The Drought, Part I: The 10 Worst Mariners Since 2001

#9: C Steve Clevenger

I’m sorry, but it had to be done. Steve Clevenger is potentially the biggest stain on Jerry Dipoto’s otherwise fairly successful record.

Dipoto desperately wanted to get Mark Trumbo’s contract off the books. The best offer he received, as far as we know, was from the Orioles. They offered Clevenger in return for taking Trumbo’s contract off Dipoto’s hands. He took the deal.

Clevenger was no more than a backup catcher, and a pretty mediocre one at that. That didn’t change when he arrived in Seattle. He would only play 20 games for the Mariners after suffering a broken hand in June 2016.

It wasn’t his on-field performance that landed him on this list, though.

Due to his injury, Clevenger had a lot more free time on his hands. He used this newfound time to share his opinions on the Black Lives Matter movement and U.S. President Barack Obama.

In short, Clevenger exposed himself as no more than another racist with a Twitter account.

The Mariners were quick to release Clevenger, thankfully. Since then, Clevenger has never received another opportunity to play Major League Baseball.

Meanwhile, Mark Trumbo went on to have an All-Star season in Baltimore, hitting a league-leading 47 home runs.