Six Baseball Players Who Should be in Hall of Fame…but Aren’t
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Martinez is a lot further from induction than Morris; last year he only received 35.9% of the vote, well short of the 75% required. However, that shouldn’t be taken into account when assessing whether Martinez should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Arguably the best designated hitter of all-time, Martinez spent his entire 18-year career with the Seattle Mariners where was a 7-time All-Star and a 2-time batting champ. Martinez is one of nine players in baseball history with a .300/.400/.500 slash line and 300 homers, 500 doubles, and 1000 walks; all of the other players are already in the Hall of Fame. Many voters hold being primarily a designated hitter against Martinez, but that fact cannot cancel out his offensive numbers and he shouldn’t be penalized because of a bad institution like the designated hitter.