Mariners get behind the Edgar Martinez Hall of Fame argument

As voters begin receiving their ballots for the Hall of Fame's Class of 2013, the Seattle Mariners are making a push to get former designated hitter Edgar Martinez a plaque on the wall in Cooperstown.

This year marks the fourth time that the Mariners slugger has appeared on the ballot. While he's considered one of the best hitters baseball has seen in the past few decades, the fact that he spent much of his career without a defensive position has soured some voters.

On Monday, the Mariners sent out a new release making a case for Martinez:

"He combined power with the ability to reach base safely, both at rates that rank high on the all-time lists of Hall of Fame hitters. From 1990 (when he became a regular) and his retirement in 2004, the Mariners posted a .512 winning percentage, and were one of just 11 MLB teams to win more than 1,200 games."

Martinez's success speaks for itself. In 18 seasons with Seattle, he hit .312 with 2,247 hits, 309 home runs, 1,261 RBI and a career OPS+ of 147. While his hits and home run totals fall short of standard benchmarks for Hall of Fame inclusion (3,000 hits, 500 home runs), Martinez's résumé might be too impressive to ignore. He boasts two American League batting titles, three American League on-base percentage titles, five Silver Slugger Awards, seven All-Star game appearances and five Designated Hitter of the Year awards to his credit and was arguably the greatest designated hitter the game has ever seen.