Cabo Rojo, PR: Today is the day that Edgar Martínez, the Seattle Mariners slugger AKA, Yankee Killer will know if he is finally going to join the other 323 players who have been inducted into the prestigious hall of the immortals.
This is the 10th and final year for Edgar to be inducted. If he does not make it this year he will no longer be eligible. If that were to happen, his only and last chance would be to be voted in by the Veterans Committee. However, through Edgar is cautiously optimistic, many of his fans are already celebrating as they believe that Edgar Martinez will receive well over the 75% of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) votes. Some Twitter comments have been stating that Edgar has received 98.6% of those votes that have been counted and revealed.
Edgar Martínez, a native of Dorado Puerto Rico has the numbers to have been inducted years ago. His .312 career batting average spread throughout 18 seasons is augmented with 309 homeruns, 514 doubles and 1,219 RBI’s. Unfortunately, many conservative members of the BBWAA would not vote for him believing that a “designated hitter” did not deserve the same privileges as a position player.
Obviously that train of thought has slowly been changing as the game of baseball has been made much more exciting with the addition of a designated hitter. What would the BBWAA say to the Boston nation and all baseball fans if David Ortiz would not be voted into the HOF when his time comes?
Edgar receiving his 2005 LatinoMVP award in the South Bronx. (Photo: Latino Sports)
I had a chance to spend many quality hours with Edgar throughout his career. Edgar was the 7th Latino awarded the prestigious LatinoMVP for his 2005 season and in the awards presentation in the South Bronx, Edgar expressed himself not only as a super star baseball player, but also as proud Puerto Rican and a statesman doing for his community.
Today many baseball fans of many nationalities will be paying close attention to see if Edgar Martínez will be the first designated hitter to be inducted into the HOF. Puerto Ricans on the island and in the Diaspora will be waiting to see if Edgar Martínez will be the fifth Puerto Rican entering the prestigious hall of the immortal baseball players. He will be following the footsteps of Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar and Iván Rodríguez.
