[Sooga]

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Congratulations to Eck and Molitor. Both were clearly deserving. The person happiest about Molitor's election, other than Molitor, is probably Edgar Martinez, because if Molitor can make it as (primarily) a DH, Edgar Martinez (who has been almost exclusively a DH) has got to be a lock for the HOF someday--he's a far better hitter than Molitor, and now there is a precedent for a DH being elected.

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I completely disagree. Not that Edgar Martinez is a great hitter, but that if Molitor gets in, then Edgar should get in. Molitor was not a career DH. He started in the MLB when he was 21, and played pretty much every position in the infield (primarily 3b) until he hit his mid 30's, then he DH'd for several more years. There is no doubt that DH'ing prolonged his career, but he spent almost twice as long as a position player than a DH.

Martinez, on the other hand, did not have a full season until he was 27, and by the time he was 32 he was DH'ing full time. His hitting stats are obviously superior to Molitor's, but Molitor was a very good hitter for a longer period.

On top of all that, Molitor was one of the greatest all-around hitters in baseball. .306 lifetime average, 600+ doubles, 100+ triples, 200+ homers, and did you know he stole 500+ career bases? Oh, and the man had 3319 hits too.

Edgar meanwhile, other than his .315/.423/.525 career numbers, really doesn't have any numbers that jump out at you.

Now do NOT get me wrong. I am not at all saying Edgar is not a HOFer. But I absolutely disagree with the 'If Molitor gets in, Edgar gets in' argument.