .363, or 1989, when he hit .345. Instead,
he had only brief stints in the majors those years, which kept him from a full-time job until 1990, at age 27.
Edgar Hall of Fame Stat No. 4: .959

Martinez has the highest career batting average, on-base percentage and OPS of any player as a designated
hitter (minimum 3,000 plate appearances at DH). Martinez beats David Ortiz in OPS, .959-.942.
It might have made the decision on the Hall of Fame a heck of a lot easier, longtime Mariners executive Lee Pelekoudas
said.
Another obstacle presented itself in the minor leagues when the Mariners new eye specialist, Dr. Douglas Nikaitani,
diagnosed Martinez with strabismus, a condition that prevents his eyes from seeing in tandem. Nikaitani still hasnt heard
of another MLB hitter who has successfully conquered the abnormality, as Martinez did.
The doctor, early in his tenure, told Martinez he would do everything he could to help him, and Edgar eagerly bought in.
During his career, he would faithfully do the eye exercises that Nikaitani prescribed for him, up to 30 minutes a night, and
it allowed him to overcome the issues with depth perception and focus inherent in strabismus.
He was diligent from Day One, minor league to the end, recalled Nikaitani, now semi-retired. Amazing. Its a tribute to
him, his dedication and work ethic. Edgar had the personality where someone like me wanted to keep helping him. I loved
the person he was.
Martinez had a vision crisis in May 1999 that caused him to fear the worst. He suddenly was losing sight of pitches,
leading to such apprehension of an errant ball to the head that the Mariners were on the verge of putting him on the DL.
Edgar himself thought he might even have to retire.
He was really struggling and afraid, Nikataini said.
Martinez made an emergency call to Nikaitani, who went to his house on an off day with a bold strategy. The doctor put
his eye charts on the wall, and while Martinez was reading them, Nikaitani bombarded him with stimuli. He fired tennis
balls at Edgar, making him swat them away. He confronted him with martial arts kicks and punches that Martinez had to
thwart. He even called out math problems to solve while Edgar did his eye work.
What I tried to do was bring in all his senses and challenge his visual system, Nikaitani said. After an hour or two, he
said, I think Im good.
Martinez returned to the lineup and hit two homers against the Twins in his next game. And in the game after that, he hit
three home runs. Crisis averted and some of the most productive years of his career lay ahead before his retirement in
2004.
He was able to get his concentration to a higher level than guys who had better vision, Nikaitani said. He had a
problem, but he overcame it, and he built it up to a level higher than guys who didnt do it.
Edgar Hall of Fame Stat No. 5: 68.3

Martinez had a career WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 68.3, the 70th-highest mark in baseball history. Only
21 players with a WAR that high arent in the Hall of Fame (and 14 werent on the ballot last year). Martinezs
WAR of 40.6 from 1995-2001 was the fifth-best mark in MLB behind Barry Bonds (56.7), Alex Rodriguez (46.6),
Jeff Bagwell (44.8) and Ken Griffey Jr. (41.0). He is one of 34 players all-time with at least 10 seasons with a
WAR of 4.50 or higher and 30 of those are in the Hall of Fame.
M's heart and soul

There might have been no Mariners player more respected by his teammates, or revered by the fans.
He was just steady Eddie, former outfielder Jay Buhner said. That was his deal. He was very quiet, but he was deadly.
#EdgarHOF
The Latin players respected him immensely, but he was respected by everyone, Piniella added. There was no one I
wanted at home plate in a tight situation or game-winning situation more than Edgar.
Pelekoudas said Martinez was the glue holding together a clubhouse filled with strong and sometimes volatile
personalities.
He was pretty much the heart and soul of the organization, I think, he said.
Fans picked up on Martinezs genuine decency, and their affection only grew when he stayed in Seattle while other
superstars left. Martinez recalled one year when his contract expired without a new deal, and I became a free agent for
eight hours. But we had an agreement the next morning. Otherwise, he was never tempted to leave and said he
envisions spending the rest of his life in Seattle.
That consistency has made him an icon. Jim Copacino, the creative director of the Copacino+Fujikado ad agency that has
done Mariners commercials for years, knew that any spot involving Edgar immediately would be a big hit. Mulling it over
now, Copacino believes it was Edgars authenticity and humility that shined through.
He wondered why people wanted him in it, Copacino said. He believed he wasnt that interesting, but he was. He could
have read the ingredients on a cereal box, and people would have loved it.
One can only imagine the local reaction if Martinez makes the Hall of Fame, as he should, and I believe increasingly, will.
With two years left on the ballot, he has jumped from 27 percent in 2015 to 58.6 percent last year, putting the 75 percent
requirement within range. Martinez is gaining increasingly vocal support from influential analysts such as Jay Jaffe of
SI.com, author of the recently published, The Cooperstown Casebook: Whos in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Who Should
Be In, and Who Should Pack Their Plaques.
After crunching the numbers, Jaffe concluded that even with the built-in penalty assessed to a designated hitter in
statistics such as Wins Above Replacement, Martinez still attained value commensurate with a Hall of Fame player.
Were talking about a guy who transcends the limitations of the DH role, Jaffe said.
Transcending limits has pretty much been the Edgar Martinez life story.
December 5, 2016
Daily Ace Report (Dec. 5, 2016)
By Ryan M. Spaeder | Ace of Stats
Let's talk a little bit about future Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez. I say future Hall of Famer, because that is what he ishe is
not quite getting the necessary support yet, but he will. He will when voters open their eyes to the facts, some of which I will
dive into here.
So why isn't he getting the support necessary in the first place? There are a few reasons. First and foremost, there is a
stigma of being a designate hittermind you, I despise the position of designate hitter and believe that National League
baseball is the only pure form of baseball, but the designated hitter has been a part of the American League since 1973 and
it cannot and should not be ignored.
There are already two designated hitters in the Hall of Fame, Frank Thomas and Paul Molitor. Thomas, who played the
majority of his career games as a designated hitter and Molitor who was a bit less than half. So why them and not Edgar?
Well Thomas and Molitor reached the arbitrary benchmarks of 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, respectively. Molitor and
Thomas both edge Edgar in career WAR, with Molitor at 75.4, Thomas at 73.7, and Edgar at 68.3. But, Gar edges both in
WAR per 162 games played, with Edgar at 5.38, Thomas at 5.14, and Molitor at 4.55. Overall, Thomas was probably a
better hitter than Martinez, but The Big Hurt was a better hitter than all but about two dozen players in history, and Martinez
far out-produced Paul Molitor.
Taking a look at some other key numbers we can note how much close Edgar actually was to Thomas the Molitor:
#EdgarHOF
Frank Thomas - .301/.419/.555 (156 OPS+), 154 wRC+, .416 wOBA

Paul Molitor - .306/.369/.448 (122 OPS+), 122 wRC+, .361 wOBA
Edgar Martinez - .312/.418/.515 (147 OPS+), 147 wRC+, .405 wOBA
So Martinez was a specialist and a master of his craft. And yet, being a designated hitter hurts his chances at the Hall of
Fame? What about Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, and Bruce Sutter? All Hall of Famers, all ninth inning specialists. How
about Mariano Rivera, who will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2019? Rivera and Edgar share something in common and
that is they are each the greatest of all-time at their particular specialty. There is a reason it is called the Edgar Martinez
Award and the Mariano Rivera Award. Edgar had 8,674 career plate appearances and 4,829 career innings in the field,
while Rivera had 5,103 career batters faced and 1,283 career innings in the field.
Fun fact: Rivera said that Martinez was the best hitter he had ever faced. Edgar faced the greatest relief-hurler of all-time
23 times in his career, batting .579/.652/1.053 against him.
Now I know some ears perked up in Boston when I said that Edgar is the greatest of all-time at his particular specialty
designated hitter. And not to take anything away from David Ortizwho is a future Hall of Famer himselfbut Edgar was
the far better batsman and producer. Sure, Big Papi has one of the finest postseason resumes in baseball history, but
postseason performance cannot and should not makesorry Mazor break a players Hall of Fame chances.
So why is Edgar better? You will learn by the numbers I will teach you:
In terms of career WAR, one full season (162 games) played by Edgar Martinez is worth 234 played by David Ortiz.
David Ortiz had just one season (2007) in which he equaled each leg of Edgar Martinezs CAREER slash-line.
Ortiz would have to opt out of retirement, return to baseball in 2017, and reach base safely in 664-of-664 plate appearances
to pass Edgar in career on-base percentage.
David Ortiz - .286/.380/.552 (141 OPS+), 55.4 WAR, 140 wRC+, .392 wOBA
Edgar Martinez - .312/.418/.515 (147 OPS+), 68.3 WAR, 147 wRC+, 405 wOBA
Moreover, it is probably more than fair to say that playing in market Boston is more conducive to gaining notoriety for a
player like David Ortiz or Edgar Martinez than playing in Seattle.
By the numbers Edgar Martinez should be garnering more notoriety, support, and votes than what he has been getting.
And how about the number of defensive liabilities in the Hall of Fame? Guys who HURT their team by taking the field like
Willie Stargell, Harmon Killebrew, or even Ted Williams, not to mention the greatest defensive liability of all-time, 2020 first-
ballot Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. Whereas Edgar helped his team by notnot because he was even a poor defensive
player, but it because it ensured that he would stay healthy and his bat would stay in the lineup.
Again, Edgar Martinez batted .312/.418/.515 during his career. Here is a complete list of players to best each leg of his
slash-line for their career: Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, Shoeless Joe Jackson,
and Dan Brouthers. All Hall of Famers, except for Jacksonwho is still wrongfully banned from baseballare in the Hall of
Fame.
Martinez is one of just 12 players in baseball history with a career on-base percentage of .415 or better and at least 830
extra-base hits. The others are: Frank Thomas, Barry Bonds, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Ted Willaims, Jimmie Foxx, Lou
Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Tris Speaker. Again, note: all, but Bondswho is blacklisted by many
Hall of Fame votrersare enshrined. Not enough? Among the top-17 players all-time in on-base percentage with at least
7,000 career plate appearances, there are just two players without a plaque in Cooperstown: Barry Bonds (5th) and Edgar
(14th).
Edgar Martinez is a future Hall of Famer, by any measure. I implore you to vote Edgar and spread the word!
Stat of the Day: During a three-year stretch from 1995-97, Ken Griffey Jr. had a .385 on-base percentage. His teammate
Edgar Martinez topped it during the same stretch with a .386with two strikes against him.
#EdgarHOF
Fact of the Day: Edgar Martinez was a late-bloomer, clubbing 264 home runs with 1,057 RBI after turning 30 years old. He
reached base safely 2,369 times in his 30s, for a .4360 on-base percentageedging Ty Cobb in his 30s (2,341 times safely
on base and .4357 on-base percentage). Only 13 players in baseball history have a better career on-base percentage that
Edgar. One of them is Barry Bonds and the rest are all Hall of Famers. The three next players ranking below Edgar are also
in the Hall of Fame.
Quote of the Day: "He had more than my number. He had my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He got everything from me. -
Mariano Rivera (on Edgar Martinez)
Did you know? Edgar Martinez is the only player in history with multiple seasons with at least 25 home runs, 50 doubles,
and 100 walks. He did so in 1995 and 1996. In fact, his two are as many as every single Hall of Fame player has COMBINED
(Gehrig and Musial each have one). David Ortiz was the last to accomplish this feat, doing so in 2007, aforementioned as
the only season in which Big Papi equaled each leg of Edgar Martinez's career slash-line.
November 10, 2015

Why the best relievers, DHs should have a real shot at making the Hall
By Jayson Stark | ESPN
The 2016 Hall of Fame ballot went out this week. And I know a lot of you think that filling it out ought to be as easy as
making out a grocery list.
Oh, really? Well, here's the part that's easy:
Ken Griffey Jr.: Hall of Famer. Randy Winn: Not a Hall of Famer.
But now it's time for a 21st-century reflection on what's not so easy. What does a Hall of Fame relief pitcher look like?
What does a Hall of Fame designated hitter look like?
Does anybody know? Does anybody even think about trying to define these things? No? Well, we'd better start figuring it
out.
We'd better start figuring it out because Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner are two of the most important first-year
candidates on this ballot.
We'd better start figuring it out because, otherwise, Edgar Martinez's eligibility is going to be up before our esteemed
electorate notices he was one of the great hitters of his generation.
And we'd better start figuring it out because the game keeps evolving. So we, as voters, need to evolve with it, or else the
social media world will have every right to keep tweeting about what a bunch of mixed up Neanderthals we are. (And
come to think of it, I'd almost take a tweet like that as a compliment these days.)
So here's a new way to look at this. Suppose there was a separate Hall of Fame for every position on the field. When
election day rolled around for the Designated Hitter Hall of Fame, would you vote for Martinez? C'mon. Of course you
would. If he isn't the greatest DH in history, he's at least on the Mount Rushmore.
And suppose there was also a Relief Pitcher Hall of Fame. When that ballot arrived, how many seconds would it take you
to check Hoffman's name and Wagner's name? If the answer is a number greater than 30, you're clearly one of those
people who believes there's nothing in the game more overrated than relief pitchers -- until the guys in your team's bullpen
all stink.
OK, even if you don't agree with any of that, humor me. Here's where I'm going with this:
Best we can tell, relief pitchers are going to continue to be employed for at least the next several centuries. And
apparently, DHs will continue to roam the baseball earth for the rest of our lives, not to mention the rest of David Ortiz's
great-grandchildren's lives. And the men who do those jobs play real positions, appear in actual box scores, often have
long careers.
#EdgarHOF
In other words they exist! So why do so many Hall of Fame voters act as if they don't?
If they exist, and if they're going to persist in existence, here's the deal. Don't we need to start hanging their plaques in
Cooperstown one of these decades?
The Hall of Fame is a place to honor the best of the best, not just the best of the positions we feel like recognizing. So that
answer is yes. Maybe even hell, yes. And if we're going to start honoring these people, then let's go back to the questions
we started this conversation with.
What does a Hall of Fame relief pitcher look like? What does a Hall of Fame DH look like? Here's what:
I made the mistake Monday of comparing, on Twitter, one entry on Wagner's stat sheet to Mariano Rivera's entry in the
same category. Sorry! Didn't take long before several trillion tweeters had decided that was pure sacrilege. Little did they
know, it made me think.
Take a look at these numbers, gang. They're the numbers of three prominent members of the 400-save club. I've
removed names and save totals. Do you know which is which?
WHIP SAVE PCT K/9 OPP. AVG OPP. OPS

Reliever A 1.06 88.8 9.4 .211 .609
Reliever B 1.00 89.0 8.2 .211 .558
Reliever C 1.00 85.9 11.9 .187 .555
Before I identify them, look at those stat lines again. Is it clear, from looking at them, which of those three relievers was
the greatest of all time? It may be to those of you who play really close attention. But the point is, they're closer than you
think.
So here goes: Reliever A is Hoffman. Reliever B is Rivera. Reliever C is Wagner. Now, it's true Wagner doesn't have
nearly as many saves as the others, and it's obviously even more true that Mariano's postseason record separates him
from the other two -- and from everyone else who has ever attempted to get a 27th out.
But we can argue about that part some other time. What we should really be judging, when we fill out our Hall of Fame
ballots, is a player's total body of work. It's my job to make sure you recognize that all three of those guys were awesome
and dominant at what they were asked to do, in real games, playing real positions. So feel free to refer back to this when
their Hall of Fame voting experiences turn out to be dramatically different.
Meanwhile, there's Martinez, the man who makes us ask, What does a Hall of Fame DH look like?
We can't really use Paul Molitor or Frank Thomas as guideposts because they whiled away too much time wearing a
glove. Molitor spent just 44 percent of his career at DH. Thomas spent 57 percent as a DH. But Martinez was close to 70
percent. So those sorts of disparities make it tough to use counting numbers, or even wins above replacement, to make
this call.
What we're stuck with, then, is just trying to measure total offensive impact. So here is a look at how three high-profile
hitters fared during Martinez's heyday -- the 13 seasons from 1991 to 2003. One is a Hall of Famer. One is a likely Hall of
Famer. The other? He has never gotten more than 36.5 percent of the vote. (Yep, that would be Edgar). So which is
which?
AVG OBP SLG OPS OPS+

Player A .309 .428 .569 .996 162
Player B .318 .428 .539 .967 155
Player C .300 .411 .549 .959 153
Player A is Thomas. He's in. Player C is Jeff Bagwell. He's gotten at least 54 percent in four straight elections. And Player
B? That's Martinez, as elite and productive a bat as there was in the whole sport over a long, long period of time.
#EdgarHOF
But voters continue to hold his lack of leatherworking (and home run trots) against him, even though his full complement
of numbers makes it clear he was one of the five best hitters alive -- during a period of sheer offensive insanity, I might
add. Is that fair? Ha. If DH is going to keep being an actual job, then no, it's not close to fair.
So this would be the voting philosophy I'd propose: If a guy was one of the best players in his sport at his position, in his
era or any era, then he should meet our definition of "Hall of Famer." Period.
That holds true for DHs. That holds true for relief pitchers. It should hold true for everyone except the bat boys. But does
it? Nope. Because there are still voters in our midst who aren't sure relievers and DHs deserve full credit on this exam,
even though their positions are vital parts of the sport -- and will be pretty much forever.
So let's fix that, OK? It's Hoffman's first year on the ballot, it's Wagner's first year, too, and Martinez's eligibility runs out
after 2019. If you don't want to vote for them, that's fine. Just don't base that decision on the position they played. The
game has changed. So should we, the voters.
January 7, 2015
Randy Johnson: Vote Edgar Martinez
By Jerry Crasnick | ESPN
If high-profile celebrity endorsements can help sway the Baseball Hall of Fame electorate, longtime Seattle Mariners
designated hitter Edgar Martinez might have gained some traction this winter in his case for a spot in Cooperstown.
A day after Pedro Martinez called the former Mariners' DH the toughest hitter he ever faced, Randy Johnson went a step
further: He said if he had a Hall of Fame ballot, Edgar Martinez would be the first name he would check.
"The first person that comes to my mind was a teammate of mine for 9 years and the greatest hitter I ever played with,"
Johnson said Wednesday. "I've faced a lot of Hall of Fame hitters, and my gosh, Edgar is the best hitter that I ever saw.
"I support him because he was my teammate, and I loved him, and he did so much for Seattle and made me look good
during my career there. The first person on my ballot who would get my vote is Edgar. Yes, I'm campaigning for him. But
isn't that always going to happen with these kinds of things?"
Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Craig Biggio and John Smoltz appeared at a news conference at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in
Manhattan on Wednesday morning less than 24 hours after the Baseball Writers' Association of America chose them as
the first four-person class since 1955 -- when Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Dazzy Vance and Ted Lyons went into
Cooperstown as a group.
Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner and 10-time All-Star, posted a record of 303-166 over 22 major league
seasons. He sailed into Cooperstown with a 97.3 percent plurality -- the eighth-highest percentage in the history of Hall of
Fame voting.
Johnson is almost certain to be joined in Cooperstown next year by former Seattle outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., who makes his
first appearance on the ballot in December. But the outlook isn't so upbeat for Edgar Martinez, who will to have to make up
ground in a hurry in his four years left on the ballot.
Despite a reputation as arguably the greatest designated hitter in history, Martinez is languishing on the Hall of Fame ballot.
He peaked with 36.5 percent of the vote in 2012 and came in this year with 27.0 percent -- barely one-third of the way
toward the 75 percent threshold required for induction.
Although Martinez made seven All-Star teams, won two AL batting titles and ranks 20th in MLB history with a .418 career
on-base percentage, his 2,247 hits and limited contributions as a defender haven't helped his cause with voters.
The anti-Martinez arguments aren't going to sway Johnson during his self-professed campaign for his former teammate.
#EdgarHOF
"He was just a great hitter," Johnson said. "You know how you love something and you carry it around with you? When I
got to Seattle, Edgar was walking around with a bat all the time. The guy's locker was right across the carpet from mine,
and I'd look at the top of his locker and he would have his bats lined up and his own scale to weigh the bats. Who does
that? I learned all kinds of little tidbits and secrets from him.
"I know you don't get into the Hall of Fame by being a nice guy. You get in for merit -- and Edgar's merit stands by itself with
all he's done. But he's also one of the nicest and most humble guys I've ever met."
January 7, 2016
Edgar Martinez absolutely Hall of Fame material, Griffeys say
By Jerry Crasnick | ESPN
Upon his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame a year ago, Randy Johnson pledged to spend the summer lobbying on behalf
of Edgar Martinez, his former Seattle Mariners teammate, to gain entrance to the Hall.
Ken Griffey Jr., the latest Mariner to earn the trip to Cooperstown, is equally fervent in his support of Martinez. And his dad
wholeheartedly agrees.
Griffey and his father, Ken Sr., both of whom played with Martinez in Seattle, offered strong endorsements of Martinez
during a news conference at the New York Athletic Club on Thursday.
"Edgar deserves to be in,'' Griffey Jr. said. "Is it his fault that somebody put him in the DH role? No. He's part of a team, and
he did his part. He should be in. Harold Baines should, too. There are a lot of guys with similar numbers who should be
there, and Edgar's definitely one of them.
"He carried the team for a period of time. He was one of the most feared hitters in the game for 10-plus years. I root for him.
Those decisions aren't up to me. They're up to [the writers]. But do I think he's a Hall of Famer? Yes.''
Martinez, a seven-time All-Star, won two batting titles and had a .312 career batting average over parts of 18 seasons in
Seattle. His .4178 career on-base percentage is 21st-best in major league history, a tick ahead of Stan Musial, who ranks
22nd. Martinez's .933 OPS ties him with Albert Belle for 32nd all-time.
But Martinez amassed only 2,247 hits and spent the bulk of his career as a designated hitter, and Hall of Fame voters have
yet to embrace him en masse. He was named on only 27 percent of ballots last year, barely a third of the way to the 75
percent plurality required for induction, before making a substantial move forward in Wednesday's voting. He polled a
personal high of 43.4 percent but has only three years left on the ballot to get over the top.
Griffey Jr. described Martinez, who is currently Seattle's hitting coach, as a diligent practitioner of his craft.
"If you know Edgar, he has very short arms, and he didn't let the ball get in,'' Griffey Jr. said. "He could take that pitch almost
off his chest and shoot it down the right-field line. There are not a lot of guys that can do that.
"Edgar was a student of hitting. He would tell guys what they needed to do to improve their hitting, whether it was, 'Your
stride is too long' or 'Your elbow is flying,' things like that. He has a very keen eye for the art of swinging the bat.''
Martinez broke in as a third baseman with Seattle but never recovered fully from a torn hamstring that he suffered running
the bases in 1993. He became a full-time designated hitter in 1995, and Mike Blowers took over at third base in Seattle.
"Edgar was a damned good third baseman,'' said Ken Griffey Sr., who played for Seattle in 1990 and '91. "The only thing
he had was a Pete Rose arm. He didn't have that real strong arm.
"It still shouldn't matter. Paul Molitor was a DH, and he's in the Hall of Fame. To be honest with you, I think Edgar was a
little better hitter than Molitor. He could hit a ball wherever, whenever, inside-out the ball, and do whatever he wanted with
the ball. I think he belongs."
#EdgarHOF
Molitor's principal edge with voters came through his longevity. He accumulated 3,319 career hits before making it to
Cooperstown in his first appearance on the ballot in 2004.
September 14, 2015

When It Comes to the Hall of Fame, David Ortiz Is No Edgar Martinez
By Jeff J. Snider | Baseball Essential
Baseball has four magic numbers: 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, 3,000 hits, and 500 home runs. Historically, if you reach
one or more of those numbers, you are a Hall of Famer.
The pitching magic numbers remain pretty magic. There is only one member of the 300-Win club not in the Hall of Fame:
Roger Clemens, whose failure in the voting has never been about his statistics. Only two members of the 3,000-K club
have not been enshrined: Clemens and Curt Schilling, and the main case against Schilling is that he is nowhere near the
other club, retiring with only 216 wins. Schilling will eventually get in the Hall, and Clemens will too after a much longer
wait.
The 500-HR club is different, though. Joining this club no longer guarantees enshrinement in Cooperstown. There are
currently four eligible members of the 500-HR club who have not been elected: Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael
Palmeiro, and Gary Sheffield. There are four others who are not yet eligible Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Jim Thome,
Albert Pujols, and Manny Ramirez and only Griffey and Pujols among them are shoo-ins for election.
Obviously, with Clemens and most of the 500-HR guys, the elephant in the room is performance-enhancing drugs.
McGwire, Sosa, Palmeiro, Sheffield, Rodriguez, and Ramirez are all either proven or strongly suspected PED users. But
even before he tested positive, Palmeiros Hall of Fame case had its detractors. The same arguments will be made
against Thome, who has never been linked to PEDs. Both Palmeiro and Thome were what their detractors call
compilers: guys who played long enough to compile some impressive numbers but were never really dominant. Neither
ever came very close to winning an MVP award. For all the home runs they hit, Thome only led the league in homers
once and Palmeiro never did (Sheffield and Frank Thomas are the only other 500-HR club members to never lead the
league). In addition, both Palmeiro and Thome played significant time as designated hitters: 15 percent of Palmeiros plate
appearances, and 107 of his 569 homers, came as a DH; Thome had 33 percent of his plate appearances and 205 of his
612 homers as a DH.
All this talk of compiling and DHing brings us to the newest member of the 500-HR club: David Ortiz, who hit two home
runs off of Matt Moore on Saturday to join the club. Big Papi has led the league in homers only once, and he has never
won an MVP award. In addition, 87 percent of his career plate appearances have come as a DH. Oh yeah, and he also
tested positive for PEDs in the 2003 testing that was supposed to remain anonymous.
Voters have never known what to do with PED users or designated hitters or compilers. Ortiz fits the bill on all three, but
there seems to be a pretty strong sentiment that he is a Hall of Famer. I believe it was with that sentiment in mind that
Peter Gammons tweeted this:
What Gammons technically implied was that the cases for Ortiz and Edgar Martinez are identical If one belongs in, both
do but I think he was really making more of a one-way comparison: you cant put Ortiz in the Hall and leave Edgar out.
When you compare the cases for Martinez and Ortiz, there are only three categories in which Ortiz leads:
#EdgarHOF
Power
Ortiz has 500 career homers; Martinez retired with 309. That home run gap gives Papi an advantage in slugging percentage,
.547 to .515.
Popularity
Ortiz has a super-sized personality and has spent the entire good portion of his career on the Boston Red Sox, one of
baseballs most popular teams. Martinez was quiet and played his entire career with the Seattle Mariners, a double whammy
of lousy teams and possibly the worst market in baseball in terms of national visibility.
Postseason
Martinezs Mariners made the postseason only four times in his 18-year career, and he played in only 34 postseason games.
Ortiz started with good Minnesota Twins teams and then went to good Red Sox teams, so he has played in 82 career
postseason games. And while Martinez performed slightly worse than normal in October his .873 postseason OPS was
60 points below his career regular season number Ortiz has stepped up his game in the postseason, putting up a .962
OPS compared to .925 in the regular season.
At least two of those areas matter I am not sure that Ortizs (and Bostons) popularity should work in his favor in the Hall
of Fame voting, but power and postseason performance are certainly relevant. But in every other regard, Martinez was the
superior player. Lets look at some of those:
Defense
No, Martinez was not Ozzie Smith. He was not even Lonnie Smith. But Edgar had more than 22 percent of his career
plate appearances as a third baseman, and he was actually an above-average defensive third baseman for a few
years. Ortiz has played very little in the field, and when he has played, he has been a defensive liability.
Getting on Base
Pete Rose, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Derek Jeter, Cap Anson, Honus Wagner, Carl Yastrzemski, Paul Molitor, Willie Mays,
Eddie Murray, Nap Lajoie, Cal Ripken, George Brett, Paul Waner, Robin Yount, Tony Gwynn, Dave Winfield, Craig Biggio,
Alex Rodriguez, Rickey Henderson, Rod Carew, Lou Brock, Rafael Palmeiro, Wade Boggs, Al Kaline, Roberto Clemente.
Those are the members of the 3,000-Hit club who had a lower career on-base percentage than Edgar Martinez. It would
have been much quicker to go the other direction: the only players with 3,000 hits and a higher OBP than Martinez are Ty
Cobb, Tris Speaker, and Eddie Collins.
Ortizs career OBP of .378 is solid, but it pales in comparison to Martinezs .418, which ranks 21st in baseball history. Put
another way: they have gotten on base almost the exact same number of times (3,530 for Martinez, 3,519 for Ortiz), but
Martinez had 726 fewer plate appearances.
Batting Average
You know that batting average isnt nearly as important as OBP, and I know it, but not all the Hall of Fame voters know it.
So Martinezs 28-point advantage in batting average (.312 to .284) is more relevant than it maybe should be.
Wins Above Replacement

On Baseball Reference, Martinez leads Ortiz 68.3 to 50.0. On FanGraphs, its 65.5 to 45.9. Most of the quibbles with WAR
have to do with the differences (and inherent weaknesses) in the assessment of defensive value, which means the quibbles
are much less relevant in a discussion of two men who spent most of their careers not playing any defense.
Of course, as Rob Neyer pointed on last night, WAR does not include the postseason. Ortiz has played about half a seasons
worth of postseason games. His best single-season B-Ref WAR number was 6.4, so if we cut that in half to 3.2 and give
him a 10-percent bonus for stepping up his game, we can add about 3.5 to his total, but 53.5 is still significantly behind
Martinezs 68.3.
OPS and OPS+

Ortiz has a 32-point advantage in slugging percentage; Martinez has a 40-point advantage in on-base percentage. Add
them up, and Martinezs .933 OPS is eight points better than Ortizs .925. And because Martinez played in a worse offensive
#EdgarHOF
environment than Ortiz, the difference is even more pronounced in OPS+, where Martinez scores 147 compared to Ortizs
140.
Edgar Martinez could come out of retirement next year, play every day at age 53, strike out in half of his at-bats, and hit a
weak grounder back to the pitcher in each of the other half, and he would still have a higher OBP, higher batting average,
higher WAR, and fewer strikeouts than David Ortiz.
When you add it all up, the math is clear: the only way to conclude that Ortiz has been a better offensive player than Martinez
is to declare that home runs are not just the most important thing, but significantly more important than everything else.
Simply put, Martinez was a better hitter than Ortiz in every respect except home runs, and significantly better in most
respects.
Considering that neither man played much defense, the offensive numbers are what were looking at. Ortiz has a postseason
advantage and a popularity advantage, but neither is anywhere close to big enough (or important enough) to outweigh the
fact that Martinez was a significantly better hitter than Ortiz.
December 21, 2015

Why not Edgar?
By Charles Gattin | Baseball Essential
October 8, 1995. 11:19-ish CST. A lifelong New York Yankees fan sitting on pins and needles because his team has real
championship aspirations for the first time since 1981. The excitement over Randy Velarde giving the Yankees the lead in
the top of the 11th quickly gives way to the realization that Edgar Martinez will have to be dealt with in the bottom half of
the inning. And on cue, the nightmare begins. An 0-1 pitch to Edgar lined into left field for a double. Joey Cora scores.
And then this happens: Here comes Junior. Theyre gonna wave him in.
The promise of 1994 ended by a strike. And now 1995 done in by Edgar. The video is still as vivid in my mind as it was 20
years ago.
Edgar Martinez was one of the most-feared hitters in the American League during his seventeen-year career, and not just
to Yankee fans. His slash line of .312/.418/.515 does not begin to tell the entire story about his prowess at the plate. Gar
won two batting titles and finished a controversial third in the 1995 AL MVP voting. He hit 514 career doubles, and his
.418 OBP is twenty-second all time. A career OPS of .933? Thats number 32 in baseball history.
Martinez made his debut on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2010. After spending several years hovering around 35-percent of
the votes needed for induction, the designated hitter took a dive last year to just over 25-percent. The combination of a
now crowded ballot, and the reduction in years of eligibility from 15 to 10 has Martinez on the outside looking in for the
moment. These are two factors in Martinezs candidacy, but the real factor at play here is a refusal on the BBWAA to
consider a player that spent the majority of his career at a fully legitimate position that is not recognized with respect by
many baseball purists the designated hitter.
Martinez spent his first six seasons mostly at third base, before becoming a full-time DH in 1995. Hamstring and wrist
injuries had limited his playing time in the previous two seasons, and the Mariners decided his bat was far too important
not to be in the lineup. This, in spite of the fact that most statistics show he was an above-average fielder at the hot
corner. Martinez did not establish himself in the Mariners everyday lineup until his age-27 season, thus limiting the
number of prime years in the field that would be available.
Designated hitter has been a full, legal and required position in the American League since 1972. Penalizing a player for
playing a required position makes no sense. Martinez took 71-percent of his at bats as a DH. Frank Thomas had 57-
percent of his at bats as a DH, but made the Hall of Fame quickly based primarily on his career home run total of 521. If
the DH had been adopted by both leagues, we may not even be having this discussion. That fact may remain to be seen
and is a discussion for another day. The idea that the BBWAA does not induct the best player of all time at his position is
a slap in the face.
#EdgarHOF
I could go on and on comparing this stat to that stat, trying to play up the fact that if Player A is in the Hall, then why isnt
Player B. Statistics can be manipulated to make most any argument for any borderline Hall of Famer. The fact remains
that Martinezs numbers stand on their own, he is not a borderline Hall of Famer. Edgar Martinez is a slam-dunk Hall of
Famer, and his numbers dont need manipulation. If a poll were taken of pitchers that faced him during his career,
Martinez would be one of the first players mentioned that they did not want to face.
There is no need to take a poll if the following quotes from three of the greatest pitchers of all time mean anything. Heres
what Pedro Martinez had to say to MLB Network when asked about the toughest hitter he had to face:
Believe it or not, the guy that I hated facing the most wasnt a guy that really did well against me. It was actually a
guy that didnt do that well 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 couldnt get the guy out.
Randy Johnson in conversation with the Seattle Times:
Edgar Martinez is, hands down, the best hitter that Ive ever seen, Johnson said. Im glad I didnt 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 all stating that hes a Hall of Fame player, because he is.
And finally, from the greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera:
The toughest and thank God he retired (former Mariners DH) 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. Thats what you appreciate about players, when a player come and do what is right for the game
of baseball, for his team and teammates.
Rivera had good reason to make this statement as Martinez held a .579/.652/1.053 slashline against him. Thats 11-for-19
with three doubles, two home runs, three walks and four strikeouts. Numbers that I would doubt anyone ever came close
to matching against Rivera.
It would seem that Edgar Martinez has the numbers to be put in the Hall of Fame. Opponents and teammates alike all
feel like he is a Hall of Famer. Everyone but the BBWAA. It is time for this organization to get over their bias and elect the
greatest DH of all time and one of the top hitters that has ever been seen. For now though, he will have wait and see how
the vote plays out.
Hopefully, they get it right. The 2016 class, headlined by Junior, is the right time to fix a wrong that has gone on far too
long.
December 22, 2015

Edgar Martinez and the Hall of Fame
By Tony Blengino | FanGraphs
Yesterday, December 21, was the deadline for 2016 Baseball Hall of Fame ballots to be submitted. As followers of the
process are well aware, quite a logjam has materialized in recent years, due to a confluence of factors, most notably the
influx of so-called steroid era players, some of whom meet every possible criterion applied to prior candidates, only to be
refused entry by the BBWAA. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, two of the ten best baseball players of all time, by any
measure, with or without PEDs, languish at the gate of the Hall, ironically gaining just enough votes to deny other worthy
candidates the games ultimate honor.
Edgar Martinez is one of these players, and arguably might be the one single player (perhaps along with Mike Mussina)
whose candidacy has been damaged the most. He became Hall-eligible before Bonds and Clemens, and posted early vote
totals that historically would suggest future induction. The tidal wave of talent following him onto the ballot, however, has
stopped his vote total in its tracks; this is already his seventh year of eligibility, and to make matters worse, players are now
#EdgarHOF
allowed only 10 tries before their name is removed from the ballot and turned over to the Veterans Committee, whose
specialty is electing no one.
He is not alone: The Tim Raines situation is perhaps even more regrettable. This slow period in the baseball schedule just
prior to Christmas is perhaps a good time to look back and examine just how good a hitter Edgar Martinez was, and how
much of a miscarriage of justice his HOF snub is.
As I have occasionally done in the past on these pages, Im going to tick off some statistical purists. I am fully aware that
when you are working with standard deviations, or z-scores, you technically shouldnt be adding them together. However,
summing the number of standard deviations above league average is a pretty informative way of evaluating the elite tier of
performers in a given population.
I have gone back to 1901 and measured the number of standard deviations above/below league average in on-base and
slugging percentage (OBP and SLG, respectively) for each MLB regular. Then, I summed those relative OBP and SLG
scores over each players career, obtaining an ordered list of the players who have accumulated the most offensive value
in the games modern era. This is not a good way of measuring the talent of players in the league average range; an average
performer, after all, would come up with a score of zero. Nor are there are any park or positional adjustments. Rather, this
is just a pure measure of relative offensive production that has the side benefit of splitting a players value into its separate
OBP and SLG components.
One of the arguments often made against Martinez induction is the relative brevity of his career, which limited his upside in
the counting stat categories that are so important to Hall voters. Well, a stat like the one described in the last paragraph
would seemingly be unkind to the Mariners current hitting coach, as it too is a counting stat, albeit an unorthodox one. Lets
see where Martinez fits in:
For each player, his number of qualifying seasons, cumulative number of standard deviations above league average OBP
and SLG (separately and then combined), and career OPS+ for his seasons as a qualifying regular are listed.
So there is Edgar Martinez, the 30th-greatest hitter in the games modern era, in terms of career value based on this statistic.
What we find here are either inner-circle Hall of Famers; active, soon-to-be future inner-circle Hall of Famers; Barry Bonds,
David Ortiz and Martinez. Conventional baseball wisdom seems to hold that Ortiz will be voted in, with his postseason
heroics pushing him over the line, and that Martinez will have to wait for the Veterans Committee to give him a second
chance.
#EdgarHOF
You see the identity of the top-30 players above, what about the next ten? How about Harmon Killebrew, Johnny Mize, Nap
Lajoie, Larry Walker, Todd Helton, Jeff Bagwell, Rickey Henderson, Willie McCovey, Wade Boggs and Mark McGwire. A
bunch of HOFers, plus Walker and Helton, who are too highly placed on this list because of the Coors Field effect. Its not
until you get down into the upper 40s, when you reach bat-only guys such as Fred McGriff (#46) and Dick Allen (#49) that
you can have a true in-or-out discussion.
Youll note that all but one player, the active Miguel Cabrera, has matched or exceeded Martinez total of 14 qualifying
seasons. The vast majority easily exceed it. The vast majority of the top 30 are true sluggers, who mashed their way to
the Hall based on exceedingly high levels of power, relative to their league and era.
Martinez is an exception in this regard: his cumulative career number of STD above league average SLG (15.72) is the
second lowest on the list; only Eddie Collins 15.08 mark is lower. The player for whom the award for best DH is named
made his bones primarily on the OBP side of the ledger; his cumulative career number of STD above league average OBP
(27.56, compiled over 14 qualifying seasons), exceeds those of #14 Lou Gehrig (14 seasons), #12 Willie Mays (19) and #9
Hank Aaron (22), to name a few. Pretty good company.
Lets dig a little deeper into this OBP dominance. In six different seasons, Martinez OBP was over 2.00 STD above league
average. The lowest of those six marks was actually +2.29 STD. Exactly six of the other 29 players listed above Barry
Bonds (13), Ted Williams (13), Ty Cobb (12), Babe Ruth (11), Rogers Hornsby (8), and Lou Gehrig (7) accomplished
this more often. Another five did so as often as Edgar. Hank Aaron never did it. Willie Mays did once. Another six either
never did it or did it once.
Martinez had only 14 qualifying seasons as an MLB regular, due to a late start that was zero fault of his own. (Well talk a
little more about that later.) What if the above table only looked at each historical MLB regulars first 14 qualifying seasons?
Where would Martinez rank then?
He would jump up seven more notches to #23, leapfrogging Aaron (who would drop to #28), Sam Crawford (#30), Chipper
Jones (#31), Carl Yastrzemski (#32), Collins (#33), George Brett (#34), and bringing up the rear, among this illustrious
group Ortiz (#36).
Need to place Edgar in an even better light? How about ranking the above players by career OPS+, taking only their
qualifying seasons into account? Martinez rises to #21 by this measure, ranking ahead of Alex Rodriguez, Mike Schmidt,
Yaz, Collins, Ortiz, Brett, Al Kaline, Jones and Crawford. Slightly different ways of looking at an incredible group of hitters,
and some of them put him on the doorstep of the all-time top 20.
Why has Edgar Martinez become a tweener? He is a victim both of geography and era. He played his entire career in
Seattle, a long way away from most places, at a time when some really, really good Mariner teams didnt get the national
exposure they would today, in the age of Twitter, Snapchat, etc. Sure, Ken Griffey Jr., was a Mariner as well, but Martinez
skills were much more subtle than Juniors. Homers and leaping catches are sexier than doubles and walks.
Thats where era comes in. Only hitters with an extreme slugging (with a high homer total) or batting average (with a high
hit total) profile need apply. Though Martinez SLG was always high .543 or higher seven years in a row, at one point
he never hit 40 homers in a season, actually only exceeding 30 once. Teammate Griffey Jr., meanwhile, hit over twice as
many career homers as Edgar. But believe it or not, Juniors career SLG was only .023 points higher; he ranks #47 in the
stat catalogued in the table above.
The batting average/hits guys like Tony Gwynn or even Pete Rose, who isnt getting in the Hall for other reasons, or
OBP/speed guys like Rickey Henderson or Joe Morgan, either had big hit or stolen base totals to go with their other skills.
If Martinez abilities were tilted in a more extreme manner toward either OBP or SLG, hed very likely already be in the Hall.
Being really, really good at both key facets of offensive baseball isnt as eye-catching as being historically great at one.
Now, about his careers relative brevity that would be due to no fault of his own. Martinez didnt arrive on the major league
scene to stay until 1990, when he was already 27. What was he up to the three immediately previous seasons? Well, he
put up the following Triple-A batting lines, at Calgary:
#EdgarHOF
1987 Age 24 .329-.434-.473 (531 PA)

1988 Age 25 .363-.467-.517 (407 PA)
1989 Age 26 .345-.457-.522 (141 PA)
When you get down to it, he would very likely have performed at the MLB level much as he did in 1990 at age 27 (.302-
.397-.433), if only given the chance. Thats another 450 hits or so, plus more STDs above league average OBP and SLG
to throw on the pile. Why, do you say, was Martinez held down at the Triple-A level throughout this period? Well, they had
the immortal Jim Presley getting it done in the following manner at the MLB level:
1987 .247-.296-.433
1988 .230-.280-.355
1989 .236-.275-.385
Talk about being a victim of ones era. Think the Mariner faithful would have made a little more noise in this day and age
with a sub-.300 MLB incumbent locked in place, while a Triple-A prospect, considered a better defender than Presley at
that point in his career, was tearing it up one level below? Presley hit 50 homers over those three years, so all was well.
Sure, Edgar Martinez was primarily a DH. Thats primarily, not exclusively. He played 592 games in the field, 564 at third
base, mostly early in his career, before a better defender, Mike Blowers, took his place. Martinez didnt move to DH because
he couldnt play third, he moved because it made the Mariners a much better ball club. David Ortiz, on the other hand, has
played 277 career games in the field, all at first base. To me, both are Hall of Famers, but Edgar is first in line; his superior
quality and slight additional defensive contribution, at a more difficult position, slightly outweighs Ortiz quantity and
postseason edge.
This summer, Ken Griffey Jr., will rightfully get his sunny day in Cooperstown. Heres to hoping that Edgar Martinez, too,
will get his while he is young enough to truly enjoy it.
January 6, 2016
Hall of Fame Ballot (Part 2)
By Joe Posnanski | NBC Sports
Here are my top 15 players on this years Hall of Fame ballot. The Hall of Fame limits voters to 10 votes. I used all 10 of
my available slots.
15. Gary Sheffield
Predicted percentage: 10 percent
No. 14 outfielder not in the Hall of Fame
Gary Sheffield is an admitted user of performance-enhancing drugs, which probably eliminates him from consideration in
the eyes of many voters. But Sheffields Hall of Fame case is complicated beyond PEDs. He was a remarkable hitter.
Remember the menacing way he would rock the bat before the pitch? It was as if the bat was a snake trying to jump out of
his hands. Then the pitch would come, and Sheffield would swing with every ounce of fury he had in his body. It wasnt a
healthy swing; it was the swing of a kid who had been bullied one time too many. If anyone could have knocked down an
oak tree with a baseball bat, it was Gary Sheffield.
But here was the thing: He almost never missed. In an era of swing-and-miss sluggers, Sheffield did not strike out even 80
times in a season until he turned 35 and his bat had slowed infinitesimally. He was a .300 hitter into his mid-30s. He won a
batting title. He was this crazy combination of rage and control. Over his career, he created 1,946 runs more than George
Brett, Derek Jeter, Al Kaline or Dave Winfield.
But man oh man, was he a dreadful defensive player. Baseball Reference has him listed as an impossible-to-believe 28.6
wins below average for his career. This would make him worse than Dave Kingman, Greg Luzinski and every other terrible
fielder you can remember. Its true: Baseball Reference rates Sheffield as the least valuable defensive outfielder in baseball
history.
#EdgarHOF
Fangraphs has a different metric for measuring defense, but they tell the same story. Fangraphs estimates that Sheffield
cost his team 200 more runs than the average outfielder.
Baseball analyst Tom Tango ran through the numbers with me because they seemed so extreme, and, yep, thats how they
add up. Sheffields fielding range was dreadful. People ran on his arm. Its hard to look at the numbers or simply remember
watching Sheffield play and not conclude that he was a huge liability as a defender.
Why, though? Sheffield was a terrific athlete. He was a driven player and a smart one. What made him such a poor defensive
player? Its hard to say. Sheffield was emotional. He had huge mood swings on the field. Maybe, like Ted Williams, he just
didnt want to play defense.
This leads to a Hall of Fame conundrum: If Sheffield had spent much of his career as a DH, the way Edgar Martinez did,
his Hall of Fame case would be very hard to dismiss. He ranks 32nd in offensive WAR, right alongside first-ballot Hall of
Famer Frank Thomas, who alternated between DH and sub-par first baseman.
But when you include defense, Sheffields overall WAR free-falls to 116th all-time, behind among others Edgar
Martinez (at 76). He hurt his team badly with his defense, and in the balance, I think he falls shy of the Hall of Fame line,
even if you dont mark him down for PED use.
14. Sammy Sosa
If early votes are any indication, Sosa looks like he will survive for another ballot. But to what end? Hes not gaining any
traction. My guess is that voters have grown bored by his resume. Lets face it: Sammy Sosas case revolves around home
runs, and nobody likes to talk about home runs from the PED Era. Sosa is not an all-time great like Barry Bonds or Roger
Clemens, so he will never be in the headline. And nobody wants to be reminded of the Sosa-McGwire show that captivated
America in 1998 and now, like a high school yearbook haircut, embarrasses America.
Its easy to forget that at one time, Sammy Sosa was the feel-good story in sports. He grew up dirt poor in the famed
Dominican city of San Pedro de Macoris. He signed with the Texas Rangers at 16 years old and got his first call to the big
leagues when he was 20. He hit his first home run at Fenway Park off Roger Clemens. Almost exactly a month later, he
was traded to the White Sox for 1980s icon Harold Baines.
Sosa was a very different player in the beginning. He was fast, he played good defense, and he was offensively challenged.
In 1992, in a rare crosstown deal between the White Sox and Cubs, Sosa was traded for 1980s icon George Bell. It is
fascinating that that Cubs, so well known for the terrible Brock-for-Broglio trade, have been on the good side of some
amazing deals: Fergie Jenkins for Bob Buhl and Larry Jackson; Ryne Sandberg for Ivan DeJesus; Sosa for Bell.
In Sosas second year with the Cubs, 1993, he had baseballs only 30-homer, 30-stolen-base season. In 1996, at age 26,
he hit 40 home runs for the first time. He was transforming.
And then, in 1998, the transformation was complete. He started hitting home runs, and he would not stop. He also lost all
of the other parts of his game. Almost overnight, he became a defensive liability. He more or less stopped running. Pitchers
started to work around him, forcing him (against his will) to take some walks. From 1998 to 2001, Sosa hit 66, 63, 50 and
64 home runs thats 243 home runs total. Nobody else hit that many home runs in four years. He hit more home runs in
those four years than Roberto Clemente or Paul Molitor hit for their careers.
But the more home runs he hit, the less America was drawn to the Sosa feel-good story. You will remember when Sports
Illustrateds Rick Reilly challenged Sosa to take a drug test. Sosa made an awkward appearance before Congress, denying
drug use but also refusing to speak English. Then, The New York Times reported that Sosa was one of the 104 players who
failed a drug test in 2003. Those results were supposed to be kept secret, but they were not and Sosa along with David
Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds became the public face of baseballs out-of-control steroid use
in the 1990s.
#EdgarHOF
Sosas Hall of Fame case revolves around his 600 home runs and his three seasons of 60-plus homers. With the majority
of voters and fans still seething over PEDs, Sosas home run totals leave people cold. It is possible that years from now
when the Hall of Fame creates a panel of experts to sort out the Selig Era that Sosa and his legacy will be reconsidered.
13. Jim Edmonds
How long does someone have to be great to be considered a Hall of Famer? Edmonds had five or six great seasons, which
is about the right number for a typical Hall of Famer. He had three or four more very good seasons. And that makes up his
career he didnt stay healthy enough or play long enough to push his career numbers into a range where Hall of Fame
voters get excited.
Edmonds and Larry Walker have an interesting relationship. They were contemporary outfielders, of course, and they both
did a number of things well. Their careers were about the same length Walkers was a touch longer. But Walkers batting
average was about 30 points higher, his slugging percentage about 40 points higher.
This was largely the illusion of Coors Field. If you compare their road numbers, Edmonds was a little bit better.
Walker: .278/.370/.495 with 168 homers.
Edmonds: .282/.371.518 with 189 homers.
Of course, you dont want to make TOO much of that. Edmonds road numbers, after all, include his time at Coors Field.
Also, Walker built his swing around Coors Field, which hurt his road game. I think Walker was a slightly better player because
he did more things well he was a better baserunner, and he didnt swing and miss as much. But its very close.
Edmonds was a wonderful centerfielder. He wasnt fast, but he had superior instincts and a divers ability to control his body.
In 1997, Edmonds made a catch in Kansas City that many consider the greatest of all time. Im one of the many. Michael
Schur and I talked about it on the PosCast, and this is the best thing we could say about it: When someone makes a catch
that special, you know they are a brilliant outfielder. You dont need to see anything else. Many highlight catches are just
spectacular coincidences. The ball happens to fly to the exact right spot and the exact right speed to allow the outfielder to
stretch out just so. Its timing. Average and poor outfielders make great catches.
The Edmonds catch was different. Only a master, someone with extraordinary body control and impeccable instincts and a
genius for the game could make that catch.
12. Mark McGwire
No. 4 first baseman/DH not in the Hall of Fame
I have voted for McGwire. I did not vote for him this year because I did not have room for him on my ballot. But, given an
unlimited ballot, I would vote for McGwire. Its close, though, and I respect the case against him. Almost the entirety of
McGwires Hall of Fame case rests on home runs. When you add in his steroid admission, I can see the argument that
home runs are not enough.
I would vote for him because his were unlike anyone elses home runs. And he was a spectacular show. After the strike,
when baseball was struggling to connect with America, people would come just to watch him take batting practice.
One final thought on McGwire: I dont think he got a fair shake after publicly admitting his steroid use and speaking his heart
about it. I know some thought he held some stuff back, and others thought the apology was a cynical maneuver to get back
into baseball. But I think McGwire is one of the few who honestly felt bad about his steroid use and one of the few (the only
#EdgarHOF
one?) willing to put himself out there, not because he was caught red-handed but because he wanted to be a part of this
great game. Im not saying his apology makes everything better. But the farther away we get from the Selig Era, the more
McGwires apology stands out as a rare example of someone, at least, trying to do the right thing.
11. Larry Walker
Larry Walker had one of the strangest careers in baseball history. He grew up playing hockey with future Hall of Famer Cam
Neely, and he dreamed only of being an NHL goalie. He was signed by the Expos for $1,500 after he failed to stick in
professional hockey. The Expos took a chance on him mostly because he was Canadian.
Walker did not know much about baseball. Before he went to Class-A Utica, he would say, he had never seen a slider. He
hit .223 that year, all of it on fastballs. Walker had a natural talent for hitting fastballs. He then slaved away at his new game.
He missed an entire year with a knee injury. He struck out a lot. He improved. As a rookie, he showed enough promise that
someone gave him a third-place Rookie of the Year vote.
Improvement came fast. In 1991, he hit .290/.349/.458, hit 16 homers, stole 14 bases, began to show off a strong arm in
right field. In 1992, he hit .300 for the first time, won his first Gold Glove, finished top 10 in RBIs, slugging, total bases and
OPS. After that, Dan Duquette said he had the talent to be like Ken Griffey or Barry Bonds.
In 1994, Larry Walker had his first great year. He hit .322, slugged .587 and was leading the first-place Expos when the
strike happened. There is always talk about what might have been without the 1994 strike. Matt Williams or Ken Griffey
might have broken Roger Maris home run record. Tony Gwynn might have hit .400. Well, Larry Walker had 44 doubles in
103 games he might have challenged Earl Webbs seemingly unbreakable record of 67 doubles in a season.
Then, the next crazy turn in his crazy career happened: He signed with the Colorado Rockies just as they were moving into
beautiful-but-ludicrous Coors Field. That ballpark was like a science experiment. The ball soared because of the altitude
and dry air, the outfield fences were way bad and doubles and homers popped like popcorn.
Larry Walker entered this crazy new world and put up some radical numbers. In 1995, Walker hit a career-high 36 homers
in just 131 games, drove in 101 runs, scored 96. It was just a taste of things to come.
Walker had an insane 1997 season. He hit .366, cranked 49 homers and 46 doubles, scored 143 runs, drove in 130 runs,
stole 33 bases. No one had ever put together a number cocktail quite like that. He won the MVP award. He won the Gold
Glove. He won everything.
But how good a season was it? It was hard to tell. Walker didnt stop. In 1998, Walker hit .363, won his first batting title,
cracked 46 doubles and 23 homers and won another Gold Glove. He hit .418 at home and .302 on the road.
In 1999, he had one of the craziest home/road splits ever.
On the road, he hit .286 and slugged .519 with 11 homers a nice year.
At Coors Field, he hit .461, slugged .879 and hit 26 homers.
It all added up to a .379 batting average, one of the highest in the last 75 years. Well, yeah: The guy hit .461 at home. But
what did it mean? Bill James, in his entry about Larry Walker in the Historical Baseball Abstract, wrote about phony baseball
statistics and wondered whether, at Hall of Fame time, people would see through them.
In 2001, Walker grabbed his third batting title by hitting .350, and he threw in 35 homers and 38 doubles, drove in 123 RBIs.
Again, he hit better than .400 at home and less than .300 on the road.
In 2002, he had another 1.000 OPS season. He had five of those 1.000 OPS seasons the same number as Willie Mays,
one more than Henry Aaron. People were so baffled by the Coors Field effect, Walker didnt even make the All-Star team.
#EdgarHOF
In all, Walker hit .313/.400/.565 for his career split numbers that are almost unmatched. Only ten men in baseball history
with 5,000 or more plate appearances have hit .300/.400/.550:
1. Jimmie Foxx
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Hank Greenberg
4. Rogers Hornsby
5. Stan Musial
6. Manny Ramirez
7. Babe Ruth
8. Frank Thomas
9. Larry Walker
10. Ted Williams
Of those 10, you will note, only Walker has more than 200 stolen bases. Only Walker had the reputation as an excellent
fielder.
So what do you do with all this? Who the heck knows? You dont want to give Walker too much credit for his crazy Coors
Field numbers. But you also dont want to forget that Walker was one of those rare players who did EVERYTHING well and
was developing into a superstar before he ever went to Colorado.
What to do? For me, the last spot on my Hall of Fame ballot came down to Walker and Edgar Martinez. Both had amazing
careers. Both have obvious flaws in their case. I think Martinez was the better hitter. I think Walker clearly did more things
well. What to do? I voted Edgar. If I had 11 spots, I would have voted Walker also.
Here are the ten on my official Hall of Fame ballot:
10. Edgar Martinez
No. 3 first base/DH not in the Hall of Fame
I have him at No. 3 at his position behind Jeff Bagwell and Jim Thome.
People often say that designated hitters are specialists. I dont think that is true. Yes, they dont play in the field. But a
specialist is, by definition, a person highly skilled in a specific and restricted field.
Hitting is not a specific or restricted field. Hitting is more or less half of baseball. If hitting is a specialty then so is pitching.
Martinez was a genius of a hitter. Michael Schur brought up this point: Edgar was 11 for 19 against Mariano Rivera with
three doubles and two home runs. Its a small point, yes, but its a pretty good statistic. Pitcher after pitcher will tell you that
Edgar Martinez was the toughest hitter they ever faced.
9. Alan Trammell
No. 4 infielder not in the Hall of Fame
It looks like Trammell, in his final year on the ballot, will get a nice boost but he wont get close to the necessary 75 percent.
Ive often wondered if Trammells Hall of Fame story would have been different had he won the 1987 MVP Award. He should
have won it, but instead lost out to George Bell, who had a cosmetically great season, but Trammell was a lot better.
#EdgarHOF
Maybe that would not have made any difference at all after all, Dale Murphy won back-to-back MVPs and couldnt get
any real Hall of Fame traction. But Trammell compares so well to almost every Hall of Fame shortstop, and maybe an MVP
would have made that clearer to the masses. Trammells case will soon be in the hands of the Hall of Fame veterans
committee. Maybe they will take a look at a Lou Whitaker-Alan Trammell double.
8. Tim Raines
Early Hall of Fame balloting shows Raines over the 75-percent line. Most people think that when the actual votes come in,
Raines will fall just shy setting him up for election next year in his final ballot.
But there is a chance he will get in this year. Wouldnt that be great?
Ive written many, many times about Raines. He was as good a player as Hall of Famer Lou Brock. He was as good a player
as Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. He was as good a player as Hall of Fame teammate Andre Dawson (even if Raines himself
does not believe that). And so on.
Instead of covering that familiar ground, lets take a moment to remember just how good Tim Raines was at stealing bases.
Rickey Henderson stole about 500 more bases than anyone in baseball history. He was successful an excellent 81 percent
of the time.
Lou Brock was successful 75 percent of the time. Maury Wills, often credited with bringing the stolen base back into the
game, was successful about that same percentage.
Vince Coleman once stole 50 bases in a row; he was successful 81 percent of the time. Joe Morgan, the greatest baserunner
of his generation, was successful 81 percent of the time. Willie Wilson, who I believe was the fastest man ever to play Major
League Baseball, was successful an astonishing 83 percent of the time. It does not seem possible for anyone to top that
percentage.
Tim Raines was successful stealing on 808 of 954 attempts. Thats 85 percent of the time. Its untouchable.
7. Mike Mussina
No. 3 pitcher not in the Hall of Fame
6. Curt Schilling
It is time to start unloading some rage about the ongoing Curt Schilling Hall of Fame snub. A few years ago, you might recall
that many, many baseball writers rallied around Jack Morris as a Hall of Fame candidate.
Morris was, by anyones reasoning, a flawed Hall of Fame candidate. His 3.90 ERA would have been the highest in the Hall
of Fame. He did not win 300 games. He did not strike out 3,000 batters. He did not win a Cy Young Award. His 1.78 strikeout-
to-walk ratio was pretty pedestrian it ranks 146th of the 229 pitchers with 2,000 innings since 1950.
But many voters were happy to overlook these imperfections because Morris was a workhorse (he led the league in innings
pitched once and finished in the top 10 several other times). He was reliable. And he had one of the greatest postseason
pitching performances in baseball history his 10-inning shutout against Atlanta in the 1991 World Series.
#EdgarHOF
I was not a Morris Hall of Fame guy (to say the least), but I grew to appreciate why voters were so passionate about his
case.
Now heres Curt Schilling. His ERA is a half run better than Morris. He did strike out 3,000 batters. He did not win a Cy
Young Award either, but he finished second three times, twice to Randy Johnson. And his 4.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio is,
yes, the best in baseball history.
To me, that last sentence alone should be enough to get Curt Schilling into the Hall fo Fame.
But heres the baffling part. All those things that writers supposedly loved about Morris are so much more true of Schilling.
He was a workhorse (he TWICE led the league in innings pitched and finished in the top 10 several other times). And he
has a case as the greatest postseason pitcher ever. Schilling went 11-2 in October with a 2.23 ERA, a 4.80 strikeout-to-
walk ratio, two shutouts and numerous legendary performances including the bloody sock game and a couple of gutsy
games against the Yankees in 2001.
Curt Schilling should have been elected on the first ballot. He was not, in part (I suspect) because he only won 216 games
and there are still people all caught up in pitcher wins. But I fear a lot of people are snubbing Schilling because they dont
like him. And thats shameful. Curt Schilling was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. He won big games his
whole career. These are the only things that matter when it comes to voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mussina was an ace who was never quite recognized as an ace, and that has carried over a bit into his Hall of Fame journey.
But I think people are beginning to appreciate just how good a pitcher he was. He should take a nice percentage leap this
year, and I now believe he will get elected by the BBWAA.
5. Mike Piazza
No. 1 catcher not in the Hall of Fame
I think Piazza will get elected this year, and when he does maybe we stop with the silly steroid whispers that have marred
this Hall of Fame process for way too long. I dont know if Mike Piazza used PEDs, and you dont either. There was no
testing. Thats the point. There was no testing and no effort to punish steroid users and no plan to keep performance-
enhancing drugs out of the game. Thats the real travesty.
And, in my view, its time to stop fighting that old fight. Everyone should focus on how to handle PEDs now and in the future
because it will be a challenge. Performance-enhancing drugs will get better. They will become harder to trace. They will
become safer and perhaps even legal. How will baseball deal with the future? This is what matters. Its time to stop trying
to win the battle of the 1990s. That battle is over.
Piazza was the greatest hitting catcher in baseball history.
4. Jeff Bagwell
No. 1 first baseman/DH not in the Hall of Fame
Here is the one to watch: Bagwell is RIGHT on the cusp. He could get elected this year. He also could fall just short. It will
be very, very close.
3. Ken Griffey Jr.
#EdgarHOF
Back in those naive days when everybody loathed Barry Bonds simply because he acted like a jerk a lot, Ken Griffey, Jr.,
was viewed, by consensus, as the best player in baseball. Well, Griffey was fun. Bonds was dour. Griffey radiated joy.
Bonds radiated rage. Griffey played centerfield and had a luscious, musical swing. Bonds played left and had a violent swing
that made us think of a gangster with a Tommy Gun.
They had much in common. They were both left-handed sons of 1970s baseball stars. They were both baseball prodigies
who played about 100 minor league games before getting the big-league call. They both hit 16 home runs their rookie years
and flashed promise for down-on-their-luck franchises. By the time they reached 30, each player already had one foot in
Cooperstown.
And just about everyone thought or wanted to think Griffey was the better player.
In the 1990s, Junior hit .304/.384/.581 with 382 homers and more than 1,000 RBIs and runs scored. He won the Gold Glove
every year, and he made the All-Star Geam every year. He led the league in homers four times, runs once, RBIs once and
so on. He was on pace to break Henry Aarons home run record. He was a fantastic player and a wonder to behold.
He just wasnt Barry Bonds.
We will never know the full extent of Barry Bonds PED use or how much of a role it played in his career. The popular
storyline goes like this: In the late 1990s, he grew sickened by the way PEDs had puffed up otherwise inferior players. In
response, he bulked up himself to show people what a real superhero looks like. Mission accomplished.
But were not talking about that Bonds, were talking about 1990s Bonds.
From 1990 to 1999, Barry Bonds hit .302/.434/.602 with 361 home runs and more than 1,000 RBIs and runs scored. You
might say thats similar to Griffey, and you can do that if you want to ignore 50 points of on-base percentage and 20 points
of slugging percentage. But consider this: Bonds hit in a tougher ballpark. He stole about 200 more bases than Griffey. He
won eight Gold Gloves himself even at a time when it was very hard for left fielders to win a Gold Glove.
Griffey will sail into the Hall of Fame this year, and I hope its unanimous. Bonds will not get elected at all because he
presumably abused PEDs and a majority of Hall of Fame voters believe that disqualifies him from the Hall of Fame reward.
Griffey was extraordinary. Bonds was the best player of his generation.
2. Roger Clemens
There are those who will say that Sandy Koufax was the greatest pitcher of all time.
There are those who will say that Pedro Martinez was the greatest pitcher of all time.
By the numbers, Clemens was essentially Koufax PLUS Martinez.
Ive broken this down before, but if you want it quickly: Clemens in Boston went 192-111 with a 144 ERA+, two Cy Young
awards, and an MVP. Its not QUITE the Pedro Martinez career, but its very, very close.
Clemens after Boston went 162-73 with a 140 ERA+ and four Cy Young awards. That was pretty much Koufaxs career.
Roger Clemens by the numbers had TWO Hall of Fame careers. Even if you want to take one away because of his alleged
PED use, it seems overkill to take away the other.
1. Barry Bonds
#EdgarHOF
No. 1 outfielder and player not in the Hall of Fame
If Barry Bonds had retired at age 33 after the 1998 season supposedly when he got the idea to start juicing he would
have had a career where he hit .290/.411/.556 with 400 homers, 400 steals, eight Gold Gloves and three MVP awards. He
would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer and remembered as one of the greatest in the games history.
Instead, Bonds did not retire. He went on to hit .306/.505/.712 with 351 more homers. He broke the single-season home
run record. He broke the career home run record. He won four straight MVP awards. He was so good that he broke the
game managers intentionally walked him 120 times in one season. And now he cant get even 50 percent of the Hall of
Fame vote.
As Morpheus once said: Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.
December 16, 2016

The 10 players Id elect to the Baseball Hall of Fame and those who miss the cut
By Jonah Keri | CBS Sports
Before we get into an extended discussion of the Baseball Hall of Fame, let's take a moment to ask this question: Why the
hell should anyone care about the Baseball Hall of Fame?
It's a fair question to ask. On a global scale, authoritarian governments are bombing ancient cities filled with thousands of
innocent people. On a national scale, we face major quandaries related to the economy, health care, voting rights,
reproductive rights and an overall lack of empathy that makes too many of us sneer at those who look or act differently
than we do.
Hell, it's not even immediately clear why the Hall should matter if you're a baseball fan. Why sweat what a bunch of writers
think about a bunch of dudes who played a bunch of years ago, especially when some of those writers can't be bothered
to apply consistent logic to the process of voting?
These are the three reasons I care:
First, the Hall of Fame induction process matters because it's a chance to recognize greatness. When a top player is in the
middle of his career, it can be tough to take a step back and appreciate just how transcendent he was at his craft. If you
ever visit the Hall, you can learn about Ruth and Mays and Maddux and dozens of all-time greats whose accomplishments
might otherwise be lost to the sands of time. The Hall as an institution is an impressive museum, one that honors the history
of the game. History, in all forms, is worth preserving.
Second, inductions offer fans a chance to celebrate their favorites one last time. I attended the 2015 induction ceremony in
Cooperstown and experienced all of that joy first-hand. Swarms of Braves fans showed up to fete John Smoltz. Fans of
total domination saluted Randy Johnson. A kindergarten classmate of Craig Biggio's joined legions of Astros fans to honor
Houston's superstar. And when it came to the legend Pedro Martinez, Red Sox Nation and Expos Nation linked arms in
tipsy celebration.
But really, the best reason to care is for the players themselves. I recently hosted Tim Raines on my podcast, and asked
him why the Hall matters for him. Though he acknowledged the sense of affirmation that would come with getting in, Raines
said the bigger deal would be getting to share the honor with his family. With his dad, an excellent athlete who couldn't quite
make it to the big leagues, and with his six-year-old twin daughters, who never saw him play but would get to stand in the
July sunshine and start to understand what their dad once did, many moons ago when he was a younger man.
Now that we're all in, let's look at the 10 most worthy candidates on this year's Hall of Fame ballot, plus a few words on
some notable omissions. I'll break down my hypothetical* 10-man ballot in descending order of Hall worthiness.
(*To acquire Hall of Fame voting rights, you need to be a Baseball Writers Association of America member for 10 years.
There are no criteria for becoming a voter other than 10 years served, and no way to lose your voting rights once you get
them, short of aggressively soliciting public opinion or being off the baseball beat for a long, looooong time. If you're a
professional lion tamer who hasn't covered baseball for five years and votes for nobody other than Krusty The Klown every
#EdgarHOF
year, you can keep right on voting! My ballot, on the other hand, is hypothetical, because I have seven years left to reach
the 10-year BBWAA milestone, after getting rejected for membership on my first two tries.)
Jonahs hypothetical ballot

Barry Bonds
Withholding votes from players because they were suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs, during an era in which
the majority of players probably used some sort of PEDs, has always struck me as a bizarre line of thinking. We can't just
throw a quarter-century of baseball history (or really, more, since amphetamines certainly enhanced performance) into the
trash.
We have metrics that adjust for league-wide offensive numbers, so that 40 homers in 2001 are treated differently than 40
homers in 1971. And we have multiple players already enshrined in the Hall of Fame who used performance-enhancing
drugs. With Enabler-In-Chief and Murderer of the 1994 Season Bud Selig now headed for induction next summer, multiple
voters have recognized the hypocrisy of keeping the best players of the '80s, '90s and 2000s out, and will be voting
accordingly.
So yeah, you're out of excuses not to vote for Barry Bonds, the greatest baseball player you're likely to see in your lifetime.
Roger Clemens
Only 217 major leaguers have plaques hanging in the Baseball Hall of Fame. For some voters, that tiny number isn't tiny
enough.
In each of the past several years, the Hall of Fame ballot has offered at least 10 candidates who, based on historical
precedent, would be worthy of induction. Yet every year, a subset of voters consistently overlooks that precedent. These
"small Hall" voters believe that Cooperstown is the promised land, that it's the dominion of Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, and
that most of the other 215 former big leaguers in the Hall don't belong there.
Which ... fine, that's one way to look at it, anyway. But man, just once I would love to see one of these small Hall voters go
all the way with this. Barry Bonds is the greatest hitter since Ted Williams ... maybe since Ruth. By the numbers, Roger
Clemens might be the greatest pitcher of all time. Just once, let's see one of these gatekeeper voters pick only Bonds and
Clemens, the two best candidates on the ballot by a mile.
Jeff Bagwell
How did we all learn to count? On our fingers and toes, and by units of 10, because that's how many fingers, and toes, most
of us are born with. Over time, this becomes a tough habit to shake. Our need to find order in a world of chaos compels us
to count by 10s, and multiples thereof.
This is also how many of us, Hall of Fame voters included, evaluate baseball players' careers. Bang out 3,000 hits, and
unless you gamble on baseball or get the PED scarlet letter slapped on you, you're in the Hall. Rack up 300 wins, and the
same honor awaits.
For decades, 500 home runs offered a similar guarantee. That is, until the high-offense era of the '90s and early 2000s
changed the record books forever. The jarring power numbers put up by Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and others
have confused the hell out of the count-with-your-fingers crowd.
Jeff Bagwell has flummoxed those befuddled voters. He was a muscular player who played in the '90s, so we have plenty
of holdouts who've decided that he was a juicer, despite the fact that there's zero hard evidence to support that claim
(leaving aside the ridiculousness of the PED witch hunt, as we just discussed when it comes to Selig and Bonds). And he
also didn't hit 500 home runs, his career total of 449 making some skeptics wonder why they should view Bagwell as
significantly better than, say, Fred McGriff (493 home runs).
This is precisely why advanced baseball stats were invented -- to help us better understand and appreciate how good these
guys really are. With the help of park-adjusted numbers we can account for the offense-squashing environment of the
cavernous Astrodome -- where Bagwell played half his games for the first nine seasons of his 15-year career -- and thus
see that Bagwell's 449 homers and career .297/.408/.540 line become downright spectacular (better than Hall of Fame
power hitters Harmon Killebrew, Willie McCovey or Willie Stargell). Add Bagwell's impressive athleticism (he stole 202
#EdgarHOF
bases, the sixth-highest total for any first baseman in the past century) and excellent defense, and you have a player for
the ages.
Curt Schilling
The Hall of Fame keeps its rules for election purposely vague, because that way the voters can tie themselves up in knots
with twisted logic, rather than just voting for the best players on the ballot. That in turn triggers months of heated arguments
and debate, which is exactly what you want if you're a museum based in remote upstate New York that wants to stay
relevant, even when the vast majority of baseball fans will never come to visit. One passage in particular has caused
torrential levels of tsuris among voters in recent years -- the so-called character clause.
"Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the
team(s) on which the player played."
This means ... I have no idea what the hell this means. The character clause was constructed in a purposely vague way by
the Hall way back in 1944, and it has been used by voters as a cudgel against suspected PED users or just muscular dudes
who happened to play baseball in the '90s. There are lots of shady characters already enshrined in the Hall, some of whom
did way, way worse things than take some drugs to hit the ball further or throw the ball harder. Rather than try to grasp
some mystical meaning from this silly clause, my hypothetical vote simply goes to the players whose accomplishments on
the field warrant induction, given the Hall's historical standards. I won't hold the clause against, say, Bonds or Clemens.
And I'm not going to hold it against Curt Schilling either. The 20-year major-league veteran might hold political views that
don't sit well with half the country. He might express those views in a way that goes beyond differences of opinion over
policy and into darker territory. But he was also one of the most dominant pitchers of all time, a six-time All-Star who ranks
15th all-time in strikeouts, third in strikeout-to-walk rate and 21st in park-adjusted ERA for any pitcher with 3,000 or more
regular-season innings pitched (sandwiched between Hall of Famers Jim Palmer and John Smoltz). He's one of the greatest
playoff performers in baseball history, with 133 1/3 career postseason innings and a sparkling 2.23 ERA. Love or hate the
guy, his numbers punch his ticket.
Mike Mussina
The move toward league-wide five-man rotations 30-plus years ago, combined with the more recent increased role of
bullpens, gives starting pitchers fewer cracks at wins. That's why -- leaving aside how dependent pitcher wins are on factors
beyond a pitcher's control -- it makes no sense to use old standards when evaluating pitchers for the Hall of Fame. The
number of times a pitcher won 20 games in a season, whether or not he won 300 games in his career ... throw all of that
out the window.
The more modern approach is to combine a pitcher's ability to prevent runs with his ability to excel at factors he can best
control (striking batters out while limiting walks and home runs) and to throw lots of innings, then adjust for contextual factors
such as ballpark effects. The final step is to weigh those accomplishments against the pitchers already inducted into the
Hall. For that last part, we can use Jay Jaffe's JAWS system. JAWS stacks up every Hall of Famer at a given position based
on a combination of career and peak value, then establishes an average level for Hall of Famers at that position. If your
rsum bests that average, you have a strong case; if you come in lower than that threshold, you're less worthy.
By JAWS, Mike Mussina rates as the 28th-best pitcher of all time. He rates as better than the average Hall of Fame pitcher,
better even than the already enshrined Tom Glavine (who's in thanks largely to his success coming on some fantastic
Braves teams, which in turn pumped up his career win totals). Hell, by JAWS Mussina even holds the upper hand over
Nolan Ryan, who's considered by many to be in the inner circle of Hall of Fame pitchers, when in fact he benefited greatly
from pitching in some pitcher-friendly parks while also walking batters at a very high rate. I was banging the drum for Mussina
as a worthy Hall of Famer back in 2008, when he was still playing. Nothing has made me change my mind since then.
Ivan Rodriguez
Rodriguez rates as the third-best catcher of all time by JAWS, behind only Johnny Bench and Gary Carter and ahead of
legends like Carlton Fisk, Yogi Berra and Mike Piazza. Though defensive metrics get fuzzier the further back you go,
advanced stats rate him as the best defensive catcher ever, a status that many long-time talent evaluators within the game
will support.
#EdgarHOF
Even adjusting for those offense-friendly years in Arlington and the overall updraft of the 1990s, Rodriguez's career line of
.296/.334/.464 with 311 homers ranks near the top of the heap among players who strapped on the tools of ignorance. With
2,543 games played, Rodriguez is also the all-time leader in for anyone who played the bulk of his career at catcher.
So really, his candidacy this year will come down to two factors. Voters will first need to look past the "he was muscular in
the '90s" standard that has dogged Bagwell, Mike Piazza and other players never found to have taken anything. And they'll
also need to brush off first-time-on-the-ballot bias, the one that claims that if Joe DiMaggio didn't make it in on his first try,
almost nobody should. Never mind that when DiMaggio first came up for vote, the backlog of all-time greats made it nearly
impossible for voters to reach consensus. And that the first-ballot obsession is a pure fabrication concocted by overzealous
voters, one that's not codified anywhere in the Hall's voting guidelines.
Pudge kicked ass. He's an easy call.
Tim Raines
You already know.
Larry Walker
Yes, Larry Walker. Ahead of several other candidates who are getting far more support, even among relatively progressive
voters.
Walker received just 15.5 percent of the vote in his sixth try on the ballot last year. Voters felt that his prime years in Colorado
benefited too much from the offense-friendly confines of Coors Field. This argument would hold more water if Walker didn't
hit an incredible .314/.410/.592 during his phenomenal 1997-99 prime ... away from Coors Field. His overall numbers during
his peak years, of course, were even gaudier, with his 1997 MVP season ranking as the best performance in the 1990s by
any National League hitter not named Barry Bonds, Jeff Bagwell, Gary Sheffield, Mark McGwire or Mike Piazza.
The other complaint against Walker is that he was injury-prone, and thus didn't accumulate enough value to rank among
the sport's all-time greats. Here again, we'll go back to JAWS. Combine both Walker's otherworldly peak with his career
numbers, add his tremendous defense (seven Gold Gloves) and base-running skills and you get the 11th-best right fielder
of all time, a player with a better statistical profile than Tony Gwynn or Dave Winfield. Come on down, Booger.
Manny Ramirez
Major League Baseball instituted its Joint Drug Policy in 2006, going from a Wild West mentality in which gobs of players
juiced and no one seemed to care to an environment that included far stricter drug-testing policies and clear penalties for
offenders. Unlike players like Bonds, who were widely suspected of using but never actually caught, Manny Ramirez got
busted under the new system. Twice.
Ramirez put up ridiculous numbers, batting .312/.411/.585 for his career and ranking 25th among all hitters in the past
century for park-adjusted offense (ahead of even DiMaggio). That offensive brilliance was enough to override his sometimes
comically bad play in left field and lack of base-running contributions, making him a deserving Hall of Famer by regular-
season numbers alone. Add his .285/.394/.544 line in 111 career playoff games (plus two rings), and you have a compelling
case.
That said, if you're ever going to invoke the character clause for a PED user, Manny is it: a player with Hall-worthy but not
inner-circle numbers, who actually failed two drug tests once the Joint Drug Agreement kicked in, rather than merely being
accused of juicing.
I have him on my fake ballot anyway. But I wouldn't bat an eyelash at any voter who opted to leave him off, especially with
so many other deserving players also vying to get in.
Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martinez, career: .312/.418/.515, 147 wRC+ (meaning he hit 47 percent better than league average in his
career, 30th best of any hitter in the past century and in a virtual tie with Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Ralph
Kiner), 66.4 Wins Above Replacement (per Baseball-Reference)
David Ortiz, career: .286/.380/.552, 140 wRC+ (40 percent better than league average, 59th best in the past century
and in a virtual tie with Hall of Famer Mike Piazza ... and also Kal Daniels, Kevin Mitchell and Gene Tenace), 55.4
Wins Above Replacement (per Baseball-Reference -- the gap is even wider if we use Fangraphs' version of WAR)
#EdgarHOF
Ortiz is going to sail into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot when he becomes eligible because he won three rings, because
he came up with lots of big hits in the playoffs and because he played in a major media market. Martinez is on his eighth try
because he derived a large portion of his career value on doubles (as opposed to flashier home runs) and because the
teams he played on mostly underachieved, thus preventing him from having an opportunity to shine under October's bright
spotlight.
This is insane, given Martinez's superior overall numbers. And you know what? If we're going to invoke intangibles, Edgar
came up with the hit that got a damn stadium built in Seattle, which might have saved the franchise from extinction.
My Hall has Edgar in it.
Missed the cut

Trevor Hoffmann, Billy Wagner, Lee Smith
Voters' fetish for voting in relievers makes zero sense. Modern-day relief pitchers are, with only rare exceptions, failed
starters. They usually come into games with the bases empty, often up two or more runs, needing only three outs (typically
five to 20 pitches) to finish the game. The notion that even the best pitchers filling such a limited role could be more valuable
to a team than a top starter or an MVP-contending position player is nuts.
Go take a poll of people in baseball and ask them if they would trade the best seasons in the careers of Trevor Hoffman or
Lee Smith for the best seasons put up by Larry Walker or Manny Ramirez or Vladimir Guerrero ... or even Jeff Kent and
Gary Sheffield, two fantastic players who won't come anywhere close to the 75 percent vote count needed to make the Hall.
They'll laugh you right out of the room.
Being one of the best of all time at a job that requires you to throw 75 innings a year doesn't constitute a valid Hall of Fame
argument. Acknowledging that closers do throw in higher-leverage situations than starting pitchers do, it's tough to take a
player's candidacy seriously when a simple check on career value lands you behind the likes of Pedro f'ing Astacio.
Vladimir Guerrero
By traditional measures, Vlad has a good a case, batting .318/.379/.553 with 449 homers, more runs batted in than Eddie
Mathews (13 fewer than Mickey Mantle) and maybe the most terrifying arm you'll ever see. By JAWS, he falls a bit short of
the bar, though in a virtual dead heat with Hall of Famer Dave Winfield and ahead of Hall of Famers Enos Slaughter, Elmer
Flick, Sam Rice and others. You can argue for him or against him and make a convincing case, though on an overcrowded
ballot, he's probably the 11th-best candidate ... and the recent BBWAA attempt to expand the ballot to 12 spots got killed
by the Hall.
I wrote an entire section on him in Up, Up, & Away, outlining the unforgettable way he played, and the way he defied
comparisons to anyone else who ever played. A sample:
Doug Glanville: "2001, it's the ninth inning, tie game, and Rheal Cormier is trying to unintentionally intentionally walk
him. First pitch, in the dirt. The second, at his eyeballs. Third pitch is at least eight inches outside. He reaches out
... opposite-field walk-off."
Rheal Cormier: "There's no pitch he can't reach. I've seen him hit balls a foot outside off Greg Maddux for a home
run the other way. The guy is not human. He should be in another league."
Acta: "Vlad comes to the park one day, rubbing his palms together. 'Kevin Brown is pitching today, I'm going to
crush him.' Keep in mind Kevin Brown might've had the nastiest sinker of his generation. He has a decent Hall of
Fame argument. First pitch: monster home run. [Vlad] comes back to the dugout, cackling. Cackling!"
Vlad was a bad, bad man.
-- more --
#EdgarHOF
December 12, 2016

My Hall of Fame Ballot Breakdown
By Mark Newman | Sports on Earth
Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines are checked for the first time. Ten boxes are checked for the first time. WAR, JAWS and
other analytics were primary criteria for the first time.
This longtime Hall of Fame voter ranked and analyzed what he considers to be the 15 best 2017 Hall of Fame candidates
in much detail here for the first time, instead of the usual handful of checked names plus a 75-word blurb. I put this out
there in advance for the first time so it can be part of the public discourse, leading up to the Hall of Fame's Jan. 18
announcement.
Baseball players make adjustments throughout their careers, whether it is adding a new pitch, moving to a new position,
or changing their mechanics. I believe the same is required of Hall of Fame voters as the game evolves, so to that end, I
modernize my own voting process.
Here are the reasons, none of which have anything to do with PEDs, which became formally banned through collective
bargaining (I continue to not speculate on anyone before that):
Too many legends from a generation have been kept out or held to unfair standards.
Too many cases where comparative analytics tell a different story than you perceived.
Too many empty boxes left unchecked on previous ballot submissions.
Too many times I almost dreaded the arrival of the ballot instead of embracing it.
Last year, after mailing back my ballot and then monitoring Ryan Thibodaux's BBHOF Tracker, I decided to start with a
blank slate. I sought helpful counsel from Cory Schwartz, our vice president of statistics here at MLB Advanced Media, on
better ways to evaluate and compare numbers. I had a similar discussion with Mike Petriello, our analyst and host of the
Statcast podcast. It is less clear to me that we in the media are the best electorate for this process, but I continue to do
my part and this year promise to do a better job with the allotted 10 boxes.
As a reminder, a candidate must receive at least 75 percent of the ballots cast. There are 15 holdovers and 19
newcomers. Ballots must be postmarked by Dec. 31, with the results to be announced on MLB Network on Jan. 18 and
inductions to take place next July 30. Here, in order, are the 10 who got my vote this time and some detailed notes on why
I made the decision.
1. Barry Bonds
Seven Most Valuable Players awards, four more than anyone else. Only Willie Mays (1) and Babe Ruth (2) top him on my
own all-time list of all-time players. Bonds' 162.4 WAR and 117.6 JAWS are far beyond any left fielder. Home Run King
with 762, like it or not, and with Henry Aaron's own blessing. All-time leader with 2,558 walks and 688 intentional walks,
proof that no one ever scared pitchers (and opposing managers) more.
That's just the offense. Bonds earned eight Gold Gloves and his defense was legendary in his prime. He liked to talk --
when he talked -- of keeping batters out of "my house," as he called left field. And they did. Opposing managers like
Bobby Cox knew this.
I have voted for Bonds since he first became eligible, and I was one of the few voters who -- going back to Mark
McGwire's first year of eligibility -- stated that I would be voting with no regard to PED speculation. As I said back then,
journalists cannot be put in a position of being moral police regarding matters that happen unbeknownst to them. It is an
altogether different matter when considering candidates such as Manny Ramirez. I am glad to see that the trend among
voters has inched more toward my initial thought process, and that might signal a gradual increase in the percentages for
Bonds and Clemens.
Weaknesses: Lacked sufficient postseason impact, notably always disappearing for Pittsburgh. 2002 postseason was a
lone breakout run, with eight overall homers and a terrific World Series. Also, one must note he was a surly, universally
unlikeable individual to most media and many fans.
Voting record: 36.2 in 2013, 34.7, 36.8, 44.3. If he keeps climbing into the 50s, I believe the conversation and the
pressure will grow more serious among holdouts.
#EdgarHOF
2. Roger Clemens
Most dominant starting pitcher in baseball history, above Big Train and the Ryan Express, maybe behind only former
teammate Mariano Rivera among overall pitchers all-time. Seven Cy Young Awards, followed by Randy Johnson with five
and Carlton/Maddux with four. The only other pitcher with three or more who is not in the HOF is Clayton Kershaw.
Only Walter Johnson (165.6/127.5) and Cy Young (168.5/123.9) had higher WAR/JAWS among starters and they worked
in an era when starters pitched all the time and had outsized impact. Clemens won 354 games and struck out 4,672 batters
despite the end-to-end era of specialized relievers forcing him out of games that those guys would have finished, and some
of those departures resulted in no-decisions and losses. Clemens' dominance extended from rookie excellence to very end
through Houston's World Series.
Postseason: Pitched in six World Series, won two rings, but should have had three (Mookie/Buckner). Many Division Series
struggles, but typically improved deeper into the playoffs. Overall: 199 innings, 12 wins, 173 Ks in postseasons with three
clubs.
Drawback: Fate is inexorably intertwined with Bonds, not altogether fairly. Only one (Clemens) was a postseason stud.
Voting record: 37.6 in 2013, 35.4, 37.5, 45.2. Must keep increasing.
3. Ivan Rodriguez
Not only should it be the second year in a row for a catcher to go in, but also first-ballot. Rodriguez likely would be the first
in 14 years, since Nolan Ryan, to go in with a Rangers cap. That would make for a nice speech, because Rodriguez was a
rookie in Texas catching for Ryan in 1991.
Only Hall of Famers Johnny Bench (75.0/61.0) and Gary Carter (69.9/59.1) have higher WAR/JAWS than his 68.4/54.0
ratings among catchers ... 14 ASG, 13 GG, 2,844 hits, one ring, 2,427 games behind the plate (health/endurance) ... 1999
AL MVP, with a .332 average, 35 homers, 113 RBIs, 25 SB, 116 runs.
Rodriguez had mixed postseason results, but plenty of highlights. On Oct. 4, 2003, he fielded Jeff Conine's throw to the
plate and blocked J.T. Snow, hanging on to the ball and securing the NL Wild Card Series victory over San Francisco. Won
a ring with the Marlins that year, and what I remember most was Game 5 against the Cubs in Miami, where Josh Beckett
threw at Sammy Sosa's helmet -- but Pudge took control of the situation, cooling off Sosa in a classic veteran leadership
moment. Rodriguez was only 8-for-48 (.167) for Detroit in the 2006 postseason, including 3-for-19 (.158) in the World Series.
Because Jose Canseco said Rodriguez juiced, I won't be surprised if some old-school voters hold back. Again, that is a
moot point in my analysis, which would consider only cases where evidence and punishment happened via the new drug
program.
4. Tim Raines
This is my first time checking Raines on the ballot, in his final try.
Qualifications: No. 8 all-time WAR (69.1)/JAWS (55.6) among LF. Average of 19 HOFers at this position: 65.1/53.3. Of the
top 13 in those categories, only Bonds (see above) and Ramirez (new to ballot) are not in the Hall. Raines led MLB in stolen
bases four straight years (1981-84), when high steal numbers were still sexy. He stole 71 in '81, and if not for the strike, he
might have been the one to break Lou Brock's single-season record of 118 steals, surpassed a year later by Rickey
Henderson.
He lacked Henderson's overall power among leadoff elite and paid outsized price for that in press perception. But I compared
some of Rickey's stats to those of Raines, and the margins are not as big as I had thought: 127-123 OPS+; 1,406-808 SB;
2,295-1,571 R; 3,055-2,605 H; 1,115-980 RBIs. Remember, some of those numbers are all-time records for Henderson;
Raines was in his neighborhood in Hall consideration. By the way: seven straight All-Star Games in the 1980s, relevant in
perception as elite over an extended period.
Postseason: Raines played a noteworthy role in the launch of a Yankees dynasty. After New York lost the first two games
to Atlanta at home in the 1996 World Series, he walked and scored the first run in the first inning of a Game 3 victory, then
scored the decisive run in the 10th inning of a Game 4 victory to tie it. It was his only World Series, though he got a ring in
#EdgarHOF
'98 after playing in the first two rounds. Overall, Raines appeared in five postseasons totaling 34 games, batting
.270/.340/.349 with 18 runs. When Toronto repeated in '93, he was the biggest hurdle to overcome in that ALCS (.444, 5R).
5. Jeff Bagwell
This is my first time checking Bagwell on the ballot, in his seventh year of eligibility. His percentages are 41.7 in 2011, 56.0,
59.6, 54.3, 55.7, 71.6. Last year, I actually contacted the BBWAA a week after mailing in my ballot, losing sleep over the
fact I had omitted him; there can be no change after it's postmarked. I expect him to be the top vote-getter this time.
Bagwell was sixth among first basemen for WAR (79.6) and JAWS (63.9). He had a 149 OPS+, meaning he was 49 percent
better than the adjusted league average. 1994 NL MVP, and note that before labor stoppage he played in only 110 games
but managed 39 HR, 116 RBIs, 104 R, 15 SB, 300 TB and finished with 213 OPS+.
He finished with 449 homers, 2,314 hits and four All-Star Games. Those are not HOF numbers, but I overweighted that in
the past. Voting for him now makes me think that I might have voted for Don Mattingly during his eligibility.
6. Edgar Martinez
Free this man. Martinez hit .312/.418/.515 with 514 doubles and a 147 OPS+ in 2,055 games. He was a seven-time All-
Star. He spent his whole career with one team (Seattle), like Ripken, Gwynn, Brett and others who gained unquestionable
HOF favor from such loyalty. Being the best DH ever is a baseball honor and worthy of induction, not penalization. Go sit
through half of a baseball game and try to come off the bench fresh and in the flow of a game and be as productive as this
guy was; it's harder in some ways.
Martinez is exactly at the average batting rank for HOF players. One can always argue that since he was a DH, then being
average in batting should exclude him. Fair enough. But you can't blame Edgar for that, in hindsight. Lou Piniella found a
great formula as the Mariners' manager, using him as his DH and it stayed that way. Nevertheless, Edgar still ranks 11th
all-time among third baseman with a 68.3 WAR, only two behind Ron Santo. (Scott Rolen is among them, and more on that
next year, when he becomes eligible.)
The DH has been a fact of life in the AL since 1973 and it is going nowhere. Just as closers have been celebrated for their
specialty craft, so too should the best DHs of all-time be feted. Martinez ranks strong at third base and only David Ortiz was
better at simply being a DH.
Let's not forget what happened on Oct. 8, 1995, either. In the bottom of the 11th inning in the decisive Game 5, Edgar swung
effortlessly at a Jack McDowell pitch and ripped it into the left-field corner for a two-run, walk-off double, ending a thrilling
AL Division Series against the Yankees. Martinez was a dazzling 12-for-21 (.571) with three doubles, two homers and 10
RBIs in that series.
7. Curt Schilling
His strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.38 is better than any pitcher with at least 3,000 innings since 1893, when the distance from
the rubber to home plate was lengthened to 60-foot-6. He is one of 16 pitchers in the 3,000K club (15th with 3,116), and the
only one of those not in the Hall is ... you guessed it, Rocket.
Schilling was the guy you wanted on the mound in a postseason. He led the Phillies to the 1993 World Series, handed it
over to Mitch Williams and buried his face in a towel. He led Red Sox to the famous 2004 ALCS comeback and World Series
title (in fact, his bloody sock was the cover of my subsequent MLB.com e-book "Hard to Believe: A Year Inside Red Sox
Nation"). He also led Arizona to 2001 World Series title.
According to FanGraphs, Schilling ranks third on this ballot only to Bonds and Clemens when you go by Best Five Seasons
of WAR (39.5). Schilling's 64.5 JAWS rating is 27th overall among starting pitchers, and only Clemens and Jim McCormick
(circa 1878-87) are unenshrined above him. And here's another example of his extended excellence: Schilling pitched at
least five innings in 74 consecutive starts from 2004-06, the longest such streak by any Red Sox pitcher since 1913.
He did himself no favor with a tweet praising a t-shirt that jokes about lynching journalists (among other tasteless things
he's posted on social media), and thus I expect him to lose considerable votes among my peers.
#EdgarHOF
8. Trevor Hoffman
I viewed him as an automatic check last year in his first ballot appearance, and in my eyes he has dropped to bottom five
in consideration now, but he's still very worthy. It is difficult to retrofit him with modern metrics, as he is far down among all-
time relievers in WAR (28.4/13th) and JAWS (24.0/T-21st). His ERA+ was 141, meaning he was 41% better than the
adjusted league average, but that is a tremendous drop from Mariano Rivera's 205, the best ever.
However ...
Being second only to Rivera in saves is like saying you're the second-largest gas giant, which still makes you Saturn (sans
rings). In his era, Hoffman knew his job was to come out of the pen in the ninth and close out wins, and he did what he was
told to do. 601 saves equals Cooperstown and trumps WAR. He spent virtually his entire career in San Diego in front of a
devoted crowd that came to see not only Tony Gwynn hits, but also Hoffman entering to "Hell's Bells" and then getting the
job done.
For that, he should be a Hall of Famer. But I worry that if he starts to decline in voting percentage, he will never get back
into position, as saves are less sexy today.
9. Vladimir Guerrero
A strange thing happened when I changed my voting style with more focus on advanced metrics: two Montreal-bred stars
went in opposite directions. I became more passionate about voting for Raines, and less passionate about voting for
Guerrero. Alas, Vlad was still too damn good in his glory days, and I am casting this vote with a large nod to Pedro Martinez.
In 2015, Pedro became the only Dominican Republic native to be inducted other than fellow pitcher Juan Marichal 32 years
earlier. No Dominican position player has made it into the HOF yet. I'm sure that Albert Pujols and David Ortiz will get there,
but in considering Guerrero's candidacy, I am reminded what Pedro said during his Induction Weekend:
"I don't think we're going to wait 32 more years for another representative. Vladimir Guerrero is right on the edge of becoming
the next Hall of Famer. And there are guys who are still playing and posting numbers that I think are going to be in the Hall
of Fame. I'm talking about Albert Pujols. Maybe David Ortiz. Adrian Beltre. I think those are guys who will make it right away
on the first ballot.''
More than a third of MLB rosters today are comprised of Latin players. A Dominican position player should be represented
in the Hall. Guerrero had to make a big personal culture change in this process, one I certainly would be scared to make.
We take it for granted. See Vlad in that light, instead of through the prism of an American voter. It makes a difference to me.
Pros: The 2004 AL MVP and owner of 449 career homers as well as a .318/.379/.553 slash ... Was routinely among outfield
assist leaders, unwise to try to run on his cannon arm ... In 2002, he was basically a 40-40 guy (40 steals, 39 homers). Only
four players -- Bonds, Canseco, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano -- are in that actual club. That '02 season was with
Montreal, where he played the first half of his 16-year career, before finishing up in the AL, ultimately a gimpy DH ... With
the notable exception of his first World Series for Texas in 2010 (1-for-14), Guerrero was a strong postseason player.
Cons: I do not expect Guerrero to be a quick inductee, because he ranks 22nd among all-time right fielders in WAR (59.3)
and 21st in JAWS (50.2). In fact, if you went solely by that list, you would certainly check the box for Larry Walker on this
ballot. After all, Walker is way above him at 12th in WAR (72.6) and 10th in JAWS (58.6). The only people higher than
Walker on that list are in Cooperstown... Guerrero was a below-average baserunner, and famously swung at just about
anything.
10. Mike Mussina

Fourth year on the ballot. He jumped from 20.3 percent in 2014 to 24.6 in 2015 and then leaped to 43 percent in 2016 as
the analytics campaign revved up, voters got younger and more people took notice. When he debuted on the ballot, there
were three 300-game winners on it as well: Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, both of whom got right in, and Clemens in his
second year of eligibility. I think the whole quartet belongs.
Mussina spent his 18-year career entirely in the tough AL East. He lacks the individual honors (Cy Youngs, strikeout titles,
etc.), but his 83.0 career WAR ranks 23rd all-time, just behind Pedro and just ahead of Ryan. In the all-time top 25 WAR for
starting pitchers, Clemens is the only other not enshrined. It's better than more than half of the enshrined starters. Ranked
in the AL's top five six times in strikeouts and seven in ERA. Five-time All-Star. Pinpoint control; his 3.58 strikeout-to-walk
#EdgarHOF
ratio is second only to Schilling among pitchers with at least 3,000 innings since 1893. Base Out Runs Saved: Ranks ninth
all-time (412.921), between Jim Palmer and Whitey Ford. Again, everyone but Clemens above him on that list is enshrined.
Had Mussina returned for one more year with the Yankees, maybe he would have had his first World Series ring, because
they won it all in 2009. Nevertheless, he still went out on top in a way. Shortly before turning 40, the right-hander became a
20-game winner for the first time. Only three other pitchers had reached that mark in their final seasons: Eddie Cicotte and
Lefty Williams in 1920, before Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned them for life for their involvement in the
Black Sox Scandal, and Sandy Koufax in 1966, when he retired because of elbow trouble. Mussina's 270 wins were below
the old magic number for starters, but still more than Palmer (268), Bob Feller (266), Bob Gibson (251) and 29 other HOF
starting pitchers.
November 30, 2016

New Arizona manager Torey Lovullo: Edgar is a Hall of Fame
By Bob Dutton | The News Tribune
New Arizona manager Torey Lovullo spent just one season with the Mariners the strike-shortened 1994 season but
that was sufficient for him to develop a deep appreciation for Edgar Martinezs skills.
Speaking Wednesday on "MLB on TuneIn LIVE" with Holden Kushner and LaTroy Hawkins, Lovullo offered a ringing
endorsement for Martinez as a Hall of Fame candidate.
"First of all, I believe hes a Hall of Famer," Lovullo said. "I think hes the best right-handed hitter that I have ever played
with or really seen to this day. There's some very capable right-handed hitters in this game today, but Edgars ability to
make adjustments from pitch-to-pitch, from at bat-to-at bat, from game-to-game, was as good as anybody Ive ever seen."
Martinez concluded his 18-year playing career in 2004 and currently serves as the Mariners hitting coach. He is one of 34
candidates this month on the Hall of Fame ballot.
"Some of the things that he would work on in practice would just kind of leave me shaking my head," said Lovullo, whose
eight-year playing career ended in 1999.
"Trying to get his stride direction a quarter-of-an-inch straighter toward the pitcher instead of diving into the plate. His hand
position and his bat path he would work on consistently.
"How pitchers were working him, he would go up to the plate and say, `Im going to hit this fastball that hes gonna throw
me on the inside plate down the right field line for a double, and he's go out and do it.
"It was almost unbelievable how easy hitting was to him. I knew from my situation that I was a guy that had trouble hitting,
period. And when that was happening and then Edgar can make it look so easy, like he's playing Wiffle Ball in the
backyard with his brothers, it left me shaking my head."
October 12, 2016

The Cooperstown Debates Officially Begin for David Ortiz But Lets Not Forget
About Edgar Martinez
By Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr. | Forbes
David Ortizs twenty year major league career has officially come to an unceremonious conclusion after the Boston Red
Sox were swept out of the postseason by former manager Terry Francona and the surging Cleveland Indians. Much to the
dismay of Red Sox Nation and the prolific slugger himself, Ortiz was only able to produce a double in nine at bats over the
course of three games in the American League Division Series. While the earlier than expected postseason exit has stunned
most of New England, there is always a silver lining to even the darkest and most ominous of clouds. The beloved Ortiz has
rightfully achieved iconic status in a city whose sports legends are extraordinary in every sense of the word.
#EdgarHOF
At seasons end, Ortiz was a ten-time American League All-Star for the Red Sox who also won six Silver Slugger Awards
to date during his time at Four Yawkey Way. In all likelihood, Ortiz will never have to pay for another meal or beverage in
New England for the rest of his life thanks to his vast contributions in exorcising the demon that was the Curse of the
Bambino in 2004. The eternal joy both he and the rest of the Red Sox brought to generations of long suffering fans will
never be forgotten by a devoutly loyal fan base who desperately craved postseason bliss for eighty-six years.
Ortiz is also the only ball player currently alive who can say he has won three world championships with the Boston Red
Sox. He was a consistent presence for the Red Sox in conversations regarding the American Leagues Most Valuable
Player Award and even finished in the top five in voting for five consecutive seasons (2003-2007). In 2005, he was the
runner-up to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez in what would be Ortizs best showing to date in the
American Leagues Most Valuable Player Award voting.
Ortizs retirement officially allows the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to put him on the proverbial Cooperstown
clock and the countdown to the summer of 2022 begins in earnest for Red Sox fans. Over the next five baseball seasons,
Ortizs candidacy will be debated with great enthusiasm and exuberance by devout supporters. They will analyze, dissect,
and argue a myriad of statistics ranging from Ortiz having a greater career on base plus slugging plus (141) than the likes
of Reggie Jackson (139) to Ortiz having a higher slugging percentage (.598) in peak years from ages twenty-seven through
thirty-two than Red Sox luminary Carl Yastrzemski (.506).
However, Ortizs candidacy will likely confront two obstacles that are unavoidable. Naysayers will eagerly revisit the 2003
league-wide anonymous survey testing where Ortizs name was leaked as testing positive for performance enhancing
substances. One must clearly remember the results of the survey were supposed to be confidential and were essentially
used as a gauge to determine the next steps with regard to drug testing within the sport. Since approximately five to seven
percent of the samples collected from the survey tested positive, mandatory random testing began the following season.
Prior to the conclusion of the 2016 regular season, Commissioner Manfred spoke publicly regarding the likelihood of false
positives and the overall reliability of the 2003 league-wide anonymous survey. Many legitimate questions have been raised
regarding the validity of the test results and which substances actually caused the samples to test positive. Even though
Ortiz has never tested positive since comprehensive drug testing programs became a normal and regular occurrence
throughout the sport, questions still remain in the minds of many. The July 2009 article in The New York Times written by
Michael S. Schmidt linking Ortiz and former teammate Manny Ramirez to testing positive for performance enhancing
substances in the 2003 league-wide anonymous survey is an undeniable stigma for two reasons. Its an obvious stain in an
otherwise exemplary career and there is a sense of guilt by association due to the Ramirez connection.
The other matter of significance Ortizs candidacy will encounter is the fact that he was a designated hitter. To date, the
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum officially recognizes Frank Thomas as the only designated hitter enshrined in
the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. In its breakdown of the 246 Hall of Famers who have earned their enshrinement through
on-field accomplishments, there is only one designated hitter. Paul Molitor, a member of the Class of 2004, has been
identified primarily as a third baseman. In truth, Molitor had played 1,171 games as a designated hitter while only 788 as a
third baseman. In all fairness, 976 games at the designated hitter position for Molitor had occurred between the ages of
thirty-four through forty-one. Thomas, a member of the Class of 2014, played 1,310 games as a designated hitter with 969
games at first base. Even though he is classified as a designated hitter in the overall tally, his primary position is still listed
as a first baseman.
The designated hitter has always been a controversial topic for a wide variety of reasons. While matters pertaining to the
purity of the game and overall brand of baseball have negatively affected many perceptions regarding the designated hitter,
there are also business aspects that accompany the position as well. Issues ranging from representation within the Major
League Baseball Players Association and conversations regarding the positions future have always occurred during
collective bargaining agreement negotiations. In any event, several ball players who have played this position since its
inception in the American League in 1973 have made noteworthy contributions to the sport and a select few should be
appropriately recognized with the sports greatest honor for their achievements.
Seattle Mariners legend Edgar Martinez spent his entire eighteen year career playing baseball in the Emerald City while
redefining the designated hitter position. In total, Martinez had played in 1,403 games as a designated hitter and 552 as a
third baseman. He had played sparingly as a first baseman as well, but his career achievements were clearly defined with
a bat in his hands. Martinezs trophy case is filled with Silver Slugger Awards (five), batting titles (two), and Designated
#EdgarHOF
Hitter of the Year Awards (five). In fact, the Designated Hitter of the Year Award was renamed in his honor after his retirement
from the game in 2004.
However, Martinez has languished on the Baseball Writers Association of Americas ballots in the annual Hall of Fame
elections for the past seven years. His best showing occurred in the last election where he achieved support on 191 out of
a possible 440 total ballots (43.4 percent). With only three years of eligibility left on the ballot, time is running out for Martinez
to be considered by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
While several of Martinezs statistical accomplishments are impressive to say the least, there are two awe-inspiring
accomplishments worthy of acknowledgement. Thanks to Baseball-Reference.coms Play Index, it was determined that
Martinez is only one of nineteen ball players between 1901 2016 to have achieved a career batting average of .300 or
greater, a career on base percentage of .400 or greater, and a career slugging percentage of .500 or greater based on
5,000 at bats. Twelve of the nineteen ball players are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum with
five being first ballot Hall of Famers. Joey Votto is the only active ball player on the list. Other notable ball players on the list
are Chipper Jones, Larry Walker, Manny Ramirez, Todd Helton, and Shoeless Joe Jackson. It is also worth noting that
Frank Thomas is one of the five first ballot Hall of Famers present on this list as well.
Martinez is also one of eighteen ball players between 1901-2016 to have a career on base plus slugging percentage of .900
or greater, 1,000 or more base on balls, at least 300 home runs and 500 doubles based on 5,000 at bats. Nine of the
eighteen are Hall of Famers with seven being first ballot inductees. Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols are the only active
ball players on this list. Several notable names are Todd Helton, Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones, Manny Ramirez, and Barry
Bonds. David Ortiz appears on the list as well!
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum recently announced its Todays Game Era ballot that will be reviewed by
a sixteen member committee who will meet at the Baseball Winter Meetings in National Harbor, Maryland during the first
weekend in December. Out of the ten individuals who comprise the ballot, two names stand out who will possibly have an
effect on the candidacies of both Martinez and Ortiz. The careers and achievements of Harold Baines and Mark McGwire
will be considered for enshrinement, but they will need to receive support on twelve of the sixteen ballots. The selections of
both Baines and McGwire to this ballot speak volumes in completely different ways.
Members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, executives, and veteran media members will populate the Todays Game
Era Committee. However, a strong message is clearly being sent to the Baseball Writers Association of America regarding
the role of the designated hitter in baseballs history and how ball players who were associated with performance enhancing
substances should be evaluated when it comes to bestowing baseballs highest honor. The mere inclusion of Baines and
McGwire is a gentle recommendation to everyone that we might have to reassess our current thinking regarding these
matters.
David Ortizs retirement is a time for celebration and reflection. It is also an opportunity for the Baseball Writers Association
of America to pay closer attention to the designated hitter position and its impact on the game of baseball. Ortizs fond
farewell from the Boston Red Sox might actually have a positive effect on Edgar Martinezs candidacy for Cooperstown
since his vast offensive accomplishments are undeniable. Healthy comparisons between the two prolific designated hitters
might offer new perspectives on the position as well as illicit additional support for Martinez as he enters the final three years
of his eligibility on the Baseball Writers Association of Americas Hall of Fame ballot. Also, lets not forget how Harold
Baines candidacy will be treated by the newly formed Todays Game Era Committee as well.

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The case for Edgar Martinez

for the Hall of Fame

National voices weigh in on Martinezs Hall of Fame credentials

August 11, 2017

Edgar Hall of Fame Stat No. 1: 309

Edgar Hall of Fame Stat No. 2: 21

Edgar Hall of Fame Stat No. 3: .418

I was wrong on Edgar

Edgar Hall of Fame Stat No. 4: .959

He was really struggling and afraid, Nikataini said.

Edgar Hall of Fame Stat No. 5: 68.3

M's heart and soul

Frank Thomas - .301/.419/.555 (156 OPS+), 154 wRC+, .416 wOBA

November 10, 2015

Oh, really? Well, here's the part that's easy:

WHIP SAVE PCT K/9 OPP. AVG OPP. OPS

AVG OBP SLG OPS OPS+

September 14, 2015

Wins Above Replacement

OPS and OPS+

December 21, 2015

Randy Johnson in conversation with the Seattle Times:

December 22, 2015

1987 Age 24 .329-.434-.473 (531 PA)

15. Gary Sheffield

Predicted percentage: 10 percent

No. 14 outfielder not in the Hall of Fame

14. Sammy Sosa

Predicted percentage: 8 percent

No. 12 outfielder not in the Hall of Fame

13. Jim Edmonds

Predicted percentage: 3 percent

No. 9 outfielder not in the Hall of Fame

Walker: .278/.370/.495 with 168 homers.

Edmonds: .282/.371.518 with 189 homers.

12. Mark McGwire

Predicted percentage: 14 percent

No. 4 first baseman/DH not in the Hall of Fame

11. Larry Walker

Predicted percentage: 16 percent

No. 6 outfielder not in the Hall of Fame

In 1999, he had one of the craziest home/road splits ever.

At Coors Field, he hit .461, slugged .879 and hit 26 homers.

Here are the ten on my official Hall of Fame ballot:

10. Edgar Martinez

Predicted percentage: 49 percent

No. 3 first base/DH not in the Hall of Fame

Predicted percentage: 46 percent

No. 4 infielder not in the Hall of Fame

Predicted percentage: 69 percent

No. 5 outfielder not in the Hall of Fame

Predicted percentage: 46 percent

No. 3 pitcher not in the Hall of Fame

Predicted percentage: 51 percent

No. 2 pitcher not in the Hall of Fame

Predicted percentage: 83 percent

No. 1 catcher not in the Hall of Fame

Piazza was the greatest hitting catcher in baseball history.

Predicted percentage: 76 percent

No. 1 first baseman/DH not in the Hall of Fame

3. Ken Griffey Jr.

Predicted percentage: 99 percent

No. 2 outfielder not in the Hall of Fame