Sodo Mojo's/Mariners Fans Hall of Fame Vote: Who's In, Who's Out?

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The Baseball Hall of Fame will announce their 2019 class in about 10 days. There is one name, and one name only, that Mariners fans are watching this time around.

Of course, that player is Edgar Martinez. Mariners fans have pounded the table for Edgar’s induction for the past 10 years, and in his final year of eligibility, all signs point to him joining the greatest collection of players in the history of the sport.

But of course, there are more than 25 players on the ballot this year and nothing starts a heated debate faster than a Hall of Fame ballot. So we decided, as a staff, to make our own ballot’s and “elect” a hall of fame class as a website.

Seven of our writers sent in an anonymous ballot that follows the rules the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) when they vote. We could vote for a max of 10 players, only those on the ballot were eligible, and 75% of the vote is needed to get in our “Hall of Fame”.

We also introduced a wild-card, asking readers to vote on a poll to make a consensus “fan ballot”. The Top 10 vote-getters make up this fan ballot, making it the 8th and final ballot for our consideration.

So for those of you math whizzes out there, it takes 6 votes to reach the 75% plateau. So now, without further ado, let’s take a look at what we have come up with. (For a full look at our ballots, click here).

Edgar Martinez 8/8

SEATTLE – April 13: Designated hitter Edgar Martinez #11 of the Seattle Mariners makes contact with the ball during the game against the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field on April 13, 2003, in Seattle Washington. The Mariners defeated the Rangers 4-3 in extra innings. (Photo by Otto Greule/Getty Images) /

I mean, obviously, Edgar was getting in. This is a Seattle Mariners fan blog after all. All 7 of our writers voted for him, and all 37 of our voters for the fan ballot included him as well. The fact that Gar isn’t in “The Hall” already is a damn shame.

However, it appears that Edgar Martinez will finally take his rightful place in Cooperstown this summer. He is tracking at around 90% with roughly 1/3 of the projected ballots publicized. For the rest of the unknown ballots, Edgar would only need to be on about 65% of them.

Edgar numbers speak for themselves. His .311/.418/.515 slash line, in addition to his 309 HR, 514 2B, 1,283 walks, and 1,261 RBI put him in elite company. Edgar is the best Designated Hitter to ever play the game, and will finally be immortalized for all eternity.

Mariano Rivera 7/8

SEATTLE, WA – JUNE 06: Closing pitcher Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees acknowledges the crowd after receiving a gift from former Mariners’ great Edgar Martinez on behalf of the Seattle Mariners prior to the game at Safeco Field on June 6, 2013, in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

Yes, Rivera was not unanimous on our poll. And before you throw a fit, I am the one who didn’t vote for him in this poll. Now, do I think Rivera is a Hall of Famer? Absolutely. But I decided to treat this ballot like I would if I had a real one, and if I did, I wouldn’t vote for Rivera.

He is getting inducted, with or without my vote. So I decided to give the vote to somebody who could actually use it to stay on the ballot or get into the hall.

Rivera is the best closer in the history of the game, and there isn’t much debate. Rivera is the all-time leader in career saves (652), a 205 ERA+, 13 All-Star games, and 4 world titles. He is best remembered for his devastating cutter, the one pitch that sent him into the Hall of Fame.

The term “greatest of all-time” or “GOAT” is overused today. Anybody who has a good day gets called a GOAT. Very rarely is there an undisputed GOAT. However, nobody has any doubt, or any counter-argument, to Mariano Rivera being the actual GOAT for his position.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling,

Roy Halladay, Larry Walker 6/8

CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 30: Starting pitcher Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 30, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Brian Kersey/Getty Images) /

Here it is, the rest of our hall of fame class. A whopping 7 names made the magical 75% plateau, including this group of 5 players. The steroid guys (Bonds, Clemens) were the most interesting players in this discussion. It seems there are 2 definitive groups: steroids are not, both are HOF caliber players or no “cheaters”.

Personally, I know there are “cheaters”, including ones who used PED’s, already in the HOF. So morality aside, trying to keep out some of the greatest players ever is ridiculous. But that’s just me. It does appear this group is becoming the majority.

In our fan poll, which decided the fate of all the players in this group. Bonds and Clemens got right around 70%, which is about where they will finish in the actual voting process.

Schilling, Halladay, and Walker were all close calls as well. Schilling is being dragged down because, well, he is an a**hole. His playoff record is impressive, and he was one of the best pitchers of the steroid era.

Walker gets knocked for playing in Coors Field for a large part of his career. Yeah, it is as ridiculous as it sounds. Walker was a better player than even Edgar Martinez, and his candidacy is as strong as ever. He will likely fall short in the real vote but is well on his way to induction.

Of course, Halladay tragically passed away in a small plane crash and is a lock to get inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. He barely squeaked in for our experiment, but will likely get in with more than 85% of the vote. In his 10-year prime, Halladay averaged a 2.97 ERA, 219 IP, and a 148 ERA+.

He wasn’t a big-time strikeout guy, which may make his career numbers more impressive. A 7-man class is unheard of from the BBWAA, but with 20 legitimate candidates on the ballot, it is what needs to happen.

Next. Dodgers, Mariners Could Match for Haniger Trade. dark

Our experiment was fun, but now we just have to wait for the “real” voters to do their thing and hope they have seen the light. The HOF class of 2019 will have at least 2 members, Halladay and Rivera, and could have 2 more, Mike Mussina and Edgar Martinez.

Home / Mariners News

Sodo Mojo’s/Mariners Fans Hall of Fame Vote: Who’s In, Who’s Out?

The Baseball Hall of Fame will announce their 2019 class in about 10 days. There is one name, and one name only, that Mariners fans are watching this time around.

Edgar Martinez 8/8

Mariano Rivera 7/8

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling,

Roy Halladay, Larry Walker 6/8

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