The Seattle Mariners' Edgar Martinez could be the 6th greatest right handed hitter in the history of Major League Baseball just behind Foxx, Greenberg, Hornsby, McGwire and DiMaggio. That statement may seem outrageous, but when Edgar becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame vote, he will probably have the 6th highest career OPS (on-base plus slugging) of any right-handed hitter eligible for the Hall. No eligible player that ranked in the Top 100 in OPS with more than 2000 hits has missed the Hall, with the exception of Bob Johnson.

Career Leaders in OPS of eligible Hall of Famers

Rank Player         OPS  Bats
 1. Babe Ruth      1.1636 L 
 2. Ted Williams   1.1155 L 
 3. Lou Gehrig     1.0798 L 
 4. Jimmie Foxx    1.0376 R 
 7. Hank Greenberg 1.0169 R 
 8. Rogers Hornsby 1.0103 R 
12. Mark McGwire    .9823 R 
14. Mickey Mantle   .9773 B 
15. Joe DiMaggio    .9771 R 
16. Stan Musial     .9757 L 
22. Johnny Mize     .9591 L 
24. Edgar Martinez  .9520 R ***
26. Mel Ott         .9471 L 
27. Ralph Kiner     .9459 R 
28. Lefty O'Doul    .9451 L 
29. Ty Cobb         .9449 L 
31. Dan Brouthers   .9425 L 
32. Willie Mays     .9414 R 
34. Joe Jackson     .9401 L 
35. Hack Wilson     .9399 R 
39. Harry Heilmann  .9300 R 
40. Hank Aaron      .9285 R 
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/OPS_career.shtml
In the last 8 years, Edgar:
- has an OPS over 1.000 (.446 OBP, .564 SLG)
- has averaged over 100 RBIs
- has averaged 66 extra base hits per year
- has more walks (102 per year) than strikeouts (88)

In his career:
- Edgar has won two batting titles.
- Edgar ranks 24th career in OPS.
- Edgar will have about 2295 hits if he plays 2 more years.
- Edgar did play 563 games at 3B, about 1/3 of his career.
- Edgar will likely finish with 147 HOF Monitor points if he plays 2 more years. Every player with this many HOF Monitor points has been elected ot the Hall of Fame.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/hof_monitor.shtml

Edgar is very consistent. He was among the top 20 hitters in baseball each year from 1995-2001 (according to VORP). Mike Piazza is the only other player to be ranked among the top 20 hitters in the game each and every year during this time.
http://www.stathead.com/bbeng/woolner/vorp2001.htm
http://www.stathead.com/bbeng/woolner/vorp2000.htm
http://www.stathead.com/bbeng/woolner/vorp99.htm
http://www.stathead.com/bbeng/woolner/vorp98.htm
http://www.stathead.com/bbeng/woolner/vorp97.htm
http://www.stathead.com/bbeng/woolner/vorp96.htm

After this year, if Edgar hits like he did from 1995-2002, here's where he would rank on the current all-time leaders lists:

37th in Doubles with 505
98th in Home Runs with 299
42nd in Walks with 1235
60th in Batting Average with .317
13th in On-base % with .425
44th in Slugging % with .530
24th in OPS with .955
70th in Extra Base Hits with 820

Here's where Edgar would rank on the current all-time leaders lists if he plays 2 more years:

18th in Doubles with 544
65th in Home Runs with 325
72nd in RBIs with 1339
30th in Walks with 1337
56th in Batting Average with .318
13th in On-base % with .427
42nd in Slugging % with .532
23rd in OPS with .959
52nd in Extra Base Hits with 885
75th in Total Bases with 3884
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/
Edgar Martinez

Year Ag  G   AB    H   2B  HR  RBI   BB   SO   BA   OBP   SLG   TB 
-------+---+----+----+-------+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+----
1987 24  13   43   16   5   0    5    2    5  .372  .413  .581   25
1988 25  14   32    9   4   0    5    4    7  .281  .351  .406   13
1989 26  65  171   41   5   2   20   17   26  .240  .314  .304   52
1990 27 144  487  147  27  11   49   74   62  .302  .397  .433  211
1991 28 150  544  167  35  14   52   84   72  .307  .405  .452  246
1992 29 135  528  181  46  18   73   54   61  .343  .404  .544  287
1993 30  42  135   32   7   4   13   28   19  .237  .366  .378   51
1994 31  89  326   93  23  13   51   53   42  .285  .387  .482  157
1995 32 145  511  182  52  29  113  116   87  .356  .479  .628  321
1996 33 139  499  163  52  26  103  123   84  .327  .464  .595  297
1997 34 155  542  179  35  28  108  119   86  .330  .456  .554  300
1998 35 154  556  179  46  29  102  106   96  .322  .429  .565  314
1999 36 142  502  169  35  24   86   97   99  .337  .447  .554  278
2000 37 153  556  180  31  37  145   96   95  .324  .423  .579  322
2001 38 132  470  144  40  23  116   93   90  .306  .423  .543  255
2002 39  97  328   91  23  15   59   67   69  .277  .403  .485  159
-------+---+----+----+-------+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+----
Now    1769 6230 1973 466 273 1100 1133 1000  .317  .424  .528 3288
8yr Avg 140  496  161  39  26  104  102   88  .325  .446  .564  298
-------+---+----+----+-------+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+----
+1 Yr  1909 6726 2134 505 299 1235 1235 1088  .317  .425  .530 3586
+2 Yrs 2049 7222 2295 544 325 1339 1337 1176  .318  .427  .532 3884
http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/martied01.shtml

What's amazing is that Edgar has compiled such statistics despite having a vision condition called strabismus, which sometimes leaves him with no depth perception:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/62820_thie19.shtml

Here are a few Edgar quotes:

"Edgar Martinez is a professional, quiet, humble giant," Dusty Baker said. "He's one of best right-handed hitters ever seen... I told Lou that when he took the job, `Wait until you see him.' Edgar doesn't showboat. He's old school."
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=mari10&date=20010710

Edgar likely will retire after the season, which will be as much a loss for baseball as for the Mariners. He puts almost every player in the game to shame when it comes to dedication, professionalism and attention to detail. He keeps a scale at his locker to periodically weigh his bats, checking to see if they've gained a gram of weight from humidity. Heck, he lifts weights, reviews video and takes batting practice after games.
-- Jim Caple http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/caple_jim/1543583.html

"You talk about how hard these guys work, and the great ones work very, very hard," Mariners chairman Howard Lincoln said. "But Edgar, his work ethic is in another orbit. Nobody works harder than he does. I'm not sure anybody ever has in baseball. In the dead of winter, he's down there in the cage by himself. His self-discipline is just incredible."
"He's just a great hitter," said teammate John Olerud, also a former batting champion. "He's so consistent, and he always gets the big hits. I've never seen anyone who hits the ball hard so regularly."
Added Cameron, "His knowledge of hitting definitely has helped me out a lot. He's always willing to talk to you about hitting, whether you're a superstar or a rookie."
"His eyes actually sparkle," Lincoln said. "You meet a few people like that who just light up a room, and he's that way. He's a very special person.
"Foremost, he is a true gentleman. He is an absolute gentleman in every sense of the word. He's a wonderful human being. The fans perceive that. In some cases, perception is not reality, but the fans' perception that he is a nice gentleman is absolutely true. I've never met a nicer man in my life. He's just that kind and decent a guy."
Although other players do charity work in the public eye, Martinez, according to one team official, does more than anyone on the team, yet seldom is recognized for it.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/114316_tabedgar28.shtml

"They can make Ruben Sierra the full-time DH, but the thing it changes most about that lineup is the intimidation factor," says one scout. "There's a psychological impact Edgar has because he's the rock in that lineup. He just has a presence that both teams feel. The other team is scared of Edgar."
http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/stark_jayson/1370750.html

``Edgar is probably the most humble of all the great players I've ever met,'' second baseman Bret Boone said. ``For a guy with his accomplishments, the way he goes about his business, the way he acts, is truly honorable.''
``You're lucky if you enjoy what you do and get paid for it,'' [Edgar] said. ``It's hard to believe for me because baseball is so much fun. It's what I've loved to do for many, many years.''
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-mariners-martinez

"Edgar has a lot of those (leadership) qualities. He's not a loud guy. People automatically say he's a leader, but he is. Guys watch him and watch how he goes about his job, and it rubs off on everyone."
-- David Bell http://www.softycentral.com/ssnds2003/030220.bell.ram (4:34 into interview)

"Edgar out works anybody I've ever played baseball with. A lot of it started for him when he moved from 3B to DH. Edgar at the time felt a lot of pressure: 'I really have to hit now'. That's when you saw him really hit the weight room a lot harder. He wanted to drive the baseball a little bit more. [Edgar], during the season, watches endless amount of film. He hits from the time he shows up at the ballpark, usually about 2, until the time the game starts and sometimes even after. And everybody talks about the work, but he is also extremely talented. This guy is just a natural hitter. He can do things and he can recognize things that a lot of players don't."
-- Mike Blowers http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/sea/fan_forum/sea_fan_forum_hot_stove_league.jsp
(44:33 into March 5 Ask the Mariners interview)

"We're trying to play the game with good people, who are active in our community, with whom the fans not only identify, but have a true affection for," [Mariners' Chairman and CEO Howard Lincoln] said.
He cited the leadership of Edgar Martinez. "He sets a standard for work ethic and gracious behavior," said Lincoln. "Good player, good family man, good father. I think he would be aghast at any bad behavior by his teammates. I wouldn't want to be the guy who had to explain to Edgar what I had done wrong."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/134414147_blai03.html

"I think [Edgar] is just about there [to the Hall of Fame]...this guy has been a team leader, a stand up guy from the beginning. Find me a better pure hitter out there. There just isn't. The key to [getting into] the Hall of Fame is a guy who is dominant among his peers over a lengthy period of time and you string the batting averages that he's put up for more than a decade now and I think maybe he's getting [there]. He probably needs these last few years here because he started a little later than a lot of guys."
-- Paul White from Sports Weekly http://www.softycentral.com/ssnds2003/030505.white.ram (3:13 into interview)

"When you're considering, for the Hall of Fame, a player who spent only a dozen seasons in the major leagues, you have to find something extenuating. For example, a late start due to segregation (Jackie Robinson) or stupid executives (Edgar Martinez, perhaps)."
-- Rob Neyer http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/neyer_rob/1514118.html

In 1990 Bill James wrote, "What a sad story this one is. This guy is a good hitter, quite capable of hitting .300 in a park like Seattle, with more walks than strikeouts. Martinez has wasted about three years when he could have been helping the team."

James was referring to the curious fact that the M's were using Martinez as a utility player, while Jim Presley held down the third base job. Finally, in 1990, Presley was traded and Martinez was given a chance to play every day.
http://www.thebaseballpage.com/past/pp/martinezedgar/


-- Bruce Maigatter