Not a bad week for Edgar Martinez who picks up HOF votes and a Congressional Resolution
Dec 22, 2017, 1:37 PM | Updated: 2:12 pm
If Edgar Martinez fails to pick up the required 75 percent of the vote this year, next year will be his tenth and final year on the BBWAA ballot. (AP)
(AP)
The ballots for the 2018 class of the Baseball Hall of Fame are starting to flood in ahead of the December 31 deadline and Edgar Martinez’s name has been on the vast majority of them.
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Ryan Thibodaux (follow @NotMrTibbs on Twitter,), who has tracked all votes and keeps an updated BBHOF Tracker found here, has Edgar’s name on 76 of 88 ballots turned in so far. The Hall of Fame requires 75 percent for election and as of noon Friday, Martinez is at 86.4 percent with 21.2 percent of all known ballots in.
While there are still somewhere in the neighborhood of 328 ballots that have yet to be turned in and excitement levels may be tempered by the drop in numbers Edgar took when the final ballots came in last year, the numbers so far this year are very different. At the 90 vote mark last year Edgar had been named on 67 percent of the ballots and topped out at around 71 percent at the 150 ballot mark before finishing at 58.6 percent. He has picked up 13 new votes so far this year and lost 4. His name has been checked on 4 of 5 first time voter ballots. All very positive trends.
If he fails to pick up the required 75 percent of the vote this year, next year will be his tenth and final year on the BBWAA ballot. The final results for the 2018 Hall of Fame class will be announced January 24.
Another voting class checked in on Friday with an honor for Martinez as well. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal joined by 35 members of Congress introduced a bipartisan resolution honoring Edgar for his outstanding career as a professional player and for his noteworthy humanitarian and philanthropic efforts.
“Time and again, Edgar has shown up for his team and his community. Not only is he a beloved figure in the Pacific Northwest, but also a celebrated son of Puerto Rico. Edgar’s character and service makes us all proud. It is my honor to join my colleagues today in recognizing his great career and contributions,” said Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY).
A copy of the resolution can be found here.
