Former Pirates Catcher Receives 2025 Hall of Fame Votes
Former Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Russell Martin's bid to reach the MLB Hall of Fame is done after one year.
Martin received 9 of the 394 votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in his first year on the ballot. With Martin receiving just 2.3 percent of the vote, he'll be dropped off future ballots after not reaching the 5 percent threshold to be eligible the following season for the Hall of Fame.
Ichiro Suzuki, C.C Sabathia and Billy Wagner all received enough votes to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Former Pirates outfielder Dave Parker and Dick Allen will also enter the Hall of Fame after receiving enough votes via the Classic Baseball Era Committee. The ceremony for the five players will take place on July 27 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Martin, who was a four-time All-Star and a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award winner, spent just two seasons on the Pirates, though, his impact was instrumental in Pittsburgh reaching the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1990-1992. The right-handed hitting catcher batted .256/.362/.401 with 26 home runs and 122 RBIs across his two seasons on the Pirates.
Martin's best season came in 2014 when he batted .290/.402/.430 with 11 home runs and 67 RBIs and posted a career-high 5.7 Wins Above Replacement. He also set a career-high with 21 Defensive Runs Saved in his two seasons in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh won the National League Wild Card Game in 2013 and beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2to advance to the NL Division Series, where it lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games. In 2014, the Pirates lost to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants 8-0. Martin's solo home run off of Reds right-handed starting pitcher Johnny Cueto to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead remains one of the top playoff moments for the Pirates in recent memory.
Martin also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2006-2010 and 2019), New York Yankees (2011-2012) and Toronto Blue Jays (2015-2018).
