TODAY’S SPORTSTAT: The Hall of Fame case for Edgar Martinez, Part 2

By JERRY TAPP

(The following is the second in a two-part series on the case for Edgar Martinez induction into Baseball’s Hall of Fame).

Friends and family of Edgar Martinez should feel good about his chances for induction into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2019. Consider this:

• Martinez became the 29^th player to receive more than 70% of the votes in Hall induction in a year, but less than the required 75%. Of the previous 28 players who received between 70-74.9% of the vote in a year, 22 of those players got in the Hall the following year with more than the required 75% of the vote. Of the six that did not, two, Luke Appling and Red Ruffing got into the Hall in special “run-off elections” shortly thereafter, and four (Frank Chance, Nellie Fox, Jim Bunning and Orlando Cepeda) eventually were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Veteran’s Committee selection.
• Since 2000, nine players received between 70-74.9% of Hall of Fame votes in a year and then all received the required 75% the following year. The nine: Gary Carter (2002), Goose Gossage (2007), Jim Rice (2008), Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar (2010), Craig Biggio (2014), Jeff Bagwell (2016), Trevor Hoffman and Vladimir Guerrero (2017).
• Jim Bunning is the only player in Hall of Fame voting to receive between 70-74.9% of the vote in a year twice. He received 70.0% in 1987 and 74.2% in 1988. He was eventually voted in to the Hall by the Veteran’s Committee in 1996.

For the record, six different players received between 74-74.9% of the vote in a year: Nellie Fox (74.7% in 1985), Billy Williams (74.1% in 1986), Bunning (74.2% in 1988), Bert Blyleven (74.2% in 2010), Craig Biggio (74.8% in 2014) and Trevor Hoffman (74.0% in 2017).