Top 5 Seattle Mariners of All -Time, and Their Rookie Cards
The Seattle Mariners may not always have the best of luck when it comes to winning, which can obviously put a damper on the home crowd. But one thing they were always good at, is being the cool kids on the block. From their awesome uniforms, to just having some of the greatest (and most loved) baseball players of all time.
Today we are going down memory lane and honoring the top 5 Seattle Mariners of all time. We will honor who they are, and what they did for baseball, as well as talk about their rookie cards. The only Mariners that will be on this list, are those who spent at least 5 years with the franchise.
Honorable Mention: Jay Buhner
Buhner went on to have an incredible 14 year run with the Mariners. Buhner was a late bloomer, not getting a full time nod until he was 26 years old. At that moment, he went on to hitting 25 or more home runs 7 times, topping 40 three years in a row. An absolute stud of a Right Fielder, he would also take home the Gold Glove award in 1996.
Number 5: Alex Rodriguez
While an All-Time great, I am placing Rodriguez number 5 on this list, because of his limited time with the Seattle Mariners. Rodriguez had all the tools, and then some. He could hit for power, swipe a ton of bags, and still manage to excel at shortstop. In just 7 years he would smash 189 homeruns, bat a ridiculous .309, while stealing 133 bases. At just 22 years old, he would the 40/40 club, hitting 42 home runs, and stealing 46 bags.
Due to his performance enhancing allegations, and not being in the Baseball Hall of Fame, his rookie cards can be had for cheap. His 1994 Upper Deck PSA 10 RC can be acquired for around $85-90.
Number 4: Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson was one of the greatest pitchers of all time. A 5 time Cy Young award winner, and 4X ERA title winner. He would go on to leading the league in strikeouts a ridiculous 9 times. The only reason he didnt rank higher on this list, is because he was really figuring out who he was with Seattle. The first few years, he was a .500 pitcher, mid three ERA's, and a fast ball that would put fear in any person in the batters box. Once he learned how to pitch, the rest was history. He would compile a 130-74 record over 10 years, finishing in the Top 3 in the Cy Young award 3 times, taking it home in 1995.
Pitchers seem to never get any love, as a 1989 Upper Deck Randy Johnson RC PSA 10, can be had for around $100.
RELATED: Ken Griffey Jr, The 90's, and How He Did NOT win 10 MVPs and the Winners Cards
Number 3: Edgar Martinez
Martinez was homegrown, and a lifer in Seattle. Making his debut at 24 years of age, he would go on an 18 year run of just putting fear in opposing pitchers. Considered by some the greatest DH hitter of all time, he would carry a lifetime .312 batting average. Martinez would finish his career with over 300 homeruns, 1200 RBI's and 1200 Runs. The two time batting title champ, 7x All-Star now Hall of Famer, is hands down one of the greatest to ever put on a Seattle uniform.
A 1988 Fleer Edgar Martinez PSA 10 can be had for as cheap as $30. However a more rare version would be the Glossy edition, which can be had for about $200.
Number 2 Ichiro Suzuki
One of the greatest Right Fielders, and players of all time. Ichiro would captivate the world with his polarizing play. Coming to America as a 27 year old rookie, he lit the league on fire, and never looked back. He would go on to hit over 200 hits his first 10 years in the league, while carrying a batting average of .331. During those 10 years, he would steal 338 bases, while bringing home 10 gold gloves. During that time, he was like Iron Man, averaging 159 games played each year. For his career, Ichiro would go onto hitting over 3000 hits, solidifying him as one of the greatest of all time.
One of the most popular rookie cards of Ichiro is his 2001 Bowman Chrome Refractor. Because of the rarity of the PSA 10, we will focus on his PSA 9 version. The PSA 9 can be had for about $1,200, which is definitely no chump change.
RELATED: Ichiro Suzuki to Donate Personal Collection to Baseball Hall of Fame
Number 1: Ken Griffey Jr
For all the right reasons, Ken Griffey Jr. lands at the number 1 spot. The 1st player drafted in the 1987 Draft, Griffey quickly rose through the ranks for the minor leagues. At just the age of 19, the teenager known as "The Kid" would be roaming center field, while his father was playing left field. At 20 he was in his first All-Star game, and finished the season with his first gold glove. Griffey would end up hitting over 40 home runs 6x for Seattle, while hitting over 50 in 2 of those seasons. With the smoothest swing in baseball, Griffey would go on to finishing in the Top 5 in MVP voting's 5 times. Griffey Jr. would go on to winning 10 Gold Gloves, smash 630 home runs, and drive in over 1,800 RBI's. Showing that he could hit for average, he would carry a .285 batting average over the course of 22 season. There was nothing short of what this 5 tool player could do.
The 1989 Upper Deck Griffey Jr RC is one of the most iconic cards in the history of collecting. The PSA 10 RC has been on the rise lately, with the average sale being about $2600-2800.
It will be fun to look back 5 to 10 years down the road and see if any of these names have been bumped down, or up. The Mariners once again have a fun team to watch.
