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Mariners News: Griffey will get into HOF, but Martinez won’t

By Ben Garza

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How are two former Seattle Mariners faring so far on the HOF induction voting?  As of today Ken Griffey Jr sits at 123 votes and Edgar Martínez at 61 votes.

According to Ryan Thibb’s BBHOF tracker that’s where the two former Mariners sit out of a possible 123 public votes for Hall of Fame induction.   Griffey has achieved 100% of the vote and Edgar at 49.6%.  This is with only 27.1% of the possible votes being tallied and being public.  The official tally will be announced next week on January 6th.

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Without a doubt Ken Griffey Jr will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  This induction is well deserved for The Kid.  He is without question a Hall of Famer.  He may be a top five inductee in terms of highest percentage of votes.  The top five are Tom Seaver (98.84%), Nolan Ryan (98.79%), Cal Ripken Jr (98.53%), Ty Cobb (95.13%), and George Brett (98.19%).

Ken Griffey Jr was arguably the most loved player in Major League Baseball during his tenure.  His swing’s beauty was something all fans flocked to see.  Everyone wanted to be like Griffey.  He put southern Alaska on the map.  And by southern Alaska, I mean Seattle.  Before Ken Griffey Jr I’m not sure fans realized there was a team in Seattle.  That goes for fans outside the Northwest and in it.  While Griffey’s offensive statistics weren’t the best historically (.284/.370/.538), he is 6th all-time in career home runs at 630.  He was an amazing defensive player.  Climbing walls to rob home runs often and making spectacular throws.

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But Ken Griffey Jr.’s biggest contributions to the game and why he will be one of the top vote getters of all time aren’t just his statistics and defensive play.  His smile and character was exactly what the game needed during one of the roughest stretches for the game with the 1994 strike and PEDs.

"You lose, you smile, and you come back the next day. You win, you smile, you come back the next day.-Ken Griffey Jr."

He was a player that appealed to kids and adults alike due to his fun loving character and ability to wow fans both at the plate and in the field in any given game.

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Be forewarned, while Griffey has 100% of the public vote this far, the likelihood that it will be unanimous is very low.  For those of you that don’t know, to be inducted requires 75% of the votes.  He needs just 65.7% of the remaining votes to be inducted.

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Edgar Martínez has not fared so well with BBWAA voters.  Edgar was feared by opposing pitchers during his tenure.  He was the most feared hitter during his time.  His offensive numbers are historically great.  A career slash line of .312/.418/.515.  Edgar needs 84.7% of remaining BBWAA voters to vote for him in order to meet the 75% requirement to be inducted into the HOF.  That’s highly unlikely.  Papi’s offensive prowess has not been enough to get him into the HOF.  Several things keep hurting him in HOF voting including that he only spent 14 years in the MLB, he played his entire career in Seattle, and he was primarily a DH.  It’s a travesty that Edgar isn’t already in the Hall of Fame and he will most likely not get in.

The MLB Designated Hitter Award was named after Edgar Martínez by commissioner Bud Selig as the Edgar Martínez award.  There’s a street named after Martínez adjoining Safeco Field named Edgar Martínez Drive South.

The most memorable moment in Seattle Mariners history could not have happened without Edgar Martínez.  It’s safe to say that Baseball in Seattle was saved because of the 1995 Seattle Mariners incredible run to the playoffs and divisional series win against the Yankees. The series against the Yankees was won because of Edgar Martínez.  That alone deserves enshrinement.  Edgar’s impact on the the game of baseball is evident and it’s unfortunate that he won’t get into the HOF.

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