Former Pirates Catcher Named Hall of Fame Finalist
Former Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Russell Martin was named among the finalists for the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
Martin joins a star-filled list who are eligible for the Hall-of-Fame for the first time, including outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, left-handed pitcher C.C. Sabathia and second baseman Dustin Pedroia among others. The results will be announced on Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. ET.
Players debuting on the 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot:
— StatMuse Baseball (@statmusemlb) November 18, 2024
Ichiro Suzuki
Felix Hernandez
CC Sabathia
Dustin Pedroia
Ben Zobrist
Adam Jones
Ian Kinsler
Russell Martin
Brian McCann
Hanley Ramirez
Fernando Rodney
Troy Tulowitzki
Curtis Granderson
Carlos Gonzalez
How many get in? pic.twitter.com/A3toAXM6nq
After beginning his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2006-2010) and playing two seasons with the New York Yankees (2011 and 2012), Martin signed a two-year deal with the Pirates in the 2013 offseason and was everything Pittsburgh could have hoped for behind the dish and at the plate.
Pittsburgh made the playoffs in the two seasons Martin was on the team. Across his two years with the Pirates, the former catcher posted a 9.8 Wins Above Replacement and hit .256.362/.401 with 26 home runs and 122 RBIs. Martin's best season was his last in Pittsburgh, as he hit .290/.402/.430 with 11 home runs and 67 RBIs in 2014 and his 5.7 WAR and 135 OPS+ were the highest of his career.
Pittsburgh snapped a 20-season drought of missing the playoffs in his first season and beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 in the National League Wild Card Game. Martin went 3-4 with two solo home runs in the win. The Pirates pushed the St. Louis Cardinals to five games in the National League Division Series before being eliminated from the postseason.
In 2014, the Pirates lost to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants 8-0 in the NL Wild Card game. Across his six playoff games with Pittsburgh in 2013, Martin hit .294.364/.647 with two homers, six RBIs and five hits. He went 1-4 in Pittsburgh's lone playoff game in 2014.
Martin left in free agency to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2015 offseason and spent four seasons there before finishing his career with the Dodgers in 2019.
The former Pirates catcher finished his career with four All-Stars, one Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award. Martin hit .248/.349/.746 with 191 home runs and 771 RBIs across his 14 seasons in the big leagues.
