After having a lot of time to digest the final film of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, I have realized the trilogy is not perfect. In fact, it's far from it. I've come to realize it is actually a fairly big disappointment. It had so much potential. It had the potential for people to argue for eons on which trilogy is better: the original or the sequel. Nobody will ever legitimately think the prequel trilogy is better than the original trilogy, and now nobody will ever think the sequel trilogy is better. I have ten reasons why this is the case; ten ways Disney, JJ Abrams, Rian Johnson, and Kathleen Kennedy screwed up. These are in no particular order:
1. Rey is too much of a Mary Sue
You knew I was going to mention this. She executes flying maneuvers you'd expect only out of a very experienced pilot. She fixes the Millennium Falcon with ease. She uses a Jedi Mind trick without practice. She wields a lightsaber with competency against someone who's trained their entire life (although he was wounded). Kylo should have easily been able to handle her in TFA. It's hard to relate to a character that is so good at everything she does. More on Rey later.
2. The back and forth between JJ and Rian
The sequel trilogy suffered from the inconsistency of directors. Rian undid some of what JJ did, and then JJ undid some of what Rian did. It left the trilogy feeling more like three separate barely connected films. There's very little connecting the three films other than the characters. One example is JJ hyping up Luke's lightsaber, only for Rian to have Luke toss it over his shoulder.
3. No good romance story
Something prevalent in the first two trilogies is a romance sub-plot. In the prequels, we had Anakin and Padme. In the original trilogy, we had Han and Leia. In the sequels, we have nothing even close. We had a kiss between Finn and Rose in The Last Jedi, but that romance was forgotten about in the next film. We then had a kiss between Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and Rey, but there was very little to zero romantic build up. He had just barely turned to her side. The kiss felt forced and out of place. If they had started building up the romance in The Last Jedi (or TFA) then it would have made a bit more sense.
4. Force Powers introduced that add plot holes, ruin integrity of Star Wars
I'd say one of the things that bothers me most about the sequel trilogy are some of the force powers introduced in it. I'm ok with the mind extraction power Kylo used on Poe (although why didn't Vader learn this power?). But what I don't like are the dyad, force heal, and new force ghost powers. The dyad allows matter to be transported thousands if not millions of miles. This means people could be transported, right? They basically introduced teleportation in Star Wars, which belongs more in Star Trek. Force Heal means no one has to die, and makes us wonder why no Jedi ever learned it before. I like how JK Rowling said that once a character dies in the wizarding world of Harry Potter, they're dead. That is no longer the case in Star Wars. And the last thing that really bothered me was Force Ghosts and their new "powers". Apparently now they can cause lightning strikes, use the force to lift objects, and even hold solid objects (Luke holding the lightsaber). Why don't they help out the living world more often, then? What rules are there?
5. Missed opportunity at the end of The Rise of Skywalker
When Rey is laying down and the Jedi are speaking to her, we hear Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Anakin, Mace Windu, and even Kanan Jarrus I think. It would have been a million times more awesome to see them as Force Ghosts. To see all of those characters rally behind Rey and help her would have redeemed TROS and even the entire trilogy, more or less. It would have been a way to tie all the films (as well as a couple TV shows) together and probably would have instantly become a Top 5 Star Wars moment. But instead, all we get is their voices and it has nowhere near the impact it could have.
6. The handling of the original trilogy characters
I feel like Luke, Leia, Han, and Lando all could have been handled better. Even R2D2 and C3PO were mere afterthoughts, although I understand wanting to focus on BB-8 (and sell merch). But there were so many things I wish we had seen with the four human characters. I wanted to see a Han and Luke reunion, a Han and Lando reunion, and maybe even a Lando and Leia reunion. The only "reunions" we got were Han and Leia who were "separated" (don't agree with that), and Luke projecting himself to Leia. Meh. And the way they all were killed off... did they even have to be killed off? Why can't they just live out their last days in peace? At least perhaps Lando does. Han dies so violently at the hands of his son? That's an awful fate for a fan favorite. Luke dying from overprojecting? Ok...
7. Rey's lineage is a massive head-shaker
My absolute preferred lineage for Rey would have been to have her somehow descended from Obi-Wan, perhaps a (great) niece. What Rian Johnson did in TLJ was have her parents be nobody, which I definitely would have preferred over her being a Palpatine. At least as a nobody, that teaches kids (mostly girls) that even if your parents are nobodies and not that successful, that doesn't mean you can't be. Instead, it shows that there has to be some lineage in your family tree in order to make a name for yourself. And knowing the main "hero" of the ST be descended from ultimate evil is just an unsettling feeling.
8. There is no clear villain throughout the trilogy
In the prequel trilogy, the main villain was Palpatine AKA Darth Sidious. In the original trilogy, it was Darth Vader and then the Emperor. In the sequel trilogy, there is no consistency. It goes from Kylo/Snoke to Snoke dying leaving just Kylo to Palpatine and then Kylo turns. There is no clear number one villain in the trilogy. It's not Snoke, he was only in a film and a half. It's not Palpatine, he was only in one film. And it's not Kylo, because he turns and betrays his own "master". There's no one clear villain for the audience to root against.
9. Side characters that are discarded or boring
The sequel trilogy introduced a lot of side characters: Captain Phasma, Rose, Finn, Poe, General Hux, and Zorii Bliss. Captain Phasma was built up with a bunch of hype but dies in a lame fashion in TLJ. Rose was basically forgotten about in TROS. Finn was possibly force-sensitive but we get no resolution on it. Poe was an ace pilot and former smuggler... but what else? His character had no substance. General Hux was a villain who turned for a petty reason. Zorii Bliss was someone from Poe's past who no one cared for. There was very little to no depth for the secondary characters in the ST.
10. Missing an epic lightsaber fight scene
There was no epic lightsaber fight scene in the ST. The closest we got was in TLJ when Rey and Kylo teamed up to take out Snoke's guards, but that fight had flaws and wasn't exactly a fair fight. There was no fight scene with the magnitude of any of the OT fight scenes. There was no fight scene that left us thinking how awesome it was after it finished. This is just my opinion, but I think it's an opinion generally agreed upon by the Star Wars fanbase.
The sequel trilogy was not entirely awful. I only pointed out its flaws. It had its strengths, too. Kylo Ren had more depth than Anakin did in the PT, and Adam Driver killed it in the role. The visual effects and music were all top-notch, with the visual effects the best Star Wars has seen so far. They blended practical and visual effects better than the PT ever did. The acting, even outside of Driver, was pretty good for the most part. But it just pains me as a huge Star Wars fan to know that the ST could have been so much more. I think someday we will get a Star Wars trilogy or movie series that people will universally regard as magnificent, but the sequel trilogy is unfortunately not that trilogy.
Showing posts with label Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Johnson. Show all posts
Friday, July 10, 2020
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Best Players by Jersey Number in Mariners History
Well, I did one for the Seahawks, so I will do one for the Mariners as
well! For this one, it's not quite as
easy for me to see a player's value (I have to click on each of their
individual pages this time), so for the most part I'll just be going by what I
remember. I'm doing numbers 1-59 (with
one exception), as there haven't been too many players to wear a uniform number
of 60 or above. I'll tend to favor
players that I saw play, but mainly ones in the 90's and early 2000's. That's when the Mariners were at their best,
anyway. Here we go...
I'm editing this in 2022, and there were a few changes I'll highlight in BLUE.
0. Sam Haggerty, UT: It's either Swaggerty or Mallex Smith, and Mallex Smith should never be considered the best at anything in Mariners history. At least Sam has provided some versatility and filled in will at multiple spots.
1. Kyle Lewis, OF/DH (prev. Charles Gipson): I think it's safe to say Lewis eclipsed Gipson after just the shortened 2020 season when Kyle won Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately, Kyle has battled injuries, but he shows he simply just hits when he is healthy.
2. Kenji Johjima, C: Kenji wasn't with us for terribly long but it was either him, Randy Winn, or a couple years of Jean Segura. Tom Murphy has come close, but his season-ending shoulder injury in 2022 hurts his chances, as well as the emergence of Cal Raleigh for the future.
3. Alex Rodriguez, SS: First easy call. I know, A-Rod's a total douche, but he put up some amazing numbers as a Mariner. Next closest was probably Zunino. JP Crawford would actually be next now, but I'd still keep A-Rod ahead of him for the time being. JP has either got to lead us to multiple playoff berths or come close to A-Rod in terms of numbers.
4. Harold Reynolds, 2B: Another easy choice. Not too much competition at #4, mainly Jose Lopez and Mark McLemore. But Harold beats both those guys. Fun fact: I worked with someone who wore #4 for the Mariners: Giomar Guevara.
5. John Olerud, 1B: Yet another easy call. He's probably the 2nd best first baseman in team history (kinda sad to think about, since Johnny O had more success in Toronto and New York). Both Beltre and Ibanez wore #5, but only for one season.
6. Dan Wilson, C: Another catcher (probably the last one?). Dan is considered the best catcher in team history, so he has to be on here. Next closest was Julio Cruz.
7. Marco Gonzalez, SP (Previously Spike Owen): I had to go with Marco this time around, as he has been an anchor throughout a pitching staff undergoing a transition and a leader on a team undergoing a rebuild.
8. Rich Amaral, UT: Need a utility guy on here, and Rich was a part of those exciting 90s teams that made noise.
9. Ruppert Jones, OF: Ruppert wins this over Luis Sojo because he had much better WAR. I've heard good things about Ruppert, who I think was the Mariners first All-Star.
10. Dave Valle, C: Well, I was wrong, Wilson was not the last catcher. Dave Valle had a decent career with the M's, but maybe more known for being an analyst for FSN and Root Sports. Perhaps someday Jarred Kelenic can claim this spot, but not quite yet.
11. Edgar Martinez, DH: Like with Largent, Big Walt, and Tez on the Hawks, if you have your number retired there is never any question or doubt. Edgar takes this by a mile.
12. Mark Langston, SP: The first pitcher! Langston was one of the M's best pitchers in the 80's. However, he is most known for being in the trade that netted us the Big Unit, Randy Johnson. Evan White did win a Gold Glove at first base in 2020, but has battled injury and has lost his 1B spot to Ty France.
13. Omar Vizquel, SS: I don't like to pick players who had more success on other teams, but there was no competition for :Little O". The next closest were Bobby Ayala (Ha!), Dustin Ackley, and Jeff Fassero. Yikes.
14. Tom Paciorek, OF: Here we have the weird baseball thing in where managers wear numbers (unlike football and basketball) and this number hasn't been worn since Sweet Lou donned it. I don't know if the team will retire it in his honor, but no one has worn it since. Tom Paciorek had a few good years for us in the late 70s and early 80s, including an All-Star selection in 1981.
15. Kyle Seager, 3B: Not much doubt here. An interesting stat: Kyle is 7th all time in Mariners history in WAR (Wins Above Replacement). Yet, he has NEVER led the Mariners any year in WAR. Everyone ahead of him in Mariners history for WAR has for at least one season, but not Kyle. In Kyle's best years he was beat out both times by Robinson Cano.
16. Mike Blowers, 3B: And this is not just because he does color commentating for the Mariners. I believe he has the highest WAR out of anyone to wear the #16. Next closest was Willie Bloomquist.
17. Mitch Haniger, OF: He's already got the most WAR of any player with this number in team history. Hopefully he can stay with us for a while longer to make this a no-contest. Next closest were Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Glenn Abbott, and Jim Presley.
18. Hisashi Iwakuma, SP: Kuma has one of the team's no-hitters, but not just that he pitched very good baseball for us for 6 seasons. And, his entire MLB career was with us.
19. Jay Buhner, RF: Like Lou Piniella, this number has not been given out since Jay retired, yet the number has not been retired in his honor. One thing I remember is seeing a #19 Buhner jersey everywhere I went in the 90s and early 2000s.
20. J.J. Putz, RP: JJ is actually 3rd in team history in saves, if you can believe it. He unfortunately had to play on some bad Mariner teams in the mid-2000s, but in 2007 he not only made the All-Star team but got a few MVP votes! Daniel Vogelbach went on a bit of a run, even earning an All-Star bid, but to me he falls short of JJ.
21. Alvin Davis, 1B: I unfortunately didn't get to see Davis play, but if someone has the nickname "Mr. Mariner" he has to be on here.
22. Kazuhiro Sasaki, RP: It was between Kaz and Robinson Cano. Cano has the better WAR, but that's not hard to do when comparing relief pitchers to starting position players. I chose Kaz for two reasons: One, he was on better teams and helped us to the playoffs twice, and two, he never got suspended for PED's.
23. Nelson Cruz, DH/OF: It wasn't the easiest decision, with Tino Martinez and Bruce Bochte close runners up. But Nelson has got to be the 2nd best DH in team history, and would be the best if not for Edgar. I will consider Ty France here if he is able to keep up his production for a few years.
24. Ken Griffey, Jr., CF: Like with 'Gar, there's no question when your number is retired. Junior still has the highest WAR in team history.
25. Mike Moore, SP: Didn't see him pitch, but he got some Cy Young votes in 1985 when he went 17-10 with an ERA of 3.46.
26. Brendan Ryan, SS: Yeah, I know. I believe he leads the team in WAR for #26, though. Just haven't been many good ones at this number. Fun fact: In 2011, Brendan hit .248 with 3 HR's and 39 RBI. He LEAD THE TEAM IN WAR THAT YEAR. Most of it was from his stellar defense, but wow.
27. Matt Tuiasosopo, UT: I just... there's no one else. Nobody else has worn the number for more than TWO SEASONS. Jesse Winker has this number currently, so it won't take much for him to claim this spot. Two semi-productive seasons should do it, honestly.
28. Raul Ibanez, OF: Pretty easy choice. Raul is easily forgotten as he never played on a playoff team for the M's, but he put up some really good numbers. Good for 23rd in team history.
29. Adrian Beltre, 3B: This was a pretty tough choice. There were a lot of runners up: Bret Boone, Chris Bosio (author of a no-hitter), and Phil Bradley. Beltre won out by having the highest WAR, and Boone was linked to PED's so I decided not to seriously consider him.
30. Aaron Sele, SP: He only pitched for us for three seasons, but the ones in 2000 and 2001 helped us to the playoffs. Next closest was Ed Nunez.
31. Jerry Reed, RP: There's not much else. I had never really heard of him. But who was I going to choose, Erasmo Ramirez? Ryan Feierabend? Yoervis Medina? Steve Cishek? Those are the next closest.
32. Ed Vande Berg, RP: Another relief pitcher. No one else close again. Marco Gonzalez HAD this number... so now we won't have anyone claim this title for a while.
33. Bob Wolcott, SP: Bob helped us to a couple playoffs in '95 and '97. He was also a fairly decent pitcher. There's also not much competition for this number.
34. Felix Hernandez, SP: No question. Felix holds a lot of the pitching records for the Mariners, and has thrown the only perfect game in team history. Next closest was the man who inspired him to wear #34, Freddy Garcia.
35. Dave Fleming, SP: He was only good for a season or two in the early 90s, but again not much competition. We're gonna see that more and more the higher we get.
36. Logan Gilbert, SP: Yes, after only a little over a year of big league work, I'm putting Logan here. I'm betting on him being a rotation mainstay for years to come. He should've been an All-Star in 2022.
37. Norm Charlton, RP: "The Sherriff" easily takes this spot. He is still one of the best and most well-liked pitchers in team history. Next closest would've been... Clint Nageotte? Brandon Maurer? Paul Sewald has emerged and I'd be ok giving him this title if he can anchor the bullpen for a few more years.
38. Joel Pineiro, SP: Joel was quite a decent pitcher for us in the early 2000s. I really liked him. I like the way his name was pronounced. JOE-EL PIN-YARE-O.
39. Erik Hanson, SP: Erik was quite a decent pitcher for us in the late 80s and early 90s, but before my time. His 1990 season was one of the best of that time: 18-9, 3.24 ERA with 211 strikeouts. And that was on a team that lost 85 games. Next closest was Edwin Diaz.
40. Matt Young, SP: The twelfth (!) starting pitcher on this list so far, Matt Young had a few decent years with us in the 80s. He even made the All-Star team as a rookie in 1983. Beats out Mike Schooler and Julio Mateo.
41. Charlie Furbush, RP: Charlie was a decent lefty specialist for us for a while. It's a shame injuries sidelined his career. Fun fact: He's engaged to Q13 Fox reporter Michelle Ludtka.
42. Dave Henderson, OF: This number was last worn by Butch Huskey (remember him? Also, what a name) in 1999. But Hendu (RIP) wore it the longest and played the best in it. Fun fact: The Mariners, like the Seahawks, also had a player named Michael Jackson and he wore this number.
43. Jeff Nelson, RP: "Nellie" takes this fairly easily, having three separate stints with the Mariners. Better to give it to him than Brandon League (bleh!) or Miguel Batista. Two fun facts. One, Jeff Nelson is still the only Mariner I've ever gotten the autograph of (and 2nd that I've met). And two, Jay Buhner wore this number for one season in 1988.
44. Mike Cameron, OF: "Cammie" takes this fairly easily. It wasn't easy taking over in center field after Junior was traded, but boy did he do it well. Still the only Mariner to hit four home runs in a game. Current M's analyst for Root Sports Bill Krueger wore this number. Julio Rodriguez has absolutely burst onto the scene, and it might not be too long before he passes Cammie here.
45. Jim Beattie, SP: Still not done with starting pitching. Jim Beattie takes this over Ryan Franklin. Jim was a starter for us in the 80s, and while his record isn't impressive (43-72), he did it on some pretty bad teams.
46. Mike Stanton, RP: No, not the Mike Stanton that pitched for the Yankees nor the Stanton that goes by Giancarlo now. Mike was a decent reliever for us in the 80s. He takes it over Bob Wells, who I used to get mixed up with Bobby Ayala.
47. Ron Villone, RP/SP: Ron takes this honor, although there wasn't much competition. Villone was a first round draft pick of us in 1992, but didn't make his mark (or wear this number) until the mid 2000s. He also played for twelve (!) teams in his big league career. Next closest was utility man, the lanky John Mabry.
48. Paul Abbott, SP: Paul pitched for us around the turn of the millennium, and while he was never an outstanding starter, he always rounded out our rotation pretty well. He was probably one of the game's best #4 or 5 starters at the time. Next closest was Bryan Clark.
49. Wade LeBlanc, SP: It says quite a bit that I chose a player who only played two seasons with us. Next closest was Roy Thomas. Kendall Graveman pitched well out of the pen, just not long enough.
50. Jamie Moyer, SP: Was there any question? Jamie's definitely in our Top 5 starters of all time. He was the last to win 20 games for us and may be the last ever.
51. Ichiro Suzuki, OF: Ok, if I wanted to I could split this award and give it to both Ichiro and Randy Johnson. But the fact that Randy was upset and basically requested a trade, plus he went into the Hall of Fame as a Diamondback and not a Mariner, makes me give this to Ichiro outright. Ichiro beats him in WAR as well (56.3-39.0). The team should retire the number in Ichiro's honor and not Randy's, but will probably retire it in both.
52. George Sherrill, RP: The "Hefty Lefty" I call him, because George put on some weight as his career went on. But he was a very good lefty specialist for us.
53. Arthur Rhodes, RP: Another lefty specialist. Arthur "Thunder" Rhodes didn't always wear this number but he primarily did. And he was a good reliever for us on some good teams.
54. Tom Wilhelmsen, RP: "The Bartender", as he was an actual bartender not long before the M's signed him and he became one of the better relievers in team history. Next closest was John Halama.
55. Gil Meche, SP: For some reason I've always remembered his full name: Gilbert Allen Meche. Came up as a 20 year old in 1999 and missed a couple years in 2001 and 2002 before coming back and pitching well. Too bad he left for KC because we didn't want to pay him that much money. Next closest was "The Condor", Michael Saunders.
56. Jarrod Washburn, SP: I started calling him Jarrod "Washed up"Burn whenever he had a bad outing. Not much competition for this number. Greg Halman wore this number though... RIP.
57. Mark Lowe, RP: Mark Lowe did pitch for us in two separate stints, and in between those stints he unfortunately became famous for giving up the walk off home run to David Freese in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series.
58. Doug Fister, SP: Ok we're getting into the territory where not too many players wore the number of. In fact, nobody wore number 58 until after the turn of the millennium. Doug was a good pitcher for us for a few seasons.
59. Eric O'Flaherty, RP: Again, not too many players. O'Flaherty is one of only 3 to wear this number for more than one season and the only one to wear it for 3 seasons.
65. James Paxton, SP: Too bad we had to trade "Big Pax" or "Big Maple". But he could never get over the injury bug. But when healthy and consistent his pitching ability would be Top 5 for lefties in team history.
Of course I had to include Big Pax, but other than him there weren't any real decent players to wear a jersey number that high. All in all, a very solid list, with two numbers retired and another one imminent (51, Ichiro/Randy) and yet another very possible (34, Felix).
I'm editing this in 2022, and there were a few changes I'll highlight in BLUE.
0. Sam Haggerty, UT: It's either Swaggerty or Mallex Smith, and Mallex Smith should never be considered the best at anything in Mariners history. At least Sam has provided some versatility and filled in will at multiple spots.
1. Kyle Lewis, OF/DH (prev. Charles Gipson): I think it's safe to say Lewis eclipsed Gipson after just the shortened 2020 season when Kyle won Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately, Kyle has battled injuries, but he shows he simply just hits when he is healthy.
2. Kenji Johjima, C: Kenji wasn't with us for terribly long but it was either him, Randy Winn, or a couple years of Jean Segura. Tom Murphy has come close, but his season-ending shoulder injury in 2022 hurts his chances, as well as the emergence of Cal Raleigh for the future.
3. Alex Rodriguez, SS: First easy call. I know, A-Rod's a total douche, but he put up some amazing numbers as a Mariner. Next closest was probably Zunino. JP Crawford would actually be next now, but I'd still keep A-Rod ahead of him for the time being. JP has either got to lead us to multiple playoff berths or come close to A-Rod in terms of numbers.
4. Harold Reynolds, 2B: Another easy choice. Not too much competition at #4, mainly Jose Lopez and Mark McLemore. But Harold beats both those guys. Fun fact: I worked with someone who wore #4 for the Mariners: Giomar Guevara.
5. John Olerud, 1B: Yet another easy call. He's probably the 2nd best first baseman in team history (kinda sad to think about, since Johnny O had more success in Toronto and New York). Both Beltre and Ibanez wore #5, but only for one season.
6. Dan Wilson, C: Another catcher (probably the last one?). Dan is considered the best catcher in team history, so he has to be on here. Next closest was Julio Cruz.
7. Marco Gonzalez, SP (Previously Spike Owen): I had to go with Marco this time around, as he has been an anchor throughout a pitching staff undergoing a transition and a leader on a team undergoing a rebuild.
8. Rich Amaral, UT: Need a utility guy on here, and Rich was a part of those exciting 90s teams that made noise.
9. Ruppert Jones, OF: Ruppert wins this over Luis Sojo because he had much better WAR. I've heard good things about Ruppert, who I think was the Mariners first All-Star.
10. Dave Valle, C: Well, I was wrong, Wilson was not the last catcher. Dave Valle had a decent career with the M's, but maybe more known for being an analyst for FSN and Root Sports. Perhaps someday Jarred Kelenic can claim this spot, but not quite yet.
11. Edgar Martinez, DH: Like with Largent, Big Walt, and Tez on the Hawks, if you have your number retired there is never any question or doubt. Edgar takes this by a mile.
12. Mark Langston, SP: The first pitcher! Langston was one of the M's best pitchers in the 80's. However, he is most known for being in the trade that netted us the Big Unit, Randy Johnson. Evan White did win a Gold Glove at first base in 2020, but has battled injury and has lost his 1B spot to Ty France.
13. Omar Vizquel, SS: I don't like to pick players who had more success on other teams, but there was no competition for :Little O". The next closest were Bobby Ayala (Ha!), Dustin Ackley, and Jeff Fassero. Yikes.
14. Tom Paciorek, OF: Here we have the weird baseball thing in where managers wear numbers (unlike football and basketball) and this number hasn't been worn since Sweet Lou donned it. I don't know if the team will retire it in his honor, but no one has worn it since. Tom Paciorek had a few good years for us in the late 70s and early 80s, including an All-Star selection in 1981.
15. Kyle Seager, 3B: Not much doubt here. An interesting stat: Kyle is 7th all time in Mariners history in WAR (Wins Above Replacement). Yet, he has NEVER led the Mariners any year in WAR. Everyone ahead of him in Mariners history for WAR has for at least one season, but not Kyle. In Kyle's best years he was beat out both times by Robinson Cano.
16. Mike Blowers, 3B: And this is not just because he does color commentating for the Mariners. I believe he has the highest WAR out of anyone to wear the #16. Next closest was Willie Bloomquist.
17. Mitch Haniger, OF: He's already got the most WAR of any player with this number in team history. Hopefully he can stay with us for a while longer to make this a no-contest. Next closest were Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Glenn Abbott, and Jim Presley.
18. Hisashi Iwakuma, SP: Kuma has one of the team's no-hitters, but not just that he pitched very good baseball for us for 6 seasons. And, his entire MLB career was with us.
19. Jay Buhner, RF: Like Lou Piniella, this number has not been given out since Jay retired, yet the number has not been retired in his honor. One thing I remember is seeing a #19 Buhner jersey everywhere I went in the 90s and early 2000s.
20. J.J. Putz, RP: JJ is actually 3rd in team history in saves, if you can believe it. He unfortunately had to play on some bad Mariner teams in the mid-2000s, but in 2007 he not only made the All-Star team but got a few MVP votes! Daniel Vogelbach went on a bit of a run, even earning an All-Star bid, but to me he falls short of JJ.
21. Alvin Davis, 1B: I unfortunately didn't get to see Davis play, but if someone has the nickname "Mr. Mariner" he has to be on here.
22. Kazuhiro Sasaki, RP: It was between Kaz and Robinson Cano. Cano has the better WAR, but that's not hard to do when comparing relief pitchers to starting position players. I chose Kaz for two reasons: One, he was on better teams and helped us to the playoffs twice, and two, he never got suspended for PED's.
23. Nelson Cruz, DH/OF: It wasn't the easiest decision, with Tino Martinez and Bruce Bochte close runners up. But Nelson has got to be the 2nd best DH in team history, and would be the best if not for Edgar. I will consider Ty France here if he is able to keep up his production for a few years.
24. Ken Griffey, Jr., CF: Like with 'Gar, there's no question when your number is retired. Junior still has the highest WAR in team history.
25. Mike Moore, SP: Didn't see him pitch, but he got some Cy Young votes in 1985 when he went 17-10 with an ERA of 3.46.
26. Brendan Ryan, SS: Yeah, I know. I believe he leads the team in WAR for #26, though. Just haven't been many good ones at this number. Fun fact: In 2011, Brendan hit .248 with 3 HR's and 39 RBI. He LEAD THE TEAM IN WAR THAT YEAR. Most of it was from his stellar defense, but wow.
27. Matt Tuiasosopo, UT: I just... there's no one else. Nobody else has worn the number for more than TWO SEASONS. Jesse Winker has this number currently, so it won't take much for him to claim this spot. Two semi-productive seasons should do it, honestly.
28. Raul Ibanez, OF: Pretty easy choice. Raul is easily forgotten as he never played on a playoff team for the M's, but he put up some really good numbers. Good for 23rd in team history.
29. Adrian Beltre, 3B: This was a pretty tough choice. There were a lot of runners up: Bret Boone, Chris Bosio (author of a no-hitter), and Phil Bradley. Beltre won out by having the highest WAR, and Boone was linked to PED's so I decided not to seriously consider him.
30. Aaron Sele, SP: He only pitched for us for three seasons, but the ones in 2000 and 2001 helped us to the playoffs. Next closest was Ed Nunez.
31. Jerry Reed, RP: There's not much else. I had never really heard of him. But who was I going to choose, Erasmo Ramirez? Ryan Feierabend? Yoervis Medina? Steve Cishek? Those are the next closest.
32. Ed Vande Berg, RP: Another relief pitcher. No one else close again. Marco Gonzalez HAD this number... so now we won't have anyone claim this title for a while.
33. Bob Wolcott, SP: Bob helped us to a couple playoffs in '95 and '97. He was also a fairly decent pitcher. There's also not much competition for this number.
34. Felix Hernandez, SP: No question. Felix holds a lot of the pitching records for the Mariners, and has thrown the only perfect game in team history. Next closest was the man who inspired him to wear #34, Freddy Garcia.
35. Dave Fleming, SP: He was only good for a season or two in the early 90s, but again not much competition. We're gonna see that more and more the higher we get.
36. Logan Gilbert, SP: Yes, after only a little over a year of big league work, I'm putting Logan here. I'm betting on him being a rotation mainstay for years to come. He should've been an All-Star in 2022.
37. Norm Charlton, RP: "The Sherriff" easily takes this spot. He is still one of the best and most well-liked pitchers in team history. Next closest would've been... Clint Nageotte? Brandon Maurer? Paul Sewald has emerged and I'd be ok giving him this title if he can anchor the bullpen for a few more years.
38. Joel Pineiro, SP: Joel was quite a decent pitcher for us in the early 2000s. I really liked him. I like the way his name was pronounced. JOE-EL PIN-YARE-O.
39. Erik Hanson, SP: Erik was quite a decent pitcher for us in the late 80s and early 90s, but before my time. His 1990 season was one of the best of that time: 18-9, 3.24 ERA with 211 strikeouts. And that was on a team that lost 85 games. Next closest was Edwin Diaz.
40. Matt Young, SP: The twelfth (!) starting pitcher on this list so far, Matt Young had a few decent years with us in the 80s. He even made the All-Star team as a rookie in 1983. Beats out Mike Schooler and Julio Mateo.
41. Charlie Furbush, RP: Charlie was a decent lefty specialist for us for a while. It's a shame injuries sidelined his career. Fun fact: He's engaged to Q13 Fox reporter Michelle Ludtka.
42. Dave Henderson, OF: This number was last worn by Butch Huskey (remember him? Also, what a name) in 1999. But Hendu (RIP) wore it the longest and played the best in it. Fun fact: The Mariners, like the Seahawks, also had a player named Michael Jackson and he wore this number.
43. Jeff Nelson, RP: "Nellie" takes this fairly easily, having three separate stints with the Mariners. Better to give it to him than Brandon League (bleh!) or Miguel Batista. Two fun facts. One, Jeff Nelson is still the only Mariner I've ever gotten the autograph of (and 2nd that I've met). And two, Jay Buhner wore this number for one season in 1988.
44. Mike Cameron, OF: "Cammie" takes this fairly easily. It wasn't easy taking over in center field after Junior was traded, but boy did he do it well. Still the only Mariner to hit four home runs in a game. Current M's analyst for Root Sports Bill Krueger wore this number. Julio Rodriguez has absolutely burst onto the scene, and it might not be too long before he passes Cammie here.
45. Jim Beattie, SP: Still not done with starting pitching. Jim Beattie takes this over Ryan Franklin. Jim was a starter for us in the 80s, and while his record isn't impressive (43-72), he did it on some pretty bad teams.
46. Mike Stanton, RP: No, not the Mike Stanton that pitched for the Yankees nor the Stanton that goes by Giancarlo now. Mike was a decent reliever for us in the 80s. He takes it over Bob Wells, who I used to get mixed up with Bobby Ayala.
47. Ron Villone, RP/SP: Ron takes this honor, although there wasn't much competition. Villone was a first round draft pick of us in 1992, but didn't make his mark (or wear this number) until the mid 2000s. He also played for twelve (!) teams in his big league career. Next closest was utility man, the lanky John Mabry.
48. Paul Abbott, SP: Paul pitched for us around the turn of the millennium, and while he was never an outstanding starter, he always rounded out our rotation pretty well. He was probably one of the game's best #4 or 5 starters at the time. Next closest was Bryan Clark.
49. Wade LeBlanc, SP: It says quite a bit that I chose a player who only played two seasons with us. Next closest was Roy Thomas. Kendall Graveman pitched well out of the pen, just not long enough.
50. Jamie Moyer, SP: Was there any question? Jamie's definitely in our Top 5 starters of all time. He was the last to win 20 games for us and may be the last ever.
51. Ichiro Suzuki, OF: Ok, if I wanted to I could split this award and give it to both Ichiro and Randy Johnson. But the fact that Randy was upset and basically requested a trade, plus he went into the Hall of Fame as a Diamondback and not a Mariner, makes me give this to Ichiro outright. Ichiro beats him in WAR as well (56.3-39.0). The team should retire the number in Ichiro's honor and not Randy's, but will probably retire it in both.
52. George Sherrill, RP: The "Hefty Lefty" I call him, because George put on some weight as his career went on. But he was a very good lefty specialist for us.
53. Arthur Rhodes, RP: Another lefty specialist. Arthur "Thunder" Rhodes didn't always wear this number but he primarily did. And he was a good reliever for us on some good teams.
54. Tom Wilhelmsen, RP: "The Bartender", as he was an actual bartender not long before the M's signed him and he became one of the better relievers in team history. Next closest was John Halama.
55. Gil Meche, SP: For some reason I've always remembered his full name: Gilbert Allen Meche. Came up as a 20 year old in 1999 and missed a couple years in 2001 and 2002 before coming back and pitching well. Too bad he left for KC because we didn't want to pay him that much money. Next closest was "The Condor", Michael Saunders.
56. Jarrod Washburn, SP: I started calling him Jarrod "Washed up"Burn whenever he had a bad outing. Not much competition for this number. Greg Halman wore this number though... RIP.
57. Mark Lowe, RP: Mark Lowe did pitch for us in two separate stints, and in between those stints he unfortunately became famous for giving up the walk off home run to David Freese in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series.
58. Doug Fister, SP: Ok we're getting into the territory where not too many players wore the number of. In fact, nobody wore number 58 until after the turn of the millennium. Doug was a good pitcher for us for a few seasons.
59. Eric O'Flaherty, RP: Again, not too many players. O'Flaherty is one of only 3 to wear this number for more than one season and the only one to wear it for 3 seasons.
65. James Paxton, SP: Too bad we had to trade "Big Pax" or "Big Maple". But he could never get over the injury bug. But when healthy and consistent his pitching ability would be Top 5 for lefties in team history.
Of course I had to include Big Pax, but other than him there weren't any real decent players to wear a jersey number that high. All in all, a very solid list, with two numbers retired and another one imminent (51, Ichiro/Randy) and yet another very possible (34, Felix).
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