The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2018 today. Mariners legend Edgar Martinez received 70.4% of the vote, the highest percentage in his nine years on the ballot. Of the 422 votes cast by voters from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Edgar was included on 297 votes.
“All I can think is that it’s looking good for next year,” Martinez said. “It would have been great to get in this year, but it’s looking good for next year.”
Among the 28 players who have ever eclipsed 70 percent on the BBWAA ballot without gaining election that year, all 28 are Hall of Famers.