Disrespecting the Respected: A Case for Edgar Martinez's Hall of Fame Inclusion

A player, a teammate, a captain. All of these describe the once respected Edgar Martinez. Why is he not respected anymore? Critics of him need to learn to respect the man that helped revolutionize America's pastime.

At one time, Martinez was one of the most feared hitters of his generation. That happens when you own the position you play. That was exactly what Martinez did as a Mariner.

So what do Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, and Stan Musial have in common with Martinez? Those five players (all in the Hall of Fame), along with Edgar Martinez are the only players in major league baseball history to have a batting average of .300 or more, an on-base percentage of .400 or more, a slugging percentage of .500 or more, 2000 hits, 300 home runs, 500 doubles, and 1000 walks. The only mere difference is a glove, or lack there of.

While most guys can be offended at being put at the DH position, Martinez embraced it. Over the years, he accustomed his body to hitting, sitting, watching, and then repeating over and over throughout his 18 year career.

If you think about it, all the players that have awards named after them are in the Hall of Fame. Cy Young and Roberto Clemente head some notable names that have awards named after them. So what is the difference with Martinez? The best DH is named after him of course. Just a thought there that is tough to ignore.

Among all the most famous snubs of the Hall of Fame, if Edgar Martinez does not make it eventually, it could arguably be the biggest snub in history.

The shrine in Cooperstown was introduced to honor the great ones that have played the game of baseball. A fan favorite position or not, the DH was part of the game and as fans, we try to respect that.

So why not respect the great Edgar Martinez now, like we did when he was feared throughout baseball? That is a question that will have to be answered in the near future.

You can argue that the designated hitter was just a late addition to the game and there is no reason for it. Well, I have this for you. What about the Red Sox of the past five or so years? They've had their own DH that has made a name for himself: David "Big Papi" Ortiz.

Before his alleged steroid reports, Ortiz was easily going to be a Hall of Famer. "The Best DH ever!" Red Sox nation referred to him as. Best ever? He's not even the best of his time. It all goes back to the disrespected Edgar Martinez.

Maybe it is the position (or lack of position) that sways people the negative way about Martinez and his Hall of Fame hopes. Maybe it's the market he played in, as shown with the David Ortiz example. It's possible we'll never know why the man never got any credit for his success. Either way, he was a once in a lifetime player. 

Martinez was the first player to ever make a living at DH, and I doubt there will be anyone that ever exceeds what he did during his career in Seattle. He could hit; we all knew that.

Could he use a glove? Who knows. He may have never owned a glove at one point in his career. But the fact is, he excelled at his position and did more than any person has ever seen.

Will this underrated legend ever get the respect he deserves? Sadly, probably not. But I think we will see him enshrined into Cooperstown in the future.

Glove or not, Edgar Martinez is one of the best to ever swing a bat.