Mariners news, notes and links: Edgar Martinez on the edge in HOF vote
Jan 23, 2018, 4:01 PM | Updated: 4:17 pm
Mariners legend Edgar Martinez has just one year of Hall of Fame eligibility left after this year. (AP)
(AP)
Wednesday is the day. At 3 p.m. the results of the Baseball Hall of Fame election will be broadcast on the MLB Network and MLB.com, and Edgar Martinez will be facing either an induction ceremony on July 29 or one final year of waiting to see if he can get to 75 percent of eligible voters giving him the nod.
Stelton: The hypocrisy of some HOF voters leaving Edgar off ballots
The early returns had been encouraging for Edgar with his votes peaking at around 86 percent (at 80 votes counted) and holding steady just above 80 percent until Monday. The trend took a downward turn Tuesday, however, with Edgar falling below the 80 percent mark. At 4 p.m. Tuesday, with 54.5 percent of the anticipated ballots in as tracked by Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs), Edgar’s percentage had dropped to 77.1.
Among the results published by organizations today (some of which were previously announced and recorded in Thibodaux’s tracker), Martinez did get a good boost from writers at ESPN.com (appearing on 9 of 10 ballots) and the San Francisco Chronicle (5 of 6). Those who turned in ballots Tuesday who did not vote for Edgar included Bob Nightengale, former L.A. Times and Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Downey, David Ginsburg of the AP Baltimore, USA Today’s Jorge Ortiz and Gabe Lacques, Pedro Gomez of ESPN, Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer and Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, who might have a little trouble in spring training with one of the Rays outfielders he covers.
Dear @TBTimes_Rays,
You are hereby on probation from interviews until my childhood hero, Edgar Martinez is rightfully voted in to the Hall Of Fame. This may seem unprofessional and unfair, but I say to you “My oh My”.Yours Truly,
Longtime Mariner Fan— Steven Souza Jr. (@SouzaJr) January 23, 2018
Notes
• Forbes has an interview with Mariners chairman John Stanton that gets his thoughts on expansion, the slow free agent market and an update on the naming rights for Safeco Field.
• There will be plenty of Mariners on the air Wednesday on 710 ESPN Seattle, starting with an in-studio visit by manager Scott Servais on Brock and Salk at 9:30 a.m.
• The Hot Stove show will air from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday night, with scheduled guests including Servais, Mike Zunino, Mitch Haniger and two of the newest Mariners, Dee Gordon and Ryon Healy. If Edgar is elected into the Hall of Fame we expect to have him as well.
