Edgar Martinez -- the first Hall of Fame DH?

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Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan has a line about how ex-Seattle Mariners DH Edgar Martinez deserves to be in the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible. That got me studying Martinez’s stats, and it didn’t take long to decide Ryan is right.

Martinez played 18 years with Seattle, his last in 2004, so he’s eligible for Cooperstown consideration in 2010. His is a classic test case for the value, or lack thereof, of being a designated hitter. Of the 2,055 MLB games Martinez played, only 591 of them were in the field, mostly at third base. And by the time he was 32, Martinez needed only batting gloves. In his last decade he played a mere 33 games in the field.

But he could hit. Martinez won two A.L. batting titles, was a seven-time All-Star, led the league three times in on-base percentage and also led in runs scored, RBIs and doubles.

What is clear-cut is that his lifetime stats in several key offensive categories are outrageously better than those of many Hall of Famers of the last decade.

Consider these comparisons:

Martinez’s lifetime batting average is .312.That’s better than HOFers Jim Rice, Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield, Tony Perez, George Brett, Orlando Cepeda and Robin Yount.

Martinez’s lifetime OBP is .418.That tops Rice, Ripken, Wade Boggs, Murray, Winfield, Perez, Brett, Cepeda and Yount.

Martinez’s lifetime slugging percentage is .515, which places him ahead of Rice, Ripken, Boggs, Gary Carter, Murray, Winfield, Perez, Brett, Cepeda and Yount.

Martinez also drew 1,202 walks in his career, better than Rice, Perez, Brett and Cepeda.

I say vote him in.

-- Barry Stavro

Caption: Seattle Mariners designated hitter Edgar Martinez watches his base hit during a spring training game against the Angels in Tempe, Ariz., in March 2003. Credit: Tom Hood / Associated Press