By Paul Taylor Posted on

Mariners unveil top 50 players on nostalgic night at T-Mobile Park

The Mariners put on a wonderful ceremony in front of 41,351 fans, as the organization celebrated 50 seasons of heroes, moments and memories.

It’s undoubtedly been a rough season for a Mariners team which had high expectations, but Saturday night was about celebrating the 50 best players to ever wear the uniform in Seattle. Those 50 players were unveiled in a pregame ceremony at T-Mobile Park, as fans were given the chance to take an emotional trip down memory lane.

The group of 50 players were chosen by a combination of fan votes, along with input from Mariners alumni, baseball operations and longtime front office and Seattle media. Of the 48 players who are still alive, 44 were in attendance at T-Mobile Park.

There were some deserving candidates who missed out, but this was always going to be the case on a list which was limited to 50 players. Among those who you can argue should have made it, included Omar Vizquel, Mike Zunino, Tino Martinez, Jeff Nelson, Marco Gonzales, Jarrod Washburn and Edwin Diaz.

Interestingly, there were eight members of the 2026 Mariners roster on the list of the 50 greatest players in franchise history, including J.P. Crawford, Julio Rodríguez, Andrés Muñoz and Cal Raleigh. Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and George Kirby closed out the list of current players along with Luis Castillo, who was traded to the White Sox last weekend.

The best of the best in M’s history

The four most obvious selections were the Hall of Fame quartet of Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro, Edgar Martinez and Randy Johnson, who were also the final four players unveiled. Alex Rodriguez, for as controversial as he was — both in Seattle and in general — was also deservedly on the list, and it was good that he was mostly cheered when he was announced.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson has received plenty of criticism this season, but this was thankfully put to one side when he was named, with the crowd giving him a passionate ovation. Fan favorites taking in the applause included Jay Buhner, Mike Cameron, Nelson Cruz and Bret Boone.

The first two players announced on the list were the late, great duo of Julio Cruz and Dave Henderson, who were represented by family members. Aside from Castillo, the other three players not in attendance were Kyle Seager, Robinson Canó and Freddy Garcia, although video messages were played on the big screen for the trio.

There were a couple of pleasant surprises on the night, beginning with the announcement that Rick Rizzs had been unanimously elected into the Mariners Hall of Fame. Rizzs was clearly and understandably emotional about the news, and it is thoroughly deserved for a special man who will retire from being the M’s radio voice after this season.

Meeting of the past and present

The other surprise came when the winningest manager in Mariners history, Lou Piniella, came out to throw the ceremonial first pitch. Piniella threw the pitch to Wilson behind the plate and they then shared a hug, before everyone came together for more applause from the crowd.

Many fans will be hoping the current team can take some motivation from the events on Saturday night, to turn things around. As much as things look dire right now, this is still a roster which is more talented than what it has shown so far.

Fortunately, even at this stage there is still hope, by virtue of the AL West specifically and the American League in general not being that strong. One person who still believes in the team is “Mr. Mariner” Alvin Davis, who said:

“We as a franchise have been doubted for 50 years. Let that doubt fuel you. Prove them wrong. We believe in you. Prove us right.”

The full top 50 greatest Mariners list

Starting Pitchers (16): Floyd Bannister, Jim Beattie, Luis Castillo, Freddy Garcia, Logan Gilbert, Erik Hanson, Félix Hernández, Hisashi Iwakuma, Randy Johnson, George Kirby, Mark Langston, Mike Moore, Jamie Moyer, James Paxton, Joel Piñiero, Bryan Woo.

Relievers (6): Norm Charlton, Mike Jackson, Andrés Muñoz, JJ Putz, Arthur Rhodes, Kazuhiro Sasaki.

Catcher (3): Cal Raleigh, Dave Valle, Dan Wilson.

First Base (2): Alvin Davis, John Olerud.

Second Base (4): Robinson Canó, Julio Cruz, Harold Reynolds, Bret Boone.

Third Base (2): Adrian Beltre, Kyle Seager.

Shortstop (2): J.P. Crawford, Alex Rodriguez.

Left Field (2): Phil Bradley, Raul Ibanez.

Center Field (6): Mike Cameron, Ken Griffey Jr., Dave Henderson, Franklin Gutierrez, Ruppert Jones, Julio Rodríguez.

Right Field (3): Ichiro Suzuki, Jay Buhner, Mitch Haniger.

Designated Hitter (2): Nelson Cruz, Edgar Martinez.

Utility (2): Bruce Bochte, Mark McLemore.

Photos court​‌esy Tim Rogers Photography

Discover more from Cascadiasports.net

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply