Edgar Martínez
From BR Bullpen
Edgar Martínez ("Gar" or "Papi")
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 210 lb.
- Debut September 12, 1987
- Final Game October 2, 2004
- Born January 2, 1963 in New York, NY USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Edgar Martinez was a major star during his 18 years in the major leagues, posting an Adjusted OPS of 147, tied with Mike Schmidt and Willie Stargell at # 45 on the all-time list. His lifetime averages would be a dream year for most players: .312/.418/.515.
Martinez spent his entire career with the Seattle Mariners, playing from age 24 to age 41. He started as a third baseman, and couldn't find an everyday job until he was 27 years old. Most of the games during his career were as a DH, which he did almost exclusively for the last nine years of his career.
Although Martinez never won an MVP award, he was a seven-time All Star, and led the league twice in batting, three times in on-base percentage, twice in doubles, once in runs scored, and once in RBIs. Although not thought of as a slugger, Martinez had 309 home runs in his career, putting him at # 100 on the all-time list.
His best year was 1995, when he finished 3rd in the MVP voting, with a .356 batting average, 116 walks, 52 doubles, 29 home runs, 113 RBI and 121 runs scored.
Although he never appeared in a World Series, he was a valuable contributor on the great 2001 Seattle Mariners that won 116 games during the regular season.
He ranks # 21 all-time for career on-base percentage (just above Stan Musial), and # 63 all-time for careeer slugging average (just above Willie McCovey).
His candidacy for the Hall of Fame runs into the obstacle that Hall of Fame voters know how to evaluate players who hit 400+ home runs or had 3000+ hits, but Martinez has neither. Those voters are not so clear on how to evaluate a player like Martinez who had a .312 batting average (remember, Dale Mitchell hit .312 but was not seriously considered), with 2247 hits (Al Oliver was a batting champ with 2743 hits who was dropped from the ballot when he didn't get enough votes the first year of eligibility), 1219 runs scored, 1261 RBI, 309 home runs, and 514 doubles. None of those alone is enough to get in, so the question will be if the voters can evaluate the package as a whole.
He is a cousin of Carmelo Martinez.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 7-time AL All-Star (1992, 1995-1997, 2000, 2001 & 2003)
- 5-time AL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1992/3B, 1995/DH, 1997/DH, 2001/DH & 2003/DH)
- 2-time AL Batting Average Leader (1992 & 1995)
- 3-time AL On-Base Percentage Leader (1995, 1998 & 1999)
- AL OPS Leader (1995)
- AL Runs Scored Leader (1995)
- 2-time AL Doubles Leader (1992 & 1995)
- AL RBI Leader (2000)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 8 (1995-2001 & 2003)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2000)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 6 (1995-1998, 2000 & 2001)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 5 (1992, 1995-1997 & 2000)
