Edgar Martinez
One of the biggest jumps from last year is Edgar Martinez, who rose from 27 percent to 43 percent. Why is this important? Well, it’s a sign that voters may be moving away from their bias against players that spent the majority of their career as a designated hitter.
That bodes well for David Ortiz, whose name will join the ballot five years after he retires at the end of this season. If Martinez gets in before that it greatly enhances the chances of Ortiz getting in as well.
Let’s compare the careers of the two best DH’s in league history.
Martinez: .312/.418/.515, 309 HR, 1261 RBI, 147 OPS+, 68.3 WAR
Ortiz: .284/.378/.547, 503 HR, 1641 RBI, 139 OPS+, 50.4 WAR
Martinez was more adept at getting on base, but Big Papi more than makes up for that with his tremendous edge in power. Add in Ortiz’s clutch postseason heroics and three World Series rings and you can easily make a case that he is just as worthy as Martinez to get a call to the Hall.
There is no doubting that Martinez was one of the best hitters of his generation, but many voters have held it against him that he rarely fielded a defensive position. No matter what he did with his bat, playing only half the game reduces his value, which is why his career WAR falls short of what other Hall of Fame hitters produced.
The same will be said for Ortiz once he becomes eligible, so Martinez getting in ahead of him would set a precedent that should help Ortiz garner more support.
Next: Nomar Garciaparra