What are people saying about Edgar Martinez’s latest Hall of Fame snub?
Edgar Martinez came up 20 votes shy of Hall of Fame enshrinement on Wednesday and it’s not sitting well with many fans and players.
Martinez played 18 seasons for the Seattle Mariners and hit .312 with 309 homers. He won the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award five times. When he retired the award was renamed the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.
If that sounds like a Hall of Fame career to you, you’re not alone. On Thursday morning, #EdgarHOF was trending on Twitter with the majority of people favoring adding Martinez’s plaque to Cooperstown.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Steven Souza, an Everett native, tweeted at Tampa Bay Times baseball writer Marc Topkin, who did not vote for Martinez.
“You are hereby on probation from interviews until my childhood hero, Edgar Martinez is rightfully voted in to the Hall Of Fame,” Souza tweeted. “This may seem unprofessional and unfair, but I say to you ‘My oh My’. Yours Truly, Longtime Mariner Fan.”
Topkin posted a compilation of responses to his ballot on Thursday morning. His readers were unimpressed and expressed their displeasure in a variety of creative ways including a gif of a pooping rhino.
Here’s a look at what people are saying on Twitter:
Dear @TBTimes_Rays,
— Steven Souza Jr. (@SouzaJr) January 23, 2018
You are hereby on probation from interviews until my childhood hero, Edgar Martinez is rightfully voted in to the Hall Of Fame. This may seem unprofessional and unfair, but I say to you “My oh My”.
Yours Truly,
Longtime Mariner Fan
"So close! Though he wasn’t elected today, without a doubt @11EdgarMartinez belongs in the Hall of Fame. Any sports writer who feels their #HOF vote was miscounted can contact my office” - BF #EdgarHOF pic.twitter.com/HvEFTgTvE4
— WA Attorney General (@AGOWA) January 25, 2018
Edgar, you spent seven years in the minors busting perceptions and breaking through barriers. You will bust even more in Year 10 to get into the HOF you deserve @Mariners #EdgarHOF https://t.co/Fl2kebxaRv
— Brock Huard (@BrockESPN) January 24, 2018
Of all the Edgar stats, this may be my favorite one. #edgarhof2019 https://t.co/8wACGywcAt
— Robert Wickwire (@rwickwire) January 25, 2018
No Hall of Fame vote can change how we view Edgar Martinez: the game’s greatest designated hitter and a Pacific NW sports icon. #EdgarHOF pic.twitter.com/cBSmNnOP41
— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) January 24, 2018
The designated hitter has been part of baseball since 1973. So if the greatest designated hitter of all time is not in your “Hall of Fame” than your HOF, is fraudulent. #EdgarHOF #DinosaursWillDie
— Jarod J-Rebel Winkel (@Jarod_JRebel) January 25, 2018
I am struggling to grasp the logic behind voting someone into the Hall of Fame who often is asked to get three outs while penalizing Martinez for primarily being a DH. Per @baseball_ref, Martinez produced 68.3 WAR, while Hoffman finished at 28. #EdgarHOF
— Chris Chancellor (@outofwritefield) January 25, 2018
Let’s get @11EdgarMartinez in there! We have 364 days to campaign on his behalf, although his numbers speak for themselves. #EdgarHOF
— Deb B (@debsb57) January 25, 2018
If baseball writers' excuse to not let #EdgarHOF in because he didn't play enough as a DH...then why do you let closers in? Best closers threw ~65 innings last year. That's about 200 PAs. Edgar had 500-600 PAs per year.
— Sergey K. (@thatSergey) January 25, 2018
No matter what happens today, @11EdgarMartinez will always be in our Hall of Fame. #HOF pic.twitter.com/5v403jqCcG
— Sound Transit (@SoundTransit) January 24, 2018
To the numbskulls who didn't vote Edgar to Cooperstown... #BaseballHOF #EdgarHOF #EdgarMartinez #EdgarHOF2019 pic.twitter.com/gky9URTudS
— Christian Bockla (@ChewBockla3) January 25, 2018
Five former Mariners have made the Hall of Fame: Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Gaylord Perry, Ricky Henderson and Rich “Goose” Gossage. Former Mariners manager Dick Williams is also in the hall. Of those, only Griffey is depicted in a Mariners cap on his plaque.
Craig Hill: 253-597-8497, @AdventureGuys
This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 10:30 AM with the headline "What are people saying about Edgar Martinez’s latest Hall of Fame snub?."