Inbox: How will Edgar fare in Hall of Fame vote?

How likely do you think it is that Edgar Martinez gets into the Hall of Fame? — Andrew P., Mukilteo, Wash.

It’s not going to happen this year, but I’m certainly more optimistic about Martinez’s chances in his final two seasons of eligibility now in 2018 and ’19 after seeing the early returns from Hall of Fame voters who have published their ballots in advance of the Jan. 18 official announcement on the 2017 class.

Martinez seems to be picking up considerable momentum among voters who share their thoughts on social media for several reasons — increased awareness of his sabermetric numbers, a slightly less-crowded ballot after nine players have been elected over the past three years, more writers using all 10 available votes, perhaps the long-term David Ortiz factor in regard to designated hitters being valid Hall of Famers.

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For whatever reason, Martinez has been named on 65 percent of the first 68 ballots made public, per the Baseball Hall of Fame Tracker put together by Ryan Thibodaux, which is a significant jump from the 43.4 percent he finished with last year. That percentage will almost certainly drop when more of the anonymous votes are tallied, since voters who publish their ballots tend to be the younger, more progressive writers who are willing to look more at the sabermetric argument. Last year, public voters favored Martinez by 12 percent more than private voters.

But clearly Martinez is poised to make a solid jump, and if he finishes with somewhere between 50-60 percent support, that would dramatically increase his chances of continuing that momentum toward the necessary 75 percent for induction in his final two years on the ballot.

Any chance of seeing Franklin Gutierrez back with the Mariners in 2017? — Clark Y., Anchorage, Alaska

Haven’t heard much on Gutierrez this winter, though that’s not surprising since at his age (34 in February) and with his health condition and …

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