If Harold Baines is in the Hall of Fame, Edgar Martinez should be too.<\/b>
\nLAS VEGAS \u2014 If this doesn\u2019t lead to the election of Edgar Martinez to the Baseball Hall of Fame, what will?
\u201cThis\u201d is news Sunday evening that the Today\u2019s Game Era Committee (1988-present) elected DH Harold Baines, as well as closer Lee Smith, to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The two will share the stage in Cooperstown, N.Y., next July with however many other inductees are voted in by 75 percent of voting members of the BBWAA, who have until the end of this month to vote.
Martinez, the first great DH (David Ortiz is the other), has career stats that essentially dwarf those of Baines, yet he is in his last-chance year to be elected the old-fashioned way, by BBWAA voters. Next year, his name will be off the ballot and his only chance of getting in will be if some future committee deems him worthy. Martinez came the closest yet last year to being voted in when he received 70.4 percent of the vote. Traditionally, voters come around to a former great on his final year of eligibility (see Tim Raines two years ago) but the vote by the Today\u2019s Game Era Committee may inadvertently become the final nudge voters need, unless they want the embarrassment of not having Martinez stand with Baines on the stage as well.
Baines had a very good career \u2014 over 22 seasons, he played in 2,830 games and hit 384 home runs with 488 doubles, and he hit .289 with a .356 on-base percentage and .465 slugging percentage for a .820 OPS \u2014 but aside from durability, his numbers and standing among his peers while he played never elevated him to Hall of Fame status in the eyes of BBWAA members. He was on the ballot for only five years and never captured more than 6.1 percent of the vote. Baines played until he was 42 years old. After his age 26 season, when he finished ninth (his career high in four Top 20 appearances) in MVP voting, he never appeared in the Top 20 again.
Martinez played in only 18 seasons and 2,055 games but aside from his home run totals, he was a much better slugger and overall hitter than Baines. He hit 309 home runs, with 514 doubles while over his career hitting.312\/.418\/.515 with a .933 OPS. Martinez finished in the Top 20 in MVP voting five times, at age 29 (12th), age 32 (3rd), age 34 (14th), age 37 (6th) and age 38 (16th). Martinez played until he was 41 years old.
Let\u2019s not forget to mention WAR, too. With so many more games played, Baines managed 38.7 WAR in his career.
Martinez? 68.4 WAR.
How did Baines manage to capture 12 (the minimum, for 75 percent) of the 16 votes? Committee members are not required to divulge their vote, but it\u2019s safe to assume that committee member Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the White Sox, for whom Baines played the bulk of his career, and Tony LaRussa, Baines\u2019 former manager, played a key role in swaying the other members, all of them Hall of Famers: Greg Maddux, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan, Bert Blyleven, Pat Gillick, Tony La Russa, John Schuerholz, Ozzie Smith and Joe Torre.
Smith, who closed for the Red Sox for two-plus seasons 1988-90, received all 16 votes. Smith lasted 15 years, the maximum, on the Hall of Fame, peaking at 50.6 percent in 2012 and finishing last year with 34.2 percent. He is third all-time in saves with 478 saves and led the league four times in saves.
Baines and Smith will appear at a press conference at the Mandalay Hotel and Casino on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n