Edgar Martinez
Young Edgar Martinez was signed by the Mariners when he was 19 years old in Puerto Rico, but didn't get a full-time major league job until he was 27. The hard-hitting right-hander quickly made up for lost time, batting over .300 his first three full seasons, and winning a batting title in 1992. After two years marred by hamstring and wrist injuries, he rebounded to win his second batting crown in 1995, and began to mature into a power hitter. He enjoyed back-t-back seasons of 52 doubles, drove in 100 or more runs six out of seven years, and hit no lower than .322 from 1995-2000. After superstar Ken Griffey Jr. was traded, power-hitting outfielder Jay Buhner declined, and Alex Rodriguez left via free agency, Martinez was left as the team's lone superstar. In 2000, the first year of Seattle's post-Griffey era, Martinez responded with 145 RBI, 37 homers, 100 runs scored, 96 walks and a .324 average. A designated hitter since 1995, Martinez grew to like the role, concentrating on his swing and earning All-Star selections five times in that capacity. Martinez retired in 2004 as the Mariners' all-time leader in hits, total bases, extra-base hits and batting average. His cheerful personality and quiet professionalism have made him the most popular player in franchise history, the Ultimate Mariner.
Played For
Seattle Mariners (1987-2004)
All-Time Rankings
Edgar Martinez ranks #3 among the Top 50 all-time at DH. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1995
Martinez won his second batting title (.356), led the AL in OBP (.479), OPS, games, runs (121), and doubles (52). Martinez hit safely in 125 of his 145 games played.
Factoids
Edgar Martinez collected 52 doubles in both 1995 and 1996, becoming just the fifth player in the century to collect 50 two-baggers in consecutive seasons.
Where He Played
Martinez played more games at designated hitter than any player in history. He was a third baseman the rest of the time.
Born
Edgar Martinez was born on January 2, 1963, in New York, NY.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: DH
Primary Team: SEA
College: American
Major League Debut
September 12, 1987
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1987
B.J. Surhoff
Edgar Martinez
Ellis Burks
Matt Williams
Ken Caminiti
Tom Glavine
Jose Mesa
Lance Johnson
Ron Gant
Nicknames
Gar
Related Players
Frank Thomas, Cecil Fielder, Paul Molitor, Harold Baines, and any other full-time DH in the AL in the 1990s... Carmelo Martinez and Jose Lind grew up in the same town, Maguayo, in Puerto Rico... Luke Appling, Joe DiMaggio, Al Simmons, Harry Heilmann, Nap Lajoie and Nomar Garciaparra - the other five right-handed batters who won more than one batting title in the Junior Circuit.
Post-Season Appearances
1995 American League Championship Series
1995 American League Divisional Series
1997 American League Divisional Series
2000 American League Championship Series
2000 American League Divisional Series
2001 American League Championship Series
2001 American League Divisional Series
Batting Feats
- July 6, 1996: 3 HR...
- May 18, 1999: 3 HR...
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
In 1990 Bill James wrote, "What a sad story this one is. This guy is a good hitter, quite capable of hitting .300 in a park like Seattle, with more walks than strikeouts. Martinez has wasted about three years when he could have been helping the team."
James was referring to the curious fact that the M's were using Martinez as a utility player, while Jim Presley held down the third base job. Finally, in 1990, Presley was traded and Martinez was given a chance to play every day.
All-Star Selections
1992 AL
1995 AL
1996 AL
1997 AL
2000 AL
2001 AL
2003 AL
Replaced
Jim Presley at third base, finally in 1990. Presley had been in Martinez's way for three seasons, doing immortal stuff like hitting .236 with 12 homers and a .385 slugging percentage. Finally, in 1990, he was sent to the Braves for Ken Pennington and Gary Eave, and Martinez was made the M's third sacker. It wasn't a smooth process for Martinez at third, however. On May 6, 1990, he made four errors in a game against the Orioles (the Mariners somehow won the game), tying an AL record, set by many.
Best Strength as a Player
Martinez was one of the best fastball hitters of his era.
Largest Weakness as a Player
He was the slowest runner in baseball.
Learn More about Edgar Martinez
Search Amazon.com for Books about Edgar Martinez ⇒
Search for Edgar Martinez at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
