Mariners DH Edgar Martinez has faced his last pitch. The two-time batting champ will announce his immediate retirement today, ESPN has learned. Martinez, 41, leaves with a .312 career average and 305 homers in 18 seasons.
What a classy player and a deadly hitter for so long. Given the M's struggles I wish he could go back and quit BEFORE this year, but now we'll see our first Mariners' number retired.
(edited by JayJayDean on 9.8.04 1347) “To get ass, you’ve got to bring ass." -- Roy Jones Jr.
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I wish he had retired a month ago before he hit a game tying ninth inning home run against the Red Sox. Edgar will go down as one of the great Yankee-killers in baseball history, as well as a hitter you didn't want to see late innings of a close game with runners on base. Probably not a Hall of Famer, but he is in the next level.
Still pondering why there was no public backlash for Jimmy Hart's advocation of self canibalism on the first Wrestling Album.
Edgar was my favorite player for years and he had some of the most clutch hits in Mariner history, but if you put him in than you open the gates to the Fred McGriff's. If I'm still not willing to put Raffy Palermero in, and I'm not, than I can not justify putting Edgar in either. He should be the first Mariner to get his number retired though.
I was going to ask if Edgar was HoF worthy, I thought he was a very good hitter as well but I agree not Hall of Fame caliber type of all around player.
smark/net attack wienerville advisory is raised to YELLOW alert - Elevated (JBL is the new WWE champion, good gawd hide under the desk. But Benoit is World Champion allowing some safety in the IWC)- 6/28
Originally posted by Net Hack SlasherI was going to ask if Edgar was HoF worthy, I thought he was a very good hitter as well but I agree not Hall of Fame caliber type of all around player.
I agree he isn't HoF but the debate is interesting. Since he was the dominant DH of the last 8 - 10 years, is that the criteria? Plus should he be penailized for being a professional hitter since that is a position?
I don't think he is even that close to being HOF worthy, although he is a great hitter. His career numbers will be around 2250-2300 hits, 1250 runs, 1300 rbi, 310 HRs. For someone who was DH in over two-thirds of his games, those aren't HOF numbers or even close (IMHO). He only finished in the top ten in MVP balloting 2 times in 18 seasons (finishing 3rd in 1995 and 6th in 2000). Also, although he was the best designated hitter in the AL, he was never the best hitter in the league (at least not for any appreciable amount of time).
Lastly, if you look at his similarity scores (via baseball-reference.com), he is most similar to Will Clark, Chuck Klein, John Olerud and Bob Johnson. Of these, only Chuck Klein is in the HOF and he's a marginal HOFer at best (again, IMHO). I realize that Clark and Olerud aren't eligible yet, but I don't see them even mentioned for the HOF so I don't see how they have a realistic shot.
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