In honor of the long forgotten glory days of the Mariners, and at the guidance of Matthew at the
Number 5 Type Collection, I decided instead of celebrating my 100th post, I would make it number 116. I believe it is only right to post a list of the sweetest 116 Mariners players of all-time by position. So kids, grab your popcorn, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Starting Pitchers
1. Jamie Moyer- I only based on the fact that he was here longer and had more wins.
2. Randy Johnson- Hall of Famer, his slider was called "Mr. Snappy"
3. Felix Hernandez- He just keeps getting better
4. Mark Langston- 1984 ROY runner up and workhorse through the 1980's
5. Freddy Garcia- "The Chief" was dominant when he was here
6. Mike Moore- Another solid performer on some bad teams
7. Floyd Bannister- Great pitcher on the early teams
8. Joel Piniero- Streaky good and bad at times
9. Glenn Abbott- Did well teaching younger pitchers
10. Matt Young- Came up through the organization, but never was as dominant as he could be
Catchers
1. Dan Wilson- Without a doubt the bast Mariner catcher of all-time
2. Dave Valle- Great caller and backstop
3. Kenji Johjima- It pains me to put him that high
4. Tom Lampkin- Great fill-in guy, work well with pitchers
5. Pat Borders- Was happy with the club, or at AAA Tacoma
6. Jamie Burke- Not alot of offense, but worked great with young pitchers
7. John Marzano- Very good back up off the bench
8. Orlando Mercado- Worked his way through the system, was on some bad teams
9. Bob Kearney- Aging veteran, was a decent role player
10. Bud Bulling- Caught Gaylord's 300th win
First Base
1. Alvin Davis- 1984 Rookie of the Year, Mr. Mariner in the M's Hall of Fame
2. John Olerud- Local kid that was a stud at first base, and he could hit too
3. Tino Martinez- Part of the 1995 season, went to the "Damn Yankees"
4. Bruce Bochte- 1979 All-Star in Seattle, pretty good hitter too
5. Richie Sexson- He was all or nothing, it was a homer or a strikeout
6. Paul Sorrento- Nice replacement for Tino, could hit for power too
7. Pete O' Brien- Good defensively, pushed AD out of first base
8. Russell Branyan- Had a monster year in 2009, and missed the last month of the season
9. David Segui- We didn't know he was on the "Juice" at the time, Dad played for the Pilots and M's
10. Dan Meyer- Decent numbers, and decent glove
Second Base
1. Harold Reynolds- Gold glove in the field, feet that could fly
1A. Bret Boone- Great defensively, great numbers in 2001(P.E.D. enhanced)
3. Julio Cruz- Awesome defensively, a terror on the basepaths
4 Jose Lopez- His glove work is suspect, but can hit when he wants
6. Joey Cora- He was a spark plug in the dugout, and on the field
7. Willie Bloomquist- This guy could play everywhere, and look good doing it
8. Rich Amaral- Another utility guy, very versatile player
9. Larry Milbourne- Not a hitter, decent second baseman
10 Lenny Randle- Best known for blowing a ball foul
Third Base
1. Jim Presley- Great glove, solid hitter
2. Adrian Beltre- Gold Glove player, didn't have the power numbers though
3. David Bell- Great defensively, could have pop at times
4. Russ Davis- Solid hitter, above average defense
5. Mike Blowers- All-around good third baseman
6. Luis Sojo- Limited range, good clubhouse guy
7. Manny Castillo- Good glove, not much offense
8. Doug Strange- Came from nowhere and became a good starter
9. Bill Stein- Power hitter on the early teams
10. Andy Sheets- Good fill-in guy for a day-off
Shortstop
1. Alex Rodriguez- Is probably one of the greatest shortstops of all time(minus the P.E.D.'s)
2. Omar Vizquel- Little O is still going at 43 years old
3. Carlos Guillen- Good offense, good defense. Doing well for Detroit
4. Mark McLemore- Played everywhere, great clubhouse presence
5. Yuniesky Betancourt- Suspect defense, occasional pop in his bat
6. Spike Owen- Started here, went to Boston and Montreal
7. Todd Cruz- Great defense in the early 80's
8. Craig Reynolds- The original Mariner shortstop of 1977
9. Felix Fermin- Solid defender on the 1995 team
10. Mario Mendoza- The man that created the "Mendoza Line"
Left Field
1. Raul Ibanez- The very best of the hundreds of left fielders we have had
2. Phil Bradley- Great offense, solid defense in the field
3. Greg Briley- "Pee Wee" didn't hit much, but he could go get the ball
4. Randy Winn- Great range on defense, terror on the basepaths
5. Steve Henderson- Great power hitter of the early 80's teams
6. Mike Kingery- Started a long, productive career in Seattle
7. Barry Bonnell- Fair legs, more of a hitter
8. Vince Coleman- Short time here, helped the '95 team make the playoffs
9. John Mabry- Hit better than his defense
10. Darren Bragg- Was always willing to go full throttle for the team
Center Field
1. Ken Griffey Jr.- Not my favorite, can't argue with his numbers. Hall of Fame bound
2. Dave Henderson- Had great defense and could hit the ball too
3. Mike Cameron- Great defense, all or nothing at the plate. Still going for the Red Sox
4. Franklin Gutierrez- Another Gold Glover, can hit the ball too
5. Ruppert Jones- First star in Seattle, good defense and offense
6. Stan Javier- Good older player, would make a great manager in the majors
7. Alex Diaz- Always going all out, Not dirty=Not playing
8. Darnell Coles- Never got good until after he left
9. Charles Gipson- Great fill in wherever he was needed
10. Adam Jones- Traded before we could see his potential, Orioles have a good one now
Right Field
1. Ichiro Suzuki- Is there a superlative word that doesn't describe him? Absolutely awesome
2. Jay Buhner- The "Bone" was the greatest until number 1 got to Seattle
3. Al Cowens- Great range, average and power hitter
4. Henry Cotto- Decent defense, hit for a good average
5. Ivan Calderon- Big and strong, got better after he left. Tragically murdered in his hometown
6. Danny Tartabull- Will be remembered for his time with other teams
7. Leon Roberts- First guy to hit bombs in the Kingdome
8. Joe Simpson- Good speed, could hit when he needed to
9. Rickey Henderson- To quote him, "Rickey thinks that Rickey is number 1 on this list"
10. John Moses- Not the greatest, had good speed to go get the ball
Relief Pitchers
1. Kazuhiro Sasaki- Team leader in saves, got hurt carrying a suitcase
2. Jeff Nelson- Most success was in New York, had a nasty Frisbee Slider
3. J.J. Putz- When you heard "Thunderstruck" in Safeco you knew the game was over
4. Mike Jackson- Had a fastball that would scare hitters into striking out
5. Arthur Rhodes- Still going strong for the Reds, finally got an All-Star nod this year
6. Mike Schooler- Very dependable as the closer
7. Norm Charlton- The "Sheriff" was all business on the field
8. Eddie Guardado- "Everyday Eddie" was usually automatic, great person off the field
9. Bill Caudill- Good pitcher, was always showing that he was the clubhouse clown
10. Shane Rawley- Great pitcher, hard to get saves on a bad team
Designated Hitter
1. Edgar Martinez- So good that they named the award after him, should be in the Hall of Fame
2. Ken Phelps- Thanks to the Yankees for taking him and sending us Buhner(cue Frank Costanza)
3. Gorman Thomas- Power hitter, that could scare the ball out of the parks with his looks
4. Richie Zisk- Could hit for an average year after year, decent power numbers
5. Jeffery Leonard- The "Hac Man" could spray the ball all over the field
6. Willie Horton- The big name from the Tigers came to Seattle to retire
7. Mike Sweeney- Physically on the down side, his bench presence was a stabilizer
8. Bucky Jacobsen- Could mash the ball, became a quick cult hero in Seattle
9. Gary Matthews- Came to Seattle but really didn't have anything left to give
10. Greg Pirkl- Could hit it hard, couldn't stay healthy for long
Managers
1. Lou Piniella- Took the Mariners to places they had never been before
2. Jim Lefebvre- Got the Mariners to their first winning season
3. Don Wakamatsu- Got a bad lineup this year, last year was a dream season for him
4. Dick Williams- Fiery man that got what he could from those teams
5. Bob Melvin- Not a great manager, took over a good team for a decent record
6. Rene Lachemann- Didn't last long, had a decent record with a bunch of no-names
Feel free to tell me if you don't agree with me on any players. I would love to know that people think. Someday maybe we can get back to winning games and see the playoffs again. I don't think 116 will be duplicated again.
