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Mariners Editorials: My Favorite Unsung M’s Heroes

By Brady Farkas |
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Jul 21, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Franklin Gutierrez (30) celebrates his grand slam home run in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

OK… Franklin Gutierrez’s game-winning grand slam last night got me thinking a lot of things. Mainly, I’m happy the Mariners didn’t lose again. And number two, Franklin Gutierrez is one of my favorite Mariners. I loved him when they first acquired him. I loved his power, his speed, and defensive ability. He helped keep up a great lineage of Mariners center fielders from Ken Griffey Jr. to Mike Cameron to Ichiro (for a little while) to him.

So then I got to thinking some more: Who are my favorite non-great and non-franchise defining Mariners? Thus, who are my favorite unsung Mariners? In order to do something so abstractly, but so fun, I put some restrictions: No members of the Mariners Hall of Fame can be on this list: No Junior, no Edgar, no Jay Buhner, Dan Wilson, Randy Johnson, or soon-to-be Jamie Moyer. No Alvin Davis since he’s Mr. Mariner, and in the Hall of Fame. No Ichiro. No A-Rod. No Felix. No current M’s stars which include Felix, Robinson Cano, and Kyle Seager. No top prospects either so Taijuan Walker doesn’t work.

I know that’s a lot of restrictions but this is the spot for those Mariners who you enjoyed watching but never got the love of a Griffey or an Edgar.

If you want to put Bucky Jacobson on this list, go ahead. Charles Gipson. Mark McLemore. Aaron Sele, Bobby Ayala, Doug Strange, Luis Sojo… They are all fine selections.

Felix Fermin. Harold Reynolds. Paul Sorrento. Jose Lopez. Kenji Johjima. They are all welcome at this party too.

Without further adieu, I give you my top five unsung Mariners favorites.

Next: Number 5: Willie Bloomquist

May 18, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Willie Bloomquist (8) in the dugout at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Number 5: Willie Bloomquist

A lot of people are fans of Willie Bloomquist. I was a fan of his the first time around (2002-2008) and I was a fan of his the second time around (2014-15). I’m disappointed Willie couldn’t make it stick in Seattle this year (he was DFA’d earlier this season), but I, like so many others, loved his hustle and defensive versatility.

Bloomquist could play every position on the field and could do so adequately. He could run, and he could hit well enough (until this year) to keep him in the big leagues.

When I was 10-years-old and made my first all-star team, I asked for No. 24 for Junior, and then for my backup choice, I gave No. 16 because I needed simply to say something. That was 2000. I ended up getting No. 16 and it stuck with me throughout my life. So when Willie became a Mariner in 2002, I had a No. 16 in an M’s uniform to look up to and relate to.

And that’s another part of what made Willie a favorite of mine, he was relatable. He didn’t have great power, a great arm, or blazing speed. He looked and the played the game just like I did: hard. And in the end, that may be the best compliment of all.

For performance sake, Bloomquist did own a career .259 batting average in a Mariners uniform. He stole 70 bases across parts of nine seasons. He even hit seven home runs. I’ll miss Willie Bloomquist hustling around the field.

I’ll also remember the game forever where Willie Bloomquist was part of an extra-innings Mariners win that involved the M’s winning on a walk-off balk against the A’s. I don’t remember the year, or the A’s pitcher, but I remember Bloomquist was there.

Next: Number 4: Jason Vargas

Jun 21, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Jason Vargas (51) delivers a pitch against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Number 4: Jason Vargas

Jason Vargas is a relatively soft-tossing lefty pitcher. He now pitches for the Kansas City Royals. Before that he pitched for the dreaded Angels, and before that, he spent four glorious seasons with the Mariners. He was acquired in the first trade of Jack Z’s tenure. The M’s sent J.J. Putz to the Mets and Luis Valbuena to the Indians, and in return got Vargas, Aaron Heilman, and Endy Chavez (Part 1) from the Mets. And then they got Guti from the Indians. It was the kind of move that made you love Jack Z initially.

Like Mike Montgomery after him, and Jamie Moyer before him, Vargas possessed the perfect stuff for Safeco Field. He threw strikes. He lived low. He had a good changeup. He was the perfect Safeco Field lefty.

He only went 36-42 with the Mariners, his best year being 2012 when he went 14-11 with a 3.85 ERA. He also won nine games in 2010 and 11 in 2011. Aside from being the perfect Safeco Field pitcher, what else do I remember about Jason Vargas? The Mariners didn’t hit for him. They don’t hit for a lot of people, but they really didn’t for Vargas.

In 2012 alone, the Mariners scored three runs or less in 16 of his 33 starts. In 2011? It was even worse. The M’s scored three runs or less in 19 of his 32 starts.

It’s hard not to like a guy who pitches to a 4.09 ERA and gets no run support. He always kept the Mariners in the game. He located his fastball well, had a good change, and developed a cutter. He was a few notches below Felix, and was in the same realm as Doug Fister. And therefore, I liked him a lot.

Vargas injured his arm again last night with the Royals, and will be out for the remainder of the season with a torn UCL.

Next: Number 3: Tino Martinez

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

Jul 21, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Franklin Gutierrez (30) hits a grand slam home run in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Number 2: Franklin Gutierrez

We already covered how the M’s got Franklin Gutierrez the first time all the way back in 2008, before the Spring Training of the 2009 season. But in case you need a reminder, the M’s gave up J.J. Putz to the Mets and Luis Valbuena to the Indians in order to get Guti from Cleveland, and Jason Vargas, Endy Chavez, and Aaron Heilman from the Mets.

Guti instantly became a fan favorite because of his unique combination of speed, power, and ability to patrol center field similar to Junior or Mike Cameron.

Initially, Guti was very durable, playing 153 games in 2009 and 152 in 2010. He hit 18 homers for the M’s in 2009 while driving in 70 runs. He posted a .339 OBP and stole 16 bases. The following year he hit 12 homers, but stole 25 bases. He also won the American League Gold Glove for the grace with which he patrolled the outfield.

But in 2011, Guti played in only 92 games. In 2012, he played in 40, and in 2013, it was just 41. He missed all of 2014 as a series of injuries and sickness plagued him for those years.

The M’s continued to stick with Guti and kept re-signing him in hopes he would make it back to somewhat of the player he showed. And earlier this year, the M’s brought him back up. And last night? He hit his first home run of the season, a pinch-hit grand slam to help the Mariners beat the Tigers.

Guti’s history of injuries no longer makes him a reliable option to play everyday, but when he’s in the line-up, he always has the ability to show flashes of greatness. Last night was one of those times.

Next: Number 1: Mike Cameron

Number 1: Mike Cameron

View image | gettyimages.com

My dad is a diehard White Sox fan. I knew who Mike Cameron was when he started getting playing significant time with the White Sox in 1997. I knew who he was when they traded him to the Reds for Paul Konerko.

I liked Mike Cameron. I liked that he was fast and that he hustled.

But when the Mariners traded Ken Griffey Jr. to the Reds for Mike Cameron and others, I wasn’t happy. He wasn’t Ken Griffey Jr. But he grew on me. Big time.

He played the game the right way, as evidenced by his hustling double in the 2001 All-Star Game at Safeco Field. He wasn’t Jr., but he made some Junior-like catches in CF, like when he robbed Derek Jeter of a homer in 2000, or when he took a double away from Carlos Lee the next year.

Mike Cameron struck out a ton, but he also had a lot of fun always. He played the game with a smile on his face. He was no slouch for the Mariners; he averaged more than 20 homers a year in his four seasons in Seattle.

He won two gold gloves. He helped the M’s get to the playoffs. He averaged more than 25 stolen bases a year with the M’s. He hit four home runs in a game.

Mike Cameron was part of the 2001 Mariners, the team that helped Seattle get over Griffey and A-Rod. He’s a loveable Mariner, and I certainly loved the way he played. That’s why he’s my top unsung Mariner.

My honorable mention selections: Kenji Johjima, Rafael Soriano, Julio Mateo, Joey Cora, and Carlos Guillen, in no particular order.

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