Mariners Analysis: The M’s Presence at the Hall of Fame

Jul 26, 2015; Cooperstown, NY, USA; The 4 Hall of Fame plagues of Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz installed and available for viewing in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday, the Mariners lost another heartbreaker. The M’s lost 7-5 to the Colorado Rockies on a walk-off home run. I didn’t watch the game. I followed along. It stung. It hurt. But it didn’t ruin my day. Usually it would.

So why didn’t it yesterday?

Because I was in my favorite place: Cooperstown, NY.

As a New Yorker, I have a tough plight as an M’s fan. Having to stay up until 1 a.m. just to be frustrated is hard. No one cares about Felix or Kyle Seager. Despite my best efforts to tell everyone how great they both are. Then I have to deal with anti-Robinson Cano sentiment from jilted Yankee fans.

But the best part about being in Upstate New York? I can head to Cooperstown whenever I want. Some of you, or maybe most of you, haven’t been to Cooperstown before. So on my trip, I took pictures and chronicled the Hall of Fame from the Mariners perspective. The M’s don’t have a ton of history, only having been around since 1977. And most of that history hasn’t been very good.

But what is in the Hall of Fame is worth remembering and is worth sharing.

So, without further adieu, welcome to Cooperstown: Mariners style.

Hopefully some of you will make the pilgrimage next year when Ken Griffey Jr. gets inducted. Hopefully he’s the first unanimous inductee in the Hall’s history.

From the museum to the shops on Main Street, to the artifacts, jerseys, hats and collectibles, Cooperstown never disappoints.

Let’s Go M’s!

Next: Randy Johnson Induction Locker

My favorite part of the Hall of Fame is the lockers that celebrate each team. This is where team’s without as much Championship history or longevity get a chance to shine. On the bottom of the locker sits a Mariners Magazine featuring Robinson Cano. I can only presume it’s from right after Cano signed, as it says “Hello Cano.”

Moving higher up in the locker is a lineup card from a 2012 game against the Orioles. What’s significant about that particular contest? It marked the first time that three Japanese players were starting for the same team.

The Mariners ran Ichiro, Munenori Kawasaki and Hisashi Iwakuma out on the field that day. It’s also a cool piece of history because it has the “35” behind it for the M’s 35th anniversary season.

Our next artifact also comes from 2012 — Felix Hernandez’s jersey from his perfect game against the Rays that year. Twenty-seven up and 27 down for the King that day. I remember watching the final innings from my dingy house in Vermont on the computer, and it was a masterful performance from the franchise’s top hurler.

Next to the King’s jersey sits Ichrio’s jersey which celebrates his ten 200-hit seasons. Above that is Stephen Pryor’s hat. Why a hat from Stephen Pryor? It’s the hat he wore from the M’s combined no-hitter (also in 2012).

Kevin Millwood started that game before giving way to Charlie Furbush. He then gave the ball to Pryor, then Lucas Luetge, Brandon League and Tom Wilhelmsen. The M’s beat the Dodgers that night.

The Hall of Fame does a good job of sticking pictures in the lockers from modern players, probably as to attract younger fans with more recognizable names. That’s why ‘Kuma (L) and Kyle Seager (R) are featured.

Next: Edgar Martinez Jersey

One of the more recent additions to the Hall of Fame, maybe within the last five years or so? Is the Latin America exhibit. This exhibit features country profiles from major Latin American baseball-crazed countries and artifacts from players. Livan Hernandez and his 1997 World Series dominance for the Marlins are there, as is stuff from Ozzie Guillen, Pedro Martinez, Roberto Clemente (I believe), and several other Latin stars.

For me, the coolest part was seeing Edgar Martinez’s jersey from his last game in 2004. Edgar still hit .263 with a .342 OBP in ‘o4. Not bad for a 40-plus year old. The M’s could use that kind of production right now.

Like most of you I’m sure, Edgar is one of my favorite Mariners. While Alvin Davis is “Mr. Mariner,” and Jr. is the “best” Mariner, Edgar is the guy who kept the franchise together after Randy, Griffey, and Alex Rodriguez left. Not only did he have the biggest hit in franchise history (“The Double,” 1995), but he played his entire career in Seattle.

Now the Mariners hitting coach, a new generation of M’s fans have the opportunity to hear the stories of how great a hitter Edgar was.

I’m not sure if Edgar will ever get a plaque in Cooperstown, but he will always have a place there in the Latin America section.

Edgar was a career .312 hitter across 18 seasons and was a seven-time all-star in Seattle. He also won batting titles in 1992 and 1995.

Next: Ichiro and Jr. Artifacts

The newest edition to the Hall of Fame is the “Most” section. I don’t know what to call it, but they’ve tried to accumulate artifacts from players that hold records. Basically, all of your “stat junkie” or “baseball nerd” statistics in one place.

On the far right, Ichiro’s jersey represents his 10 seasons of 200 or more hits. He’s the only person to do that. One of the best pure hitters in our generation, Ichiro carried the Mariners offense from 2001 until he was traded in 2012. Ichiro was among the only things that made the Mariners interesting in that time period. Perhaps it was the language barrier, or a reclusive personality, but M’s fans probably didn’t feel the attachment to Ichiro as they did to Junior, Edgar, or Felix, but that doesn’t make Ichiro any less great. Still playing now with the Marlins, Ichiro is among the greatest Mariners in history.

The middle picture is Ichiro’s helmet. Ichiro led the league in singles 10 times. That’s a record as well. Maybe singles don’t mean a lot to you, but that’s a lot of times that Ichiro was on base and gave the Mariners a chance to score. Hitting out of the leadoff spot, he was the Mariners most feared hitters for years. Adrian Beltre, Richie Sexson, Raul Ibanez (multiple times), they all had their moments, but Ichiro was constant throughout.

Scott Spiezio, Jose Lopez, Jeremy Reed. Remember them? Ichiro’s greatness covered for all of them too.

On the bottom? Ken Griffey Jr’s bat (the black one) from when he homered in eight straight games in 1994. An unbelievable accomplishment, Jr. is among the best players in baseball history. Ironically enough, Nelson Cruz has homered in five straight games twice this season. The Boomstick has been great, but eight games in a row is on another level. Just like Jr. was.

Next: Randy Johnson's Plaque and the 116 Win Sign

Ironically enough, this is not the same Randy Johnson plaque that he was given on Induction Day. It is a replica. The real one is headed to Arizona for a ceremony with the Diamondbacks and will be back shortly.

We already mentioned Randy in an earlier slide. He meant everything to the Mariners in the early-Mid-90s. He helped make the franchise relevant again, and even though it’s been almost 20 years since he donned a Mariners jersey, M’s fans need to know that without him and the 1995 season, the team very well could not exist anymore.

Heading back to the “Most” category, is the commemoration of the Mariners 116 win season in 2001. Sure the Cubs had a season where they won 116 as well, but 116 is the record the American League. That team was so much fun to watch. Sure, winning helps, but the personalities were great. Mike Cameron was likeable, Edgar was likeable, Dan Wilson and Jon Olerud were likeable. Ichiro burst on the scene and helped mesh two eras of Mariners baseball — with Edgar.

Mike Cameron helped us move on from Jr. in center field and Carlos Guillen’s performance helped us forget about A-Rod’s departure just months earlier.

And Jamie Moyer, who’s about to be inducted into the M’s HOF? He helped anchor a great pitching staff with Freddy Garcia and Aaron Sele.

1995 is the year for Mariners fans. It’s the year that saved baseball in Seattle. But 2001? That’s the year that baseball historians remember.

I hope you enjoyed a trip down Mariners-lane in Cooperstown. Hopefully you all will make it out there someday.

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Next: The Mariners and Walk-Off Losses