Seattle Mariners All-Time Starting Lineup/ Roster

While the Seattle Mariners lineup may appear star studded with Ichiro Suzuki and Ken Griffey Jr., they lack much of a presence elsewheres with the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees essentially stealing two of their other top players. The biggest two omissions from the list are Randy Johnson, who would’ve certainly cemented the pitcher spot, and Alex Rodriguez, a great presence that likely would’ve fit into the heart of the order. Instead, we’re seeing a left handed heavy team with some power and average. The absence of two Seattle greats limits the potential of the offense and despite Ichiro and Griffey Jr.’s best efforts, the Mariners All Time team likely ranks near the bottom across the league.

Starting Lineup

1. Ichiro Suzuki, RF (L)
2. Robinson Cano, 2B (L)
3. Ken Griffey Jr., CF (L)
4. Edgar Martinez, DH (R)
5. Alvin Davis, 1B (L)
6. Raul Ibanez, LF (L)
7. Kyle Seager, 3B (L)
8. Dan Wilson, C (R)
9. Omar Vizquel, SS (R)
Felix Hernandez, P (R)
Manager: Lou Piniella

Catcher

Dan Wilson
1994-05: 433 Runs, 88 HR, 508 RBI, 23 SB, .262 BA/.309 OBP/.384 SLG

After joining the Mariners in a deal with the Reds during the 1993 offseason, Dan Wilson became the regular catcher with Seattle and held that spot for almost the entirety of his time there. While he was nothing amazing offensively, he was a stable defender and provided some very solid defense. Wilson earned his lone All Star appearance in 1996 which would prove to be his best seasons in the bigs.

Honorable Mentions: Dave Valle

First Baseman

Alvin Davis
1984-91: 563 Runs, 160 HR, 667 RBI, 7 SB, .281 BA/.381 OBP/.453 SLG

After debuting in 1984 and winning the Rookie of the Year award, there were high hopes Alvin Davis would become a star for the Seattle franchise. Instead, he simply became one of their most consistent players and had a fairly pedestrian career compared to the other superstars of his time. He’s a lefty bat that’s in a lefty heavy lineup and should be another source of power and RBI for the team. However, he did score a decent amount of runs and hit for a good average, making Davis very versatile in where to put him in the lineup.

Honorable Mentions: John Olerud, Bruce Bochte, Ken Phelps

Second Baseman

Robinson Cano
2014-18: 389 Runs, 107 HR, 411 RBI, 13 SB, .296 BA/.353 OBP/.472 SLG

Despite playing only five seasons with the club, Robinson Cano is slated as the franchise’s 6th best player in WAR. While Cano did spend the bulk of his career in New York, he remained a valuable piece for the Mariners and earned himself three trips to the All Star game during his time with Seattle. He remained a potent hitter with power and one of the main run producers. Defense remained solid for Cano though he did regress during his last year with the team.

Honorable Mentions: Bret Boone, Harold Reynolds, Julio Cruz

Shortstop

Omar Vizquel
1989-93: 223 Runs, 6 HR, 131 RBI, 39 SB, .252 BA/.309 OBP/.303 SLG

Alex Rodriguez would’ve likely been the pick here though his career, for better or worse, lies with the Yankees franchise. This is likely the biggest loss for Seattle who instead of having one of the best infielders of the 2000s will have to settle with Omar Vizquel. While the shortstop was best known for his time with the Cleveland Indians, he did spend the first five professional years with the Mariners and was a very good defensive player. He didn’t do much offensively until he reached Cleveland but even then, wasn’t much of an offensive threat.

Honorable Mentions: Jose Lopez, Carlos Guillen

Third Baseman

Kyle Seager
2011-19: 585 Runs, 193 HR, 653 RBI, 47 SB, .257 BA/.325 OBP/.444 SLG

Kyle Seager has struggled in recent years after showing much potential as a breakout star after his 2014 All Star selection. The third baseman had trended upward from 2014 to 2016 with more runs, homers, RBI, and better averages. However, he began unfolding in 2017 and has gone from All Star potential to an almost below average player. His defense isn’t exceptionally good and his hitting stats definitely aren’t supporting his contract. Seattle is on the hook for another three seasons after the 2019 campaign where Seager is currently the third highest paid player at the position.

Honorable Mentions: Adrian Beltre

Left Fielder

Raul Ibanez
1996-00, 04-08: 540 Runs, 156 HR, 612 RBI, 21 SB, .279 BA/.341 OBP/.466 SLG

In case the lineup didn’t have enough lefties, Raul Ibanez is going to be patrolling left field for the Mariners. In two separate stints with the club, Ibanez was an efficient power hitter who hit for average and could knock in a bunch of runs. He spent 11 years with Seattle though the majority of his damage was done during his second stop with the team from 2004 to 2008. While he never earned an All Star appearance with the team, Ibanez was an efficient bat for a stretch of five years. However, he might be a problem defensively where he rated poorly and was sometimes a bit of a liability.

Honorable Mentions: Phil Bradley, Randy Winn, Dustin Ackley

Center Fielder

Ken Griffey Jr.
1989-1999, 09-10: 1,113 Runs, 417 HR, 1,216 RBI, 167 SB, .292 BA/.374 OBP/.553 SLG

Widely regarded as having one of the smoothest swings in baseball, there’s no doubt that Ken Griffey Jr. will be the man for center field. The Hall of Famer put up incredible numbers over the course of 13 years with the club and will likely go down as their best ever player. His numbers were great all around and The Kid earned himself 10 straight All Star selections with Seattle. He would also go on to capture 7 Silver Sluggers and 10 Gold Gloves to cap off a historic run with the team.

Honorable Mentions: Mike Cameron, Franklin Gutierrez, Leon Roberts

Right Fielder

Ichiro Suzuki
2001-12, 18-19: 1,181 Runs, 99 HR, 633 RBI, 438 SB, .321 BA/.365 OBP/.416 SLG

The one man in baseball history who can just go by one name, Ichiro Suzuki was questionably the greatest contact bat in the sport. After coming over from Japan to the Mariners for the start of the 2001 season, Ichiro became an instant sensation. He won both Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in his freshman year and would only continue his dominance from there. He received 10 straight All Star game selections and won 10 straight Gold Gloves at the same time. Ichiro proved to be an elite five tool talent and masterful at everything he could do. After leading the majors in hits for seven of his 19 professional seasons, Ichiro will take his rightful place atop the Seattle lineup.

Honorable Mentions: Jay Buhner, Nelson Cruz, Mitch Haniger

Designated Hitter

Edgar Martinez
1987-04: 1,219 Runs, 309 HR, 1,261 RBI, 49 SB, .312 BA/.418 OBP/.515 SLG

Newly minted Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez will be the pick at DH. Martinez was one of the best hitters in Mariners history but got off to a fairly late start by normal standards. While most hitters enter their prime by their early to late 20s, he didn’t start hitting until his age 32 season when he earned his second All Star selection. Once in his prime, Martinez became a hitting machine. He consistently hit over .300 and 20 homers over a seven year span. Matinez will slot into the heart of the Seattle lineup and once again, be one of the best right handed bats in team history.

Pitcher

Felix Hernandez
2005-19: 169-132 Record, 3.39 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 2.6 BB/9

While he’s not Randy Johnson, Felix Hernandez was a great pitcher for the Mariners and will likely go down as their best ever franchise pitcher to date. His career has begun going downhill these past few years but even so, his career numbers are very impressive. Hernandez was crowned with the Cy Young award back in 2010 and even had a part of the stadium named after with King’s Court down the left field line at T-Mobile Park, formerly known as Safeco Field. He likely won’t end up in the Hall of Fame with his pedigree but will nonetheless be an efficient starter with good strikeout abilities.

Honorable Mentions: Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer, Mark Langston

Manager

Lou Piniella

Managing the club from 1993 to 2002, Lou Piniella hold the club record for career wins and games managed. He led the club to their only playoff appearances in 1995, 1997, 2000, and 2001. During his tenure, Piniella received a pair of manager of the Year awards in 1995 and 2001 despite never being able to win the franchise’s first title. He’s the most successful skipper in the club’s history and the rightful man to lead the ship.