With his induction into the Seattle Mariners’ Hall of Fame Saturday, Edgar Martinez finally received some acclaim for a stellar career that included a lifetime slugging percentage of .515, 309 homers and resurrecting a franchise with one swing of the bat.
The swing will forever be known as “The Double” in Seattle, as his 11th-inning liner scored Ken Griffey Jr. to propel the M’s past the New York Yankees in the 1995 American League Divisional Series. This was easily the most infamous hit in Mariner history, because it kept baseball grounded in the Emerald City.
But, the question remains, how will Major League Baseball remember the man simply referred to as “‘Gar” in Seattle? At Safeco Field, there is an enormous mural of Martinez’s virtuoso double plastered on a wall, signifying the Mariners’ saving moment in Seattle. Will MLB make a similar gesture by devoting a bust to Seattle’s favorite Mariner in Cooperstown?
The MLB already recognizes Martinez as the greatest designated hitter of all time, renaming the annual award given to the best DH to the Edgar Martinez Award. While that is a fairly amiable honor, many baseball purists believe that is as far as MLB should extend its proverbial hand, since he is a DH and did not take the field unless to hit.
The purists’ discontent lies in the designated hitter position itself, not Martinez. He just so happens to be the poster child for the only position in baseball without defensive responsibility. In critics’ minds, the DH is essentially a safe haven for players either past their prime or not physically fit enough for an on-field position.
Baseball aficionados and writers across the country can gripe about how Martinez should never make it to the Hall of Fame because he didn’t play defense regularly. But, just a little tidbit, ‘Gar broke into the majors playing third base, only committing 15 errors in 144 games during the ’91 season. And one of his former teammates, Alex Rodriguez, has proven that playing third is tough enough even for players with sculpted arms and iron-hard abs.
However, simply playing defense is not the crux of this prevailing debate. No, that’s a cover-up for the primary issue at hand: the acceptance of the designated hitter.
Like a roaring earthquake, the DH has created a divide in baseball between new-age fans hungry for offense and purists that gawk at the beauty of small-ball plays like bunting and sacrifice fly-outs. Hence the reason that some fans accept the DH with open arms and others neglect to acknowledge its existence.
It’s been 24 years since the designated hitter was instated, which is pitiful because it still isn’t widely received among the game’s fans, players and managers.
The MLB created the position therefore it should be the body to quell this controversy, once and for all. If the designated hitter is considered a legitimate position by MLB, than DHs should be treated like every other player. Basically, if the resum퀌� fits the criteria for HOF status, the player should be enshrined in Cooperstown regardless where he played on the field, or in Martinez’s case, in the dugout.
Martinez has all the numbers. His career statistics stack up with the likes of Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Rogers Hornsby. Each member of this quintuplet has accomplished a feat Martinez hopes share: a HOF bust displayed in Cooperstown.
But, the Mariners’ career leader in RBI (1,261) already shares one honor with this Cooperstown crew. He and the five Hall of Famers are the only players in MLB history with a batting average of .300, on-base percentage of .400, slugging percentage of .500, 300 homers, 2000 hits, 500 doubles and 1000 walks.
With such spectacular statistics, why should he even have to think about throwing on a glove?
‘Gar will be on the 2009 Hall-of-Fame ballot. Let’s hope MLB has decided whether the designated hitter is a valid position by then. MLB, we are going on 25 years. Make up your mind already.