Former Toronto Blue Jays Catcher Russell Martin Added to 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot

Russell Martin made his final All-Star appearance with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015, and now he is being considered for a spot in the Hall of Fame a decade later.

Jun 3, 2018; Detroit, MI, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin (55) is congratulated by teammates after scoring in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Russell Martin, one of the top offensive catchers of his era, is up for one of the highest honors in the sport.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the 2025 ballot for the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Monday, including both fresh faces and a handful of returnees. Martin, who played for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2015 to 2018, was among the 14 new players who made the cut.

The other players who were added to the ballot were Carlos González, Curtis Granderson, Félix Hernández, Adam Jones, Ian Kinsler, Brian McCann, Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez, Fernando Rodney, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzukim Troy Tulowitzki and Ben Zobrist. Tulowitzki and Granderson also have experience with the Blue Jays, with the former appearing in 238 games from 2015 to 2017 and the latter seeing action in 104 contests in 2018.

There are also 14 players who earned at least 5% of the overall vote in 2024 who will get another shot in 2025: Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltrán, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramírez, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Francisco Rodriguez, Torii Hunter and David Wright.

Vizquel played 60 games with the Blue Jays in 2012 before he retired. Toronto acquired Mark Buehrle shortly after, and he pitched for the team from 2013 to 2015.

Martin saw more action north of the border than anyone else on this year's ballot, even though he only spent roughly a quarter of his career in a Blue Jays uniform.

After five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Martin signed with the New York Yankees. He spent two years in the Bronx, then joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent. When his time in Pittsburgh was done, Martin chose to play for the Blue Jays.

Martin made his fourth and final All-Star appearance in 2015 – his debut season in Toronto. He finished 24th in AL MVP voting that year, having hit .240 with 23 home runs, 77 RBI, a .787 OPS and a 3.2 WAR.

The following year, Martin another 20 homers and 74 RBI to his career totals. Those figures dropped to 13 and 35 in 2017, however, then 10 and 25 in 2018.

Martin was traded to the Dodgers ahead of the 2019 campaign, and he retired a few months later.

Over the course of his career, Martin hit .248 with 1,416 hits, 191 home runs, 255 doubles, 771 RBI, 101 stolen bases, a .746 OPS and a 38.8 WAR. The only others catchers who recorded at least 1,400 hits, 190 home runs, 250 doubles and 100 stolen bases are Carlton Fisk and Ivan Rodriguez, both of whom are in the Hall of Fame.

McCann was the only catcher with more homers than Martin between 2006 and 2019, while McCann and Yadier Molina are the only players at the position with more RBI over the same span.

Martin ranks third among Blue Jays catchers in home runs with the franchise, despite playing 447 games for Toronto. He also ranks second in runs and third in walks.

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