Edgar Martinez
The Mariners retired his number before he even made the Hall of Fame, and for good reason. Martinez redefined what a designated hitter could be, posting a .312 career average that stands as the highest among players with at least 4,000 plate appearances as a DH. His 1995 season remains one of the most complete offensive campaigns in franchise history — that .356 average led the American League while his 1.107 OPS ranked second.
What separated Martinez from other sluggers was his plate discipline and clutch timing. He drew walks at an elite rate while maintaining that high average, a combination that produced consistent offensive value year after year. His OPS+ of 121 over 18 seasons tells the story of sustained excellence, not just peak performance.
Martinez proved the DH wasn't just a parking spot for aging sluggers — it could be a position of artistry. Modern fans should know him as the standard-bearer for pure hitting, a craftsman who elevated an entire franchise during Seattle's golden era of the 1990s.
Career · Batting
18 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | SEA | 13 | 43 | 0 | 5 | .372 | .994 | 133 |
| 1988 | SEA | 14 | 32 | 0 | 5 | .281 | .758 | 109 |
| 1989 | SEA | 65 | 171 | 2 | 20 | .240 | .619 | 89 |
| 1990 | SEA | 144 | 487 | 11 | 49 | .302 | .830 | 117 |
| 1991 | SEA | 150 | 544 | 14 | 52 | .307 | .857 | 121 |
| 1992 | SEA | 135 | 528 | 18 | 73 | .343 | .948 | 136 |
| 1993 | SEA | 42 | 135 | 4 | 13 | .237 | .744 | 101 |
| 1994 | SEA | 89 | 326 | 13 | 51 | .285 | .869 | 114 |
| 1995 | SEA | 145 | 511 | 29 | 113 | .356 | 1.107 | 147 |
| 1996 | SEA | 139 | 499 | 26 | 103 | .327 | 1.059 | 138 |
| 1997 | SEA | 155 | 542 | 28 | 108 | .330 | 1.009 | 133 |
| 1998 | SEA | 154 | 556 | 29 | 102 | .322 | .993 | 131 |
| 1999 | SEA | 142 | 502 | 24 | 86 | .337 | 1.001 | 129 |
| 2000 | SEA | 153 | 556 | 37 | 145 | .324 | 1.002 | 128 |
| 2001 | SEA | 132 | 470 | 23 | 116 | .306 | .966 | 127 |
| 2002 | SEA | 97 | 328 | 15 | 59 | .277 | .888 | 119 |
| 2003 | SEA | 145 | 497 | 24 | 98 | .294 | .895 | 119 |
| 2004 | SEA | 141 | 486 | 12 | 63 | .263 | .727 | 95 |
| Career | 2055 | 7213 | 309 | 1261 | .312 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.