Edgar Martinez (2019)


Date of Birth: 1/2/1963
Birthplace: New York, New York

Although Edgar Martinez was born in New York, he was raised by his grandparents in Puerto Rico, where he learned to play baseball. As a young adult, he played semi-pro baseball with the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico.

Seattle Mariners

Martinez signed with the Seattle Mariners on December 12, 1982. He played in the minor leagues from 1983 through most of 1988. He played in 13 games with the Mariners in 1987, and in 14 games the following season. In 1989, he played in 65 games and he had 41 hits and a .240 batting average.

Martinez had a strong season in 1990, batting .302 in 144 games. He had 147 hits, 27 doubles, and 49 RBIs. The following season his numbers were slightly better: 167 hits, 35 doubles, 52 RBIs, .307 batting average in 150 games.

Martinez won the AL batting title and his first Silver Slugger award in 1992. He led the AL in doubles and he had a career high in stolen bases. He finished the season with 181 hits, 46 doubles, 18 home runs, 14 stolen bases, 73 RBIs, and a .343 batting average in 135 games.

Martinez spent much of the 1993 season on the DL. He played in just 42 games that year. The following season, he became the Mariners' DH. He played in 89 games in 1994, and he had 93 hits, 23 doubles, 51 RBIs, and a .285 batting average.

Martinez won his second AL batting title and his second Silver Slugger award in 1995. He was named the Outstanding DH, and he led the AL in doubles, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had one of his best seasons in 1995, with career highs in hits, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had 182 hits, 52 doubles, 29 home runs, 113 RBIs, .356 batting average, .479 on-base percentage, and 1.107 OPS. He played in the postseason that year and he had 14 hits, including 3 doubles and 2 home runs, and 7 strikeouts to 8 walks in 44 at-bats in 11 games.

In 1996, Martinez had career highs in doubles and walks. He finished the season with 163 hits, 52 doubles, 26 home runs, 103 RBIs, 84 strikeouts to 123 walks, and a .327 batting average in 139 games. He won his third Silver Slugger award and the Outstanding DH award in 1997. That year, he had 179 hits, 35 doubles, 28 home runs, 108 RBIs, and a .330 batting average in a career high 155 games. In the postseason, he had 3 hits, including 2 home runs, and 3 RBIs in 16 at-bats in 4 games.

Martinez was again named the Outstanding DH in 1998, and he again led the AL in on-base percentage. He finished the season with 179 hits, 46 doubles, 29 home runs, 102 RBIs, .322 batting average, and .429 on-base percentage in 154 games. The following year, he had another strong season and he again led the AL in on-base percentage. In 1999, he had 169 hits, 35 doubles, 24 home runs, 86 RBIs, .337 batting average, and .447 on-base percentage.

Martinez won the Outstanding DH award once again in 2000, and he led the AL in RBIs with 145. He had career highs in home runs (37) and RBIs, and he finished the season with 180 hits, 31 doubles, and a .324 batting average. In the postseason, he had 9 hits, including 2 home runs, and 6 RBIs in 32 at-bats in 9 games.

In 2001, Martinez won his fourth Silver Slugger award and the Outstanding DH award for batting .306 with 144 hits, 40 doubles, 23 home runs, and 116 RBIs in 132 games. In the postseason, he had 8 hits, including 2 doubles and 2 home runs, and 5 RBIs in 36 at-bats in 10 games.

Martinez played in just 95 games in 2002, and his numbers were down from the previous seasons. He had 91 hits, 23 doubles, 59 RBIs, and a .277 batting average. The following year was a better one for him, with 146 hits, 24 doubles, 24 home runs, 98 RBIs, and a .294 batting average in 145 games. He won his fifth Silver Slugger award in 2003.

Martinez won the Roberto Clemente award in 2004. His batting average that year dropped to .263, and he had just 128 hits, 23 doubles, and 63 RBIs in 141 games. He also had many more strikeouts (107) to walks (58) that year, something that was very unusual for him.

Awards and MLB Records

  • AL batting title (2 times)
  • Outstanding DH (5 times)
  • Silver Slugger award (5 times)
  • Roberto Clemente award in 2004
  • Led AL in doubles (2 times)
  • Led AL in RBIs in 2000
  • Led AL in on-base percentage (3 times)
  • Led AL in OPS in 1995

Career Statistics

Career batting statistics for Martinez include:

  • 2,055 games played
  • 2,247 hits
  • 514 doubles
  • 309 home runs
  • 1,261 RBIs
  • 1,202 strikeouts to 1,283 walks
  • .312 batting average
  • .418 on-base percentage
  • .933 OPS

Career postseason statistics for Martinez include:

  • 34 games played
  • 128 at-bats
  • 34 hits
  • 7 doubles
  • 8 home runs
  • 24 RBIs
  • 24 strikeouts to 19 walks
  • .266 batting average

Post Playing Career

Martinez was a hitting coach for the Mariners from 2015 through 2018.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Edgar Martinez
Baseball Reference - Edgar Martinez

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