Phil Rogers asks how can Edgar Martinez be considered a viable candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame (Tribune, Aug. 13) when his hits, home runs and RBI totals are less than those of Harold Baines, whom “few seem to take seriously as a Hall of Fame candidate,” according to Rogers.
As it turns out there is someone already in the Hall of Fame who has fewer hits, home runs and RBIs than Baines. How is that possible? This player played for only 13 seasons and Baines played for 22 seasons. But his career batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage are far superior to Baines’. His name is Joe DiMaggio.
Apparently some players earn admission to the Hall of Fame because they have impressive career totals that are partly a function of very long careers. Others, like DiMaggio, have shorter, highly productive careers, best judged by their averages and percentages. Thus when Rogers votes on Hall of Fame admissions in five years, he should decide whether Martinez’s 15-year career as a Mariners starting player (.312 batting average, .420 on-base percentage and .518 slugging percentage) looks more like Harold Baines (.289, .356, .465) or Joe DiMaggio (.325, .398, .579). To look only at career totals would be “asking the wrong question” indeed.
