Baseball Hall of Fame voters got it wrong leaving out Edgar Martinez
The Baseball Writer’s Association of America’s vote was announced, and yet another year they will leave someone out of the Baseball Hall of Fame who deserves to get in, Edgar Martinez.
The Baseball Hall of Fame has three primary rules for eligibility. You can only be on the ballot for ten years, you must get 75% of the vote, and you must get at least five percent of the vote to stay on the ballot. It is clear that this year the other two rules kept Edgar Martinez from getting the 75% necessary to get voted in, and that’s a travesty.
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It’s clear that some voters voted for players who don’t belong in and will never get in, just because they want to keep them on the ballot for another year. They also saw this as an opportunity to keep their guys on the ballot, because there’s still one more year for Martinez. It’s a flat out joke.
Edgar Martinez was a seven-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger winner, and a two-time batting champion. He is one of four eligible players who played most or all of their careers in the American League to win the batting title at least twice and not be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
And, he’s also one of four eligible players with a Wins Above Replacement as high as his now without a plaque in Cooperstown.
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Say what you will about him being a designated hitter, he belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It’s said that the hardest thing to do in sports is to hit a baseball, and he perfected the craft. While he didn’t play the field much, he also didn’t disappoint on the field. He had only 78 errors in 1672 chances. He will get in, in 2019, but he should’ve been in already.