Mariners name HOFer Edgar Martinez hitting coach for rest of '24

Seattle Mariners Major League Manager Dan Wilson announced today that Hall of Fame Designated Hitter Edgar Martinez will serve as Mariners Major League Hitting Coach for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Martinez, 61, has spent the last six seasons (2019–24) as Mariners Organizational Hitting Advisor, working with batters across every level of the Mariners organization. Martinez spent four years (three full seasons) as the Mariners Major League Hitting Coach from 2015-18. Prior to being hired as Hitting Coach on June 20, 2015, Edgar had remained involved with the Mariners organization as a guest hitting instructor during spring training and as a special assistant dating back to his retirement as a player in 2004.

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“I want to thank Edgar for agreeing to join us for the remainder of the season,” Wilson said. “I’m confident his deep knowledge of hitting and experience with our hitters will be a great addition.”

Wilson and Martinez were teammates as players with the Mariners for 11 years from 1994–2004, appearing together in 7 postseason series across four separate seasons.

“When Dan reached out to me, I told him that I’d be happy to assist him this season in whatever way I could,” Martinez said. “I know the talent and work ethic this group of hitters has and I hope I can be of help to them.”

Over four seasons in Edgar’s first stint as Mariners Hitting Coach (2015–18), the Mariners ranked tied for 5th in MLB with a .258 team batting average, while averaging 4.52 runs/game with a .745 team OPS. In the four seasons preceding Edgar’s hire, Seattle’s offense had posted an MLB-worst .237 batting average, while averaging 3.75 runs/game.

Edgar was the best right-handed hitter of his era and ranks as one of the top all-around hitters in baseball history, combining power with the ability to reach base safely. Over 18 Major League seasons — all in a Mariners uniform — Martinez compiled a .312 career batting average with a lifetime .418 on-base percentage and a .515 slugging percentage while amassing 1,219 runs, 2,247 hits, 514 doubles, 309 home runs, 1,261 RBI and 1,283 walks in 2,055 career games.

He is one of 13 players in the modern era to record a career batting average of at least .310, a career on-base percentage of at least .410 and a career slugging percentage of at least .510 (5,000 PA). Among players with at least 6,000 career plate appearances, only five have bested each leg of Edgar’s .312/.418/.515 career triple slash line: Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.

Off the field, Edgar was honored by Major League Baseball with the Roberto Clemente Award in 2004. Upon Edgar’s retirement in 2004, the Mariners established the Edgar Martinez Endowment for Muscular Dystrophy Research at Seattle Children’s Hospital. The City of Seattle renamed a section of South Atlantic Street (which runs alongside the ballpark) Edgar Martinez Drive in 2004. In 2007, he was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.

One of two players to have their respective numbers retired by the club (also: Ken Griffey Jr.), Edgar is one of the pillars of the Mariners franchise. He is the club’s career leader in games, runs, doubles, RBI, walks, total bases, extra-base hits and on-base percentage while also ranking in the top-5 in batting, at-bats, hits, home runs, slugging percentage and OPS. He is 1 of 9 players in Major League history to record at least 2,000 hits, 500 doubles, 300 home runs, 1,200 RBI and 1,200 walks with one club, joining Hank Aaron, Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Chipper Jones and Todd Helton.

Edgar resides in Bellevue, WA with his wife, Holli. They have three children, a son, Alexander and daughters, Tessa and Jacqueline.