11 things you should know about Edgar Martínez
By Tab Bamford
The 2018 winner of the Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award will be announced today.
The Outstanding Designated Hitter Award has been given out since 1973, when Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda won the inaugural award. It was renamed in Martínez’s honor by then-Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig in 2004.
In anticipation of the 2018 Outstanding Designated Hitter Award’s announcement, it pays to look back at Martínez’s career as he enters his final season on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
He received 70.4 percent of the vote last year in his next to last year of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot.
1. Martínez was named the Outstanding Designated Hitter of the Year five times (1995, ’97, ’98, 2000, ’01). The award was renamed in his honor after Martínez announced his retirement following the 2004 season.
2. Martínez became the eighth Puerto Rican to have his number taken out of circulation by a major league team when his number 11 was retired by the Mariners in 2017. Other numbers of Puerto Rican legends retired: Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh), José Cruz (Houston), Roberto Alomar (Toronto), Iván Rodríguez (Texas), Jorge Posada (NY Yankees), Bernie Williams (NY Yankees) and Reggie Jackson (Yankees and Oakland).
3. Martínez had a 68.4 career Wins Above Replacement. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr, who had a 70.6 WAR, is the only player who posted a higher WAR than Martinez in Seattle.
4. Martínez had a .965 OPS in his career against the New York Yankees, better than David Ortiz (.961).
5. In 2013 Mariano Rivera told Charlie Rose that “the only guy that I didn’t want to face in a tough situation, was Edgar Martínez.” The numbers back up Rivera’s claim: Martínez slashed .579/.652/1.053 against the Yankees legend.
6. “Edgar was a guy that had the ability to foul off pitches, and it pissed me off because I couldn’t get the guy out,” Pedro Martínez said during his induction announcement interview in 2016. His memory of battling Edgar wasn’t as sharp as Mariano’s. Pedro actually struck out Edgar 11 times in 33 plate appearances, holding him to a .120 average. Edgar did walk seven times against him, however.
7. He was dangerous late in games. In innings 7-9 in his career, Martínez had a .907 OPS. In extra innings he was even better (1.017 OPS).
8. He was an early swinger – and an impactful one. Martínez slashed .384/.389/.664, including 36 home runs and 156 RBI on the first pitches of at bats in his career.
9. The final hit of Martínez’s career was a single to center field off Travis Hughes of the Texas Rangers on Oct. 1, 2004.
10. Martínez signed with Seattle on Dec. 19, 1982. He spent his entire 22-year career with the Mariners.
11. In his first career at-bat on Sept. 12, 1987, Martínez popped out (foul) to first base in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 12-2 Mariners victory over the Chicago White Sox. The pitcher: current Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage.
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