5 in 50- The Seattle Mariners

Continuing my 5 in 50 series, today’s team is the Seattle Mariners. This will be a list of the top 5 greatest players for the Mariners in the last 50 years. The criteria are as follows: Player must have been part of team for at least 5 full seasons since 1972. Both regular season and post season success will be measured (statistical leaders, awards, et). Players on this list can be from any position. Multiple players at the same position can be included. I’ll list the major accomplishments for each player only for the team they are selected.

Here is my list of the top 5 greatest Mariners players in the last 50 years.

5.   Alex Rodriguez (1994-2000)- 1996 AL batting champion. Finished in top 3 MVP voting twice. 

4.   Edgar Martinez (1987-2004)- 2-timed AL batting champion. Twice lead league in doubles.

3.   Ichiro Suzuki (2001-2012)-2001 AL MVP, 2-time AL batting champion. 10-time gold glove winner.

2.   Randy Johnson (1990-1998)- 1995 AL Cy Young award. Finished in top 3 Cy Young voting 3 times.

1.   Ken Griffey Jr (1989-1999)- 1997 AL MVP, 4-time AL Home Run champion. 9-time gold glove      winner.

Honorable mention to Felix Hernandez, Kyle Seager, Jamie Moyer, Jay Buhner, John Olerud

Notes. This was probably the easiest list to put together. The only question was the order. These 5 players are by far the best players in Mariners history. Martinez, Johnson, and Griffey are in the Hall of Fame. Ichiro will be next in a few years. And AROD should get in some day. Only question was the top of the list. If you are looking at full careers, Johnson would most likely be #1, and Griffey 2. But, since this list was based solely on performance as a Mariner, Griffey gets the nod. He is the best player in Mariners history.

Next up is the Texas Rangers.