Edgar: Almost A Dodger or Yankee?

Can you imagine one of your favourite athletes in a uniform other than the one they became famous in?

Over the years, many have been able to play with one team. But in the free agency era, they have become fewer and further between.

As we found out with author Larry Stone, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Edgar Martinez almost didn’t stick around Seattle after not seeing a clear path out from the Calgary Cannons.

Designated Hall of Famer

Good things come to those who wait.

In the case of former Seattle Mariner and Calgary Cannon Edgar Martinez, he’s become accustomed to waiting.

After going undrafted and signing with the Mariners in 1982, the third baseman spent the majority of the next seven years in the minor leagues, including 276 games with the Triple-A Cannons.

The rest of his career was spent with the Mariners, mostly as a designated hitter (DH), where Martinez waited for a World Series berth that never came before retiring at the end of the 2004 season.

When his career Major League Baseball (MLB) numbers – he hit 309 home runs, batted .312 and posted a .418 on-base percentage – were deemed worthy of National Baseball Hall of Fame consideration, Martinez would once again be forced to exercise patience as the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) deliberated his fate.

But, after his 10th and final year on the ballot, the wait is over and it’s good news for the man who simply became known as “Edgar” to Seattle sports fans.

Five Things We’re Watching in 2019

From Edgar’s Hall of Fame bid to Mike Soroka’s ascent up the Atlanta Braves depth chart to the Western Canadian Baseball League’s rebrand & revamp, there is a lot for Alberta’s baseball fans to be excited for.

We take a look at five of the headlines we will be watching in the coming year.

The Straw That Stirred the Drink

For Edmonton baseball fans, Reggie Jackson really was the straw that stirred the drink.

On May 16, 1983, the man known as Mr. October arrived in Edmonton for an exhibition game between the hometown Trappers of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL) and their parent club, the California Angels.

It was a nothing game for the Angels – a northerly stop wedged between an 8-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins and a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners – but it was a statement game for fans in Alberta’s capital.

Full Count

EDGAR IS GOOD.

If you went to a Seattle Mariners home game in 2000, that’s what flashed on the big screen in left field when Edgar Martinez stepped to the plate.

It would often flash again right after his at bat, when he ended up either on base or touching home plate.

But is he Hall of Fame good?