BOB, GROZ AND TOM

MLB Network’s Amsinger: HOF voters shouldn’t dismiss Edgar Martinez as ‘just a DH’

Jan 18, 2018, 11:30 AM | Updated: 11:37 am

Edgar Martinez could be on the brink of induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame. (AP)...

Edgar Martinez could be on the brink of induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame. (AP)

(AP)

We are less than a week from the Jan. 24 announcement of the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame class, which means in a few short days we could hear that Mariners legend Edgar Martinez has finally gained induction in Cooperstown.

Will the all-time Mariners great join longtime teammate Ken Griffey Jr. in the Hall, becoming just the second player to be inducted wearing a Mariners cap? MLB Network host Greg Amsinger believes it’s time.

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Amsinger joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s Bob, Groz and Tom and explained why he falls on the side of inducting Martinez even while the debate continues to rage on about whether players who spend most of their career at designated hitter deserve induction.

“I look at Edgar Martinez as a great player, and I thought of him as one of the best DHs of all-time,” Amsinger said. “I get annoyed when people go, ‘Oh, he’s just a DH.’ And I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, that’s a role that was created in our sport.’ He helped his team in a role that was created in this sport. He’s one of the best that’s ever done it. To me, that’s a Hall of Famer.”

As of Thursday, Martinez has been on 81 percent of Hall of Fame ballots submitted by Baseball Writers Association of America members that have been made public, according to Ryan Thibodaux of BBHOFTracker.com. He needs to be on 69.9 percent of the remaining ballots to get the 75 percent needed to gain induction.

Amsinger also talked about why he thinks the Mariners need one more addition in both the rotation and outfield as well as what has factored into a slow offseason for the MLB. You can find the entire interview with Amsinger in this podcast.

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MLB Network’s Amsinger: HOF voters shouldn’t dismiss Edgar Martinez as ‘just a DH’