Walk of Shame to baseball HOF voters

For all the baseball writers who didn’t vote for Seattle Mariners great Edgar Martinez and left him a few votes short of the Hall of Fame, the photo above is where you belong.

BBWAA voters, stop penalizing guys for being a Designated Hitter. It's part of the game.

Martinez is deserving by any logical statistical measurement.  He hit .312 in an 18-year career and had a .418 on-base percentage. Martinez had 2,247 hits, 1,261 RBI and 309 home runs. He was a seven-time All-Star and a won five Silver Slugger awards.

Chances are good Martinez will make it in on his final year of eligibility in 2019. No player in history who garnered at least 70 percent of the vote (Martinez had 70.4 percent this year) has failed to get the required 75 percent. But there are no guarantees and the fact that he has to wait 10 years to find out is a product of old-timers not wanting to vote for a DH.

Martinez also was a solid third baseman when he played in the field. He didn't choose to be a DH. The rules chose him.

So voters who left him off your ballot, enjoy your Walk of Shame