Mariners Editorials: My Favorite Unsung M’s Heroes

Number 3: Tino Martinez

Ahhh memories. And sadness. Unfortunately Tino is better known for his tenure with the Yankees, as the above picture describes, but he was also a great Mariner from 1990-1995.

Anything in reference to 1995 is gold to Mariners fans, and Tino was a major part of the season that helped save baseball in the city. He earned his first all-star selection that year, and ended the year hitting .293 with 31 homers and a robust .369 on-base percentage.

He played superb defense at first base as well, and became a great personality on the team that included Jr., Edgar, Randy, Dan Wilson, and Buhner.

Tino went on to better things with the Yankees after he was inexplicably traded with Jeff Nelson and Jim Mecir for Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchcock. He won World Series’s with the Yanks in 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2000. He then went onto the Cardinals and Rays before spending his last year (2005) back with the Yankees.

Tino’s sweet left-handed swing at first base was something the Mariners lacked until they acquired John Olerud. No, Paul Sorrento and David Segui were not great replacements.

Next: Number 2: Franklin Gutierrez