Unfortunately for the Seattle Mariners, the history of the club has not been filled with abundant "superstars". At least, they haven't stuck around. To be sure, there have been some first-ballot hall-of-fame players, but unfortunately those players were eventually traded or left in free agency. It is possible that Ichiro may someday be a hall-of-fame inductee and Edgar Martinez may have an outside chance, but Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and Randy Johnson have long left their Seattle roots behind. Here are a few thoughts on the all time best players on the Seattle Mariners.

A-ROD

Granted, Alex Rodriguez is a New York Yankee, and he will probably end his career and go into the Hall as a Yankee. Still, he was drafted and began his career in Seattle. By the end of his career, he may go down as one the most statistically productive players of all time. He has a reasonably good chance of breaking Barry Bond's all-time home run record. Despite being dogged by critics who question his post-season prowess, he has racked up some incredible statistics, and his background connects him to the Seattle Mariners.

JUNIOR

Much like Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. will not end his career in Seattle and he will probably go into the Hall as a Cincinnati Red. That said, Junior literally saved baseball in Seattle. His long home runs and circus catches in the outfield made him a hero in the Seattle sports scene. Unfortunately, his moodiness and desire for a change of scenery made it impossible for Seattle to keep him for his whole career. Eventually his tantrums got him traded, and Seattle lost another star.

THE BIG UNIT

Superstar number three to leave Seattle behind is Randy Johnson. "The Big Unit" dominated baseball for a number of years in Seattle and his performances were the stuff of legend when Seattle was a playoff team in the mid-1990's. Johnson was electric, and fans came out to the park to see his flowing locks and wicked fastball. He racked up strikeouts, but unfortunately he too was traded when his unhappiness forced another unfortunate trade.

ICHIRO

Ichiro Suzuki exploded onto the Seattle scene and quickly proved that a Japanese player could succeed in the big leagues of Major League Baseball. Ichiro has been a hitting machine and a fan favorite since his "rookie" year, though critics may always complain that he wasn't your typical rookie due to his prior career in Japan. Ichiro probably represents the first viable chance the Mariners have of getting a player into the Hall of Fame.

EDGAR

Probably the most beloved player in Seattle Mariners history is Edgar Martinez. Blessed with an uncanny ability to see the ball, Edgar racked up two batting titles on his way to capturing the hearts of Seattle fans. He also played his entire career in Seattle, which is an increasingly rare occurrence. What may eventually keep him out of the Hall is his lack of statistics. Unfortunately, injuries kept him down and management left him in the minor leagues too long before finally letting him debut.

Seattle has had a tough history, but they have had some great players. As mentioned, too many of them left under frustrating circumstances but enough left legacy material enough to make them a part of Mariner history.

Learn more about this author, Todd Pheifer.
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