11 Days of Edgar: One of the Game’s Greats
Day 1: Seattle Icon
Day 2: Postseason Hero
Day 3: By the Numbers
Day 4: The Yankee Killer
Day 5: The Doubles
Day 6: Defining the DH Position
Edgar Martinez was one of the top all-around hitters of his era as well as in baseball history. He combined power with the ability to reach base safely, both at rates that rank high on the all-time lists of Hall of Fame hitters.
Over his 18 Major League seasons — all in a Seattle Mariners uniform — Edgar hit .312 with a .418 on-base percentage and a .515 slugging percentage while amassing 1,219 runs, 2,247 hits, 514 doubles, 309 home runs, 1,261 RBI and 1,283 walks in 2,055 career games.
He is one of only 9 players in Major League history to have collected at least 300 home runs, 500 doubles, 1,000 walks while posting a batting average of .300 or better and an on-base percentage of .400 or better.
Edgar joins Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Todd Helton, Chipper Jones and Manny Ramirez as the only players to reach those plateaus over a career. Five of the other eight players have been inducted into the Hall of Fame while two are not yet eligible.
Since 1901, Edgar’s .418 lifetime on-base percentage ranks 17th-best in Major League history.
Of the 16 players ahead of Edgar, 11 are in the Hall of Fame and one is not yet eligible.
Highest Career OBP
Ted Williams, .482
Babe Ruth, .474
Lou Gehrig, .447
Barry Bonds, .444
Rogers Hornsby, .434
Ty Cobb, .433
Jimmie Foxx, .428
Tris Speaker, .428
Joey Votto, .426*
Eddie Collins, .424
Ferris Fain, .424
Max Bishop, .423
Joe Jackson, .423
Mickey Mantle, .421
Mickey Cochrane, .419
Frank Thomas, .419
Edgar Martinez, .418
Hall of Famers in italics
*active player
Edgar’s career WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 68.3 is the 70th-highest mark by a position player in Major League history. Of the 69 position players ahead of Edgar, 52 are in the Hall of Fame while four are active and five are not yet eligible.
Over his 18-year Major League career, Edgar hit .312 with a .418 on-base percentage and a .515 slugging mark. He is one of 14 retired players since 1901 to post a career batting average of at least .310, a career on-base percentage of at least .410 and a career slugging percentage of at least .510. Of the other 13 players to meet this criteria, nine are Hall of Famers and one is an active player.
Players with lifetime .310+ AVG, .410+ OBP, .510+ SLG
Ty Cobb
Jimmie Foxx
Lou Gehrig
Hank Greenberg
Harry Heilmann
Todd Helton
Rogers Hornsby
Joe Jackson
Edgar Martinez
Stan Musial
Manny Ramirez
Babe Ruth
Joey Votto*
Ted Williams
Hall of Famers in italics
* active player
Edgar is one of six right-handed hitters in Major League history to meet these criteria, joining Rogers Hornsby, Harry Heilmann, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg and Manny Ramirez.
Edgar is one of 5 retired players to post a lifetime triple slash line of at least .310/.410/.510 since the end of World War II. He is joined by Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Todd Helton and Manny Ramirez.
Among the 242 players in Major League Baseball with at least 7,500 career plate appearances during that span (1945-current), Edgar ranks 4th with a .418 career on-base percentage.
Highest Career OBP since 1945 (min. 7,500 PA)
Barry Bonds, .444
Mickey Mantle, .421
Frank Thomas, .419
Edgar Martinez, .418
Stan Musial, .415
Wade Boggs, .415
Hall of Famers in italics
After claiming the American League batting title with a .343 average in 1992, Edgar won his 2nd AL batting crown in 1995 when he posted a .356 clip. He is one of 10 right-handed batters to win multiple batting titles in the American League. In 1995, he was the first to do so since the White Sox Luke Appling won his 2nd batting title in 1943.
Right-Handed Batters with Multiple AL Batting Titles
Nap Lajoie
Harry Heilmann
Al Simmons
Jimmie Foxx
Joe DiMaggio
Luke Appling
Edgar Martinez
Nomar Garciaparra
Miguel Cabrera*
Jose Altuve*
Hall of Famers in italics
* active players
Edgar won five Silver Slugger Awards (1992, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003), making him one of just 33 players in baseball history with at least five awards. His four Silver Sluggers as a DH are 2nd-most all-time (David Ortiz, 6).
He earned 7 All-Star Game selections, making 4 starts, 2nd-most by a designated hitter (Ortiz, 5). His 7 All-Star Game appearances are 3rd-most in club history, trailing only Ken Griffey Jr. (10) and Ichiro (10).
Edgar Martinez Weekend is set for August 11–13 when the Mariners host the Los Angeles Angels at Safeco Field. The weekend-long celebration begins with Bobblehead Night this Friday, August 11. Edgar joins Ken Griffey Jr. in becoming the 2nd player in franchise history to have his number retired in a pre-game ceremony on Edgar Martinez Number Retirement Night, Saturday, August 12. The festivities conclude with Edgar Martinez Replica Jersey Day this Sunday, August 13.
Edgar’s skills on the field were only outshone by his character off the field. Tomorrow, we explore Edgar’s role as an outstanding benefactor to his community.
