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Mariners: Top 5 Mariners Outside of the Americas

By Dan Clark |
Jul 23, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma (18) looks over to first base in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 23, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma (18) looks over to first base in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
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The Mariners have had a strong international influence in their history. Some of these players have been pivotal to the history of the M’s. Here, we will look at the top 5 Mariners players from outside of the Americas.

There is a couple of ways I can go here, I can purely go on WAR and statistics or, I can go with my personal favorites. After many hours of contemplation, I thought ‘let’s try both and see where about we end up’ and thus have created my ‘Top 5 Mariners Players Outside of the Americas’.

First, there are a few honourable mentions that could easily slot into the list, but there just isn’t enough room.

Honourable Mentions

Dae Ho Lee

Dae Ho was a massive fan favourite at Safeco in 2016. Many fans wanted and pleaded with ownership to bring the big first baseman back in 2017. From Dae Ho’s walk off against Texas last April, to his back to back home runs against Derek Holland on June 10, he was a one of the bright spots of 2016. Dae Ho was so loved by the M’s faithful, he even had his own Dae Ho chant.

Shigetoshi Hasegawa

Hasegawa was a part of the Mariners bullpen from 2002-2005. During his time with the M’s, he was an All-star in 2003 and owned a 1.48 ERA. Over his 4 years in Seattle, he owned a 3.46 ERA and a 4.9 WAR. He was a popular part of the Mariners’ bullpen, but as a middle reliever, never really had as big a fan fare as some of the other international Mariner’s players.

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5. Ryan Rowland-Smith

Righto, I have a confession to make here. Hyphen, as many Mariner’s fans know him, comes from my home country of Australia, so I have a bit of a soft spot for Ryan. “Hyphen” gave hope to Mariner’s fans from Down Under. He made us believe that we can indeed make it to the big leagues. Hyphen made his Major League debut on June 22nd, 2007 vs Cincinnati Reds, against none other than Ken Griffey Jr., and what a way to start! When facing the legend himself, Rowland-Smith showed the composure of a much more experienced player and struck him out!

Ryan pitched for the M’s from 2007 to 2010 with a 4.57 ERA and a .8 WAR. While these numbers aren’t as high as some others that missed the list, Ryan is still very much loved, especially with his work on Pre and Post shows on the ROOT broadcasts. Can someone give me an ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, Oi, Oi!’?

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4. Kenji Johjima

Kenji Johjima played with Seattle from 2006 through 2009. Outside of Dan Wilson, Kenji is the second most successful catcher in Mariners history, behind Mariners HOFer, Dan Wilson. Kenji was a shining light in some dark years for Seattle. His career batting average of .268 is the highest of any Mariners catcher in the history of the franchise. Kenji was signed to replace Wilson in 2005 and in his rookie season slashed a line of .291/.332/.783 which is arguably the best offensive all round season by a Mariners catcher. One of his many career highlights was hitting home runs in his first two career games.

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3. Kazuhiro Sasaki

Kazuhiro Sasaki is the all-time saves leader in Mariners history. Kaz, as he is affectionately known, pitched for the Mariners from 2000-2003. He was a two-time All-Star who racked up 129 saves, with a career ERA of 3.14. His 45 saves was a Mariners season high until Fernando Rodney beat it in 2014 with 48. Kaz was the anchor of some of the great Mariner’s teams, including the record winning 2001, 116-win team. He won the 2000 Rookie of the Year Award using his famous spilt finger pitch nicknamed ‘The Fang’. His 37 saves in his rookie season was an MLB record which remained until 2010.

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2. Hisashi Iwakuma

Hisashi Iwakuma is one of the current day fan faves. Kuma, which means ‘bear’ in Japanese, signed with the Mariners prior to the 2012 season. Kuma’s best season with the Mariners was in 2013 when he became an All-Star for the first time, and finished third in the Cy Young voting. Kuma also etched his name in Mariner’s folk law on August 12th, 2015, by throwing his first complete game that was also a no hitter. Iwakuma’s 17.1 WAR is the second highest WAR for players outside of the Americas. Kuma is still very much an important cog in the Mariners 2017 season.

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1. Ichiro Suzuki

Well, what can I say about Ichiro that hasn’t been said before? He is part of the Mariners ‘Mount Rushmore’. He sits alongside the likes of Junior, Edgar, and in my opinion, Felix. Ichiro is a sure thing first ballot Hall of Famer, and holds the single season record for hits with 262 in 2004. He was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in his first 10 seasons with the Mariners, and won the Rookie of the Year and MVP in his first year in 2001. Ichiro also won two batting titles in 2001 and 2004. Ichiro was the biggest and brightest star for the Mariners in the 2000’s. He sits third behind Junior and Edgar in WAR with a 56.8 and is one of the greatest players ever put on the Mariner’s uniform.

Next: Mariners v. Rangers: 3 Up, 3 Down

Who would you include? Send through your comments and opinions on who you think makes the top 5 from outside the Americas.

Just my view from Down Under.

 

 

 

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