Seattle Mariners All-Time Lineup: The Best (and Worst) in M's History

For a team that has only existed for 31 years, the Seattle Mariners have featured more than their fair share of all-time baseball greats.  My all-time Mariner lineup features three surefire future Hall of Famers, plus two more that have a great shot to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

One legend every six years or so isn't bad—and helps make up for the team never reaching the World Series.

The Mariners have also had quite a number of underachievers; players that routinely broke fans' hearts and were on the roster just to frustrate the Seattle faithful.  I'll throw in a few (highly subjective) dishonorable mentions as well.

Catcher: Dan Wilson

Dan the Man played the most games by far at catcher for the Mariners (1,237) and even managed to fit in a little offensive success here and there.  Wilson made the All-Star team in 1996 and finished the year with a career-high 18 homers and 83 RBI.  In the Mariners' all-time ranks, he stands fourth in games played, sixth in hits, fifth in doubles, and eighth in RBI.

Dan was a class act all the way—not to mention I always liked hearing Salt-N-Pepa's "Whatta Man" when he came up to bat.

Honorable Mention: Dave Valle

Dishonorable Mention: Miguel Olivo.  He came over in the Freddy Garcia trade as a good catching prospect but hit just .176 in parts of two seasons for the M's.  What makes Olivo more irritating is that he hit .304 in 2005 immediately after being traded to San Diego and has had decent success in the years since.

1st Base: Alvin Davis

The man known as Mr. Mariner was Seattle's first baseball star, making the All-Star team and winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1984. Davis played eight largely successful seasons in Seattle as a power threat who hit for a solid batting average. His name is sprinkled liberally throughout the Mariners' record books, ranking in the top five in at bats, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, on-base percentage, and OPS.

Honorable Mention: John Olerud, Tino Martinez

Dishonorable Mention: Richie Sexson.  Too soon?  Sexson's ineptitude of the past year and a half completely negated the success of his first two years in Seattle.  Anyone who prompts the Seattle fans to boo like they're Yankee fans must be doing something wrong.

2nd Base: Bret Boone

It's a tough choice between Boone and Harold Reynolds, who did play 352 more games in a Mariner uniform, but ultimately Boonie's outstanding performance in his Seattle years beat out Reynolds' off-and-on success over a longer period of time.

Boone ranks sixth in home runs, sixth in RBI, eighth in runs, fifth in slugging percentage, and eighth in OPS. He was a two-time All-Star, and his monster season of 2001 (.331, 37 homers, 141 RBI, 118 runs, 206 hits—all career highs) powered the Mariners to their incredible 116-win season.

Honorable Mention: Harold Reynolds, Joey Cora

Dishonorable Mention: No one stands out, really.  Any suggestions?

3rd Base: Edgar Martinez

This is a somewhat questionable selection—not because of Edgar's contributions to the Mariners, but because he played three-quarters of his career as a DH.

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