Top 50 Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners began as an expansion team in 1977, and like many expansion teams, they took their lumps in the beginning. It took them until 1995, where they would not make their first playoff until 1995 with a team comprising of Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. Randy Johnson and Edgar Martinez, the sky seemed to be the limit, and they would make the playoffs in 1997, 2000, and 2001, but they were unable to win the American League Pennant.
To date, the Mariners are the only Major League Baseball team that has not participated in a World Series.
This list is up to the end of the 2023 season.
Note: Baseball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
Omar Vizquel is not primarily associated with the Seattle Mariners, but the player who would become one of the best defensive infielders ever would begin his career in the Pacific Northwest.
From Canada, James Paxton was a fourth round pick who would play collegiately at the University of Kentucky. Paxton debuted in 2013 and had four starts, winning three of them. Over the next three seasons, Paxton was often on the disabled list, and he had a pedestrian 15-15 record, but by 2017, he was healthy and was able to show what he could do.
After being drafted in the 12th Round of the 1997 Draft, Joel Pineiro would reach the majors in 2000, and made it to the Mariners starting rotation in 2002.
Tom Paciorek made his debut in the Majors in 1970 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he saw little action with L.A. when he played there until 1975. The Atlanta Braves had him next but released him in May of 1978, and by that time, he was 30 and had never been more than a platoon player. The Mariners would sign him days later, and the First Baseman remained as a platoon player, but he would see more action in 1980 and would have 114 Hits. That was good, but in 1981, he had an unexpected season.
Ken Phelps never really got the chance to be an everyday player in his career, mostly used in platooning situations, but that makes his days in baseball sound so basic.
Tino Martinez was an excellent college baseball player at the University of Tampa and a Gold Medalist at the Seoul Olympics. Martinez was a first round pick (14th Overall) in 1988, and he would debut with Seattle in 1990.
After playing a decade in Japan with Yokohama, Kazuhiro Sasaki was a 32-year old rookie in Seattle, and with a decade of real experience, he easily won the 2000 American League Rookie of the Year Award. The former Central League MVP would finish third in the AL with 37 Saves.
While J.J. Putz and Kaz Sasaki are ranked higher and (we feel) had a better overall Career in Seattle, the most excellent season that a reliever had in a Mariners' uniform should be attributed to Edwin Diaz.
Carlos Guillen's career took off with the Detroit Tigers, but his Major League career began in Seattle.
Historically speaking, Ruppert Jones was very important in the early days of the Seattle Mariners. He was the first player chosen in the Expansion Draft, after playing a handful of games with the Kansas City Royals, and in the inaugural season of the Mariners, Jones went to the All-Star Game. He would have a career-high 24 Home Runs that season with a .263 Batting Average.
The fact that Leon Roberts had a Major League career at all was impressive, considering that he withheld poor vision from his teammates and management. Regardless, he fought for a spot in Baseball, and his best years happened in Seattle.
Matt Young had a losing record as a rookie (11-15), but that was in 1983 when he was not going to receive a lot of offensive support. His ERA of 3.27 and 130 Strikeouts were decent, and he was named to the All-Star Game as a rookie. This might have been the best year of his career, as the Southpaw's ERA was much higher in the two years that followed. He would lead the AL in Losses in 1985 and was demoted to the bullpen the year after.