The worst and best WAR seasons I have seen for the Mariners

 I thought it'd be fun to make two teams of Mariners players.  One team will be the worst I've ever seen in terms of WAR (Wins Above Replacement) and the other team will be the best.  For a player to be considered, they had to have played the most at that position for the Mariners that year.  I'll comment on what I remember and possibly compare them to today's players.  First off, the worst Mariners team:

Catcher: Miguel Olivo, 2005 (-1.0 WAR)
I vaguely remember Olivo, who we obtained in the Freddy Garcia trade along with Jeremy Reed.  He wasn't a great hitter (although he had some pop), and his defense really lacked.

First Base: Richie Sexson, 2007 (-1.1 WAR)
Richie Sexson started out great, but sure fell off quickly.  His average plummeted and the strikeouts skyrocketed.  He just became a huge liability in the lineup.  The 2007 team tied with the Tigers for the best record for a team to not make the playoffs in the AL, so one must wonder if Sexson had been competent this season, would they have made the playoffs?

Second Base: Bret Boone, 2005 (-1.1 WAR)
Already the second member from the 2005 team.  Watching Boonie's downfall was heartbreaking, and watching his press conference after his release was even more so.  

Shortstop: Yuniesky Betancourt, 2009 (-0.6 WAR)
Boy, Betancourt struggled towards the end of his Mariners career.  He had marginal success in Milwaukee afterward.  But his last year or two here were awful, because he was bad at the plate and at defense, which you cannot afford at shortstop.

Third Base: Chone Figgins, 2011 (-0.9 WAR)
Is this any surprise?  Chone Figgins is often regarded as one of the worst free agent signings in Mariners history.  His asset of being able to make solid contact and getting on base vanished once he came to the Mariners.  

Left Field: Brian L. Hunter, 1999 (-1.0 WAR)
I vaguely remember Brian Hunter, but I do know he underperformed here compared to what he did in Detroit.  He no longer was a capable leadoff hitter.  The next closest was current Mariner Jesse Winker, who is on pace to have the worst WAR season since Hunter.  Hopefully, Winker doesn't do that.

Center Field: Jarred Kelenic, 2021 (-1.8 WAR)
Yikes... is all I can say.  Kelenic still has yet to figure it out (at least offensively), and you have to wonder if he ever will.  He's not terrible defensively, but when compared to Julio, Griffey, Cameron, and Gutierrez, he's not in their league.  

Right Field: Wladimir Balentien, 2008 (-0.6 WAR)
This year Ichiro was in center, prompting the M's to trot out a few guys, and the guy who got the most opportunities was Wladimir Balentien.  Boy, did he struggle.  I know he struck out a ton.  I also know he went overseas to play a bit after playing with the M's.

Designated Hitter: Carl Everett, 2006 (-0.6 WAR)
For an organization that had arguably the greatest DH of all time, they sure have had some awful ones in the past 20 years: Everett, but also Jose Vidro, Jesus Montero, Jack Cust, Corey Hart, and Tim Lopes.  So far, Abraham Toro has started the most in 2022 and would be added to that list, but he'll likely be eclipsed by either Kyle Lewis or Carlos Santana, thank goodness.

Total WAR: -8.7 WAR 
Seasons with multiple players: 2005

All right, now for the best (that I have seen)

Catcher: Mike Zunino, 2017 (3.4 WAR)
Mike had an interesting blend of great defense and power.  He just couldn't hit for an average or ever hit anything less than a home run.  But 2017 was a special year for him, one where I think he should've been an All-Star.

First Base: John Olerud, 2001 (5.2 WAR)
John Olerud was a model of consistency.  He had such a great approach at the plate, and I don't recall him ever making an error at first.  

Second Base: Bret Boone, 2001 (8.8 WAR)
We'll be seeing a few from 2001, and Boonie's 2001 campaign is still considered the best by a 2nd baseman in team history.  Robinson Cano gave him a run for his money in 2016, finishing with a 7.3 WAR.

Shortstop: Alex Rodriguez, 2000 (10.4 WAR)
Sure he's not well-liked in Seattle, but what he did before he bolted for the dollar signs was just incredible.  We still haven't seen a shortstop have this great a start to their career in baseball since, although Fernando Tatis Jr. comes close.  

Third Base: Kyle Seager, 2016 (6.7 WAR)
Seager is now considered the best third baseman in team history, so it's no surprise one of his seasons is here.  He had such a great glove (he honestly should have won more than one gold glove) and a sweet lefty pull swing.

Left Field: Raul Ibanez, 2006 (4.5 WAR)
Raul Ibanez had such a weird career.  How weird?  He was more productive in his 40s than in his 20s.  He might be the only hitter ever that you can say that about.  He was in the prime of his career this season, and he had such a great left-handed bat.  His defense... was ok.

Center Field: Franklin Gutierrez, 2009 (6.6 WAR)
Surprised to not see Griffey?  Well, for this list, I'm only going back to 1999, which is far back as I remember watching Mariners games on the regular.  And Griffey's WAR in 1999 was 4.9.  Guti, meanwhile, was such a great defender that almost any fly ball to center was going to land in his glove, and he also hit for a pretty high average, too.  Julio, the M's current centerfielder, has a chance to pass 6.6 WAR this season, but if he doesn't, I'd put money on him doing it in 2023.

Right Field: Ichiro Suzuki, 2004 (9.2 WAR)
We all remember how great Ichiro was this season, setting the all-time single-season hits record.  He carried the 2004 Mariners, although they had their first losing season in 5 years.  

Designated Hitter: Edgar Martinez, 2000 (5.7 WAR)
Of course it's Edgar!  How could it not be?  Edgar had his last two great seasons in 2000 and 2001, and 2000 was slightly better.  Nelson Cruz came close in the mid 2010's to matching Edgar's WAR, but fell short.  And of course, anyone else to be in this spot has just massively struggled.

Total WAR: 60.5 WAR

Seasons with multiple players: 2001, 2000

I think it's safe to say a team of the players first on this list would likely lose 100 games or more, and a team of the players second on this list would likely shatter the 116-win record.  But that's baseball; you don't always get every player at their peak.  But when you get one or two, boy, it sure is special.

Top 5 Choices to Replace Alex Trebek as host of Jeopardy

As we all know, Alex Trebek is in the middle of battling pancreatic cancer, and we know he won’t host Jeopardy much longer, unfortunately.  He is rumored to retire soon so he can get his affairs in order, but if that does happen, who replaces him? They will continue to air Jeopardy as it draws in millions and has a large and steady fanbase, but they will need a new host.  So I have come up with 5 picks to replace Alex, and they are in order from my least favorite to top favorite. I also decided to list their biggest strengths and biggest weaknesses in terms of hosting Jeopardy.

Before I name my Top 5, some candidates who I like as hosts, just not for Jeopardy:
Ellen DeGeneres, Howie Mandel, Chris Harrison, Ryan Seacrest
Ellen is a good host, I just don’t like her voice for Jeopardy.  Howie fulfills the Canadian part just like Alex, but again his voice doesn’t suit the show well.  Chris Harrison would be too safe of a pick and it just wouldn’t go over well with Jeopardy fans. And Seacrest would just go over very poorly with Jeopardy fans.  His voice is perhaps too energetic for Jeopardy.

Now, my Top 5 Choices, in order:

5. Ben Bailey
Ben certainly can host a quiz show as he did in Cash Cab, which he won multiple Emmy’s for.  I found out he lives in New Jersey, so he’d have to move to Los Angeles to do Jeopardy. He has a nice sounding voice, but maybe one that doesn’t quite mesh with Jeopardy; it’s hard to say.  Also, he’d have to wear a suit on every taping of Jeopardy, which he did not have to for Cash Cab. Biggest Strengths: Quiz accumen, ability to read clues promptly and professionally Biggest Weaknesses: Lives in New Jersey, voice may not suit the show

4. Brooke Burns
Hear me out.  Brooke did very well as host of “The Chase” on GSN and she was nominated for an Emmy for her hosting on there.  Jeopardy producers would probably love to hire either a minority or female host, and Brooke fulfills one of those.  She is very good at reciting things quickly and she’s also good at making small talk with contestants, as the new Jeopardy host will have to do.  I also like the sound of her voice; I feel like it fits the show well. If she wants the job, she'll have a legitimate shot. Biggest Strengths: Ability to recite clues quickly and professionally Biggest Weaknesses: Background as C-List actress

3. Laura Coates
Apparently, this CNN news analyst was mentioned by Alex as one of his possible replacements (according to her Wikipedia).  She’s definitely got the on-air charisma and appearance down, and her voice is very professional and suits Jeopardy. She also fulfills both the minority and female host attributes.  Biggest Strengths: Fulfills minority quota, professional Biggest Weaknesses: Lack of hosting in past

2. Wayne Brady
Let me give you a list: Alex Trebek, Bob Barker, Pat Sajak, Dick Clark, Wayne Brady.  Those are the five most Emmy-nominated game show hosts of all time. The advantage Wayne has is his age, still only 47 years old.  He does have a good-sounding voice, and we know he’d be very personable with the contestants. And it doesn’t hurt to be a minority, as it’s rumored Jeopardy wants to go with a female, a minority, or both.
Biggest Strengths: Hosting accolades and background, name recognition Biggest Weaknesses: May not be considered serious enough for Jeopardy given improv background
1. Brad Rutter
Who better to replace Alex than the highest earning Jeopardy contestant all time?  According to his Wikipedia, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting and.... hosting.  He does have a really nice sounding voice, and you can’t ask for a candidate that knows the game better.  The main problem being his lack of hosting in the past and to go with him would be a bit cliche. But if I was in charge of picking Alex’s replacement, Brad is the guy who I’d go with.  It would be like the best Survivor contestant ever replacing Jeff Probst… could happen. He already has a connection with the Jeopardy fan base. Biggest Strengths: Jeopardy connection, professional-sounding voice Biggest Weaknesses: Lack of hosting in past, too safe a pick I found out Alex's contract expires in 2022, so if his health holds up he may host until then. I think any of these five people would do a decent job. Of course, it'll probably be someone that I never considered or thought of. But until then, I'm going to enjoy Alex as host for as long as I can.