Motor City Bengals
FanSided

Detroit Tigers: Who will be the Tigers next Hall of Famer?

By Andy Patton

DETROIT, MI - JUNE 15: Torii Hunter #48 of the Detroit Tigers bats during the fifth inning of the game against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park on June 15, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Twins 4-3. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 15: Torii Hunter #48 of the Detroit Tigers bats during the fifth inning of the game against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park on June 15, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Twins 4-3. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
DETROIT, MI – JULY 5: Victor Martinez #41 of the Detroit Tigers receives a high-five from manager Brad Ausmus #7 of the Detroit Tigers after scoring against the San Francisco Giants on a single by Ian Kinsler #3 of the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning at Comerica Park on July 5, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – JULY 5: Victor Martinez #41 of the Detroit Tigers receives a high-five from manager Brad Ausmus #7 of the Detroit Tigers after scoring against the San Francisco Giants on a single by Ian Kinsler #3 of the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning at Comerica Park on July 5, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

Victor Martinez

It seems pretty likely that 2018 will be Victor Martinez’s last season in the major leagues.

If that is the case, Martinez would first be eligible on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2023.

Similar to Hunter, Martinez would not go into the Hall of Fame wearing a Detroit Tiger’s hat. However, his contribution to the Tigers has been substantial, even if last season was one to forget.

Through the 2017 season, the 39-year-old Martinez has racked up 106 home runs, 486 RBI, 916 hits and 167 doubles in a Tigers uniform. He was a 2014 All-Star and finished second in MVP voting, while also winning the Silver Slugger Award.

Additionally, he has posted a 121 OPS+ and a .296/.357/.453 slash line in Detroit, along with a 9.4 bWAR.

For his entire career (mostly spent in Cleveland) Martinez has accrued 2,036 hits, 237 home runs, 1,124 RBI, 402 doubles, a 121 OPS+ and a 33.5 bWAR.

He made five All-Star games, won two Silver Slugger Awards and led the league in OBP and OPS once each.

His HOF case holds up simply because of how much time Martinez spent behind the plate earlier in his career.

Martinez has caught 858 games, compared to 746 at DH and 213 at first base.

The standards for the Hall of Fame are lower offensively for catchers than they are at other positions.

However, Martinez still falls short of the average HOF catcher according to most metrics.

His JAWS score of 31.2 ranks him 29th among catchers, sandwiched between Russell Martin and Yadier Molina. The average Hall of Fame catcher has a score of 43.9.

His 33.5 bWAR ranks him 30th, and his 7-year peak WAR of 28.9 ranks him 23rd.

The average Hall of Famer has a 53.4 bWAR and a 34.4 7-year peak WAR.

Martinez may show some life with the stick next year, but is unlikely to make much of a dent in his current statistics. If his stats don’t increase dramatically, he is unlikely to make the Hall of Fame.

Next is another active player who should get some serious consideration when he retires.

Home/Detroit Tigers History