Top 50 Mariners of all time

[DavidGee24]

I really couldn't care less about the Top 50 Mariners of all time. For one thing, I think the bottom half of that list is probably pretty sketchy. There just haven't been that many significant Mariners careers. It also doesn't help that some of your better farm system products were traded away early on, like Ketel Marte, Adam Jones, and Shin Soo-Choo.

Jason Varitek, Jose Cruz, Derek Lowe, Tino, Asdrubel Cabrerra.

Imagine us now trading Felnin Celestin and Ryan Sloan for Paul Sewald. That's how bad those '90s trades were.

[GL_Storm]

I really couldn't care less about the Top 50 Mariners of all time. For one thing, I think the bottom half of that list is probably pretty sketchy. There just haven't been that many significant Mariners careers. It also doesn't help that some of your better farm system products were traded away early on, like Ketel Marte, Adam Jones, and Shin Soo-Choo.

Jason Varitek, Jose Cruz, Derek Lowe, Tino, Asdrubel Cabrerra.

Imagine us now trading Felnin Celestin and Ryan Sloan for Paul Sewald. That's how bad those '90s trades were.

I'll never get over the trade of Varitek and Lowe for Heathcliff Slocumb. I'm still dumbfounded by it.

[rockycola]

I really couldn't care less about the Top 50 Mariners of all time. For one thing, I think the bottom half of that list is probably pretty sketchy. There just haven't been that many significant Mariners careers. It also doesn't help that some of your better farm system products were traded away early on, like Ketel Marte, Adam Jones, and Shin Soo-Choo.

David Arias, casually sent away as a ptbnl on September 13, 1996 to the Twins for Dave Hollins.
He got to Minnesota, informed them and the press that he preferred to be called David Ortiz.
Yup, just a forgotten HOF castoff.
Big Papi.

[GL_Storm]

I really couldn't care less about the Top 50 Mariners of all time. For one thing, I think the bottom half of that list is probably pretty sketchy. There just haven't been that many significant Mariners careers. It also doesn't help that some of your better farm system products were traded away early on, like Ketel Marte, Adam Jones, and Shin Soo-Choo.

David Arias, casually sent away as a ptbnl on September 13, 1996 to the Twins for Dave Hollins.
He got to Minnesota, informed them and the press that he preferred to be called David Ortiz.
Yup, just a forgotten HOF castoff.
Big Papi.

Yep. I remember that trade.

[AT Fresno]

My personal top 5...

Jack Perconte
Scott Spiezio
Al Martin
Eric Bedard
Carl Everett

What about Kevin Mitchell, Chone Figgins, Cameron Loe, Carlos Silva & Milton Bradley?

[D-train]

I really couldn't care less about the Top 50 Mariners of all time. For one thing, I think the bottom half of that list is probably pretty sketchy. There just haven't been that many significant Mariners careers. It also doesn't help that some of your better farm system products were traded away early on, like Ketel Marte, Adam Jones, and Shin Soo-Choo.

David Arias, casually sent away as a ptbnl on September 13, 1996 to the Twins for Dave Hollins.
He got to Minnesota, informed them and the press that he preferred to be called David Ortiz.
Yup, just a forgotten HOF castoff.
Big Papi.

Yep. I remember that trade.

That was actually a good trade for us...

[rockycola]

David Arias, casually sent away as a ptbnl on September 13, 1996 to the Twins for Dave Hollins.
He got to Minnesota, informed them and the press that he preferred to be called David Ortiz.
Yup, just a forgotten HOF castoff.
Big Papi.

Yep. I remember that trade.

That was actually a good trade for us...

For 28 games, yes, batted .351 w/.906 OPS. Outplayed Russ Swan at 3B.
But, at end of season, switch hitting rental Hollins was granted free agency.
Nobody knew what Ortiz would become. However, in retrospect, it was a horrible trade.
M's were second in the division in '96. A-Rod won the BA title @ .358, hit 54 doubles. Edgar .327, 52 doubles.
Junior and Buhner, 49 & 44 HRs, respectively. Our catcher was some Pinella favorite, D. Wilson or some oddball name like that.
Team hitting stats: .287 \ .366 \ .484 \ .850
Ace of the pitching staff? Sterling Hitchcock with 13 wins. Norm Charlton was the closer. The team did have NOT-top 50 pitcher, Bobby Ayala on it.

[DavidGee24]

I'll never get over the trade of Varitek and Lowe for Heathcliff Slocumb. I'm still dumbfounded by it.

Even without modern baseball analytics, it was dumbfounding. Scrotumb had given up 58 hits and 36 walks in 46 innings for the Sux that season. but management went wow, he's got 17 saves this season and 63 the last two seasons! Yes, the Mariners needed to improve their bullpen but to go get a guy who had a WHIP that was approaching 2.00 even in 1997? And while neither Varitek or Lowe was tearing it up in the minors and Varitek was blocked by Dan Wilson, Varitek was highly regarded. It was a total fleecing even at the time.

[DavidGee24]

What about Kevin Mitchell, Chone Figgins, Cameron Loe, Carlos Silva & Milton Bradley?

Mitchell is probably our most shocking non-performer in franchise history. He was on a bit of a decline when we got him from the Giants, but look at what happened after his one season with us: https://www.baseball-reference.com/play ... ke01.shtml That guy should have totally destroyed the Kingdome. I remember he showed up that season fat, got off to a bad start but finished strong. Should have given him another season.

[GL_Storm]

I'll never get over the trade of Varitek and Lowe for Heathcliff Slocumb. I'm still dumbfounded by it.

Even without modern baseball analytics, it was dumbfounding. Scrotumb had given up 58 hits and 36 walks in 46 innings for the Sux that season. but management went wow, he's got 17 saves this season and 63 the last two seasons! Yes, the Mariners needed to improve their bullpen but to go get a guy who had a WHIP that was approaching 2.00 even in 1997? And while neither Varitek or Lowe was tearing it up in the minors and Varitek was blocked by Dan Wilson, Varitek was highly regarded. It was a total fleecing even at the time.

And Lowe had shown that he had this unique ability to induce ground balls. His major league ERA was pretty high, and I know Piniella didn't like him much, but when you watched him pitch the presence of that skill was pretty obvious.