The Drought, Part II: The 10 Most Underrated Mariners Since 2001 – First Five

Often we tend to ignore the glimmer of light in the dark. The Mariners have caused us a lot of pain since 2001, but they’ve kept us watching. These are the players that made this drought a little easier to endure.

I recently touched upon the 10 worst Mariners players since their last playoff appearance in 2001. At the end, I promised that I would continue this series in a more positive light. Instead of simply flipping the last article on its head and looking at the 10 best players, I’ve decided to look at the most underrated players on these teams.

Why? Because the 10 best players for the Mariners in that time is predictable; Ichiro, Felix, Moyer, Cameron, Seager, Cruz, etc. I rather look at the players who, for better or worse, gave their all while flying under the radar.

While some of the players on this list are for how they performed on the field, some are for the True to the Blue.

Today, we’ll look at the first five players on my list, going from #10 to #6. But let’s start with who didn’t make the cut.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

1B/DH Dae-Ho Lee

I love Dae-Ho so much. I think I can speak for all Mariners fans in saying that we all love Dae-Ho. How could you not?

I wanted to put him in this list so bad, but I just couldn’t justify it. Therefore, he gets an honorable mention.

The truth of the matter is, the Korean superstar’s success overseas just never fully translated to the MLB. That’s not to say he had a bad 2016 season with the Mariners, but it was full of ups and downs.

In the end, Dae-Ho slashed .253/.312/.428 while hitting 14 home runs. But due in part to his age, the Mariners just didn’t see a future with him for 2017 and beyond.

While it’s sad Dae-Ho is no longer a Mariner, he will forever have a special place in our hearts. We’ll always remember the joy he brought us that season, especially that time he stole Jake Diekman’s soul.

LHP Arthur Rhodes

For many Mariners fans, Arthur Rhodes is best known for his earrings. For others, they knew him as one of the best relievers in Seattle Mariners history.

Rhodes spent the first eight years of his career with the Baltimore Orioles, but really made a name for himself in Seattle. Acquired in 2000 after a bad season in ’99, Rhodes quickly bounced back with a 1.6 WAR campaign with an even 10.00 K/9.

But this list is about Mariners players after the 116-win season in 2001. So, what did Rhodes do after that point? Oh, not much, except complete a 2.9 WAR season in 2002. That’s pretty insane, considering Rhodes only saved two games that entire year.

2003 wasn’t as great for Rhodes, which spelled his exit from Seattle. However, he would return to Safeco Field in 2008  after undergoing Tommy John surgery. For the first half of the season, Rhodes looked like the pitcher we saw in the early 2000s. His success resulted in him being involved in a Deadline deal to the Marlins later that year.

OF Leonys Martin

The 2016 Mariners are my favorite Mariners team during this drought. I had so much fun watching this team play and Leonys Martin was at the center of it all.

Whether it be his walk-off against the A’s, or the one against the White Sox, or his game-saving catch against the Royals, Leonys gave us so many beautiful memories.

The Mariners gave up basically nothing to get Leonys from the Rangers, therefore making him a part of one of Jerry Dipoto’s best trades. Though Leonys’ offensive production took a dive in the second half of 2016, his first half cemented him as one of the more underrated Mariners in history.

It’s unfortunate that his offensive decline continued into the 2017 season, leading to his demotion to Tacoma early in the year. Though Leonys came back fairly strong later in the Summer, the Mariners just didn’t have a spot for him and sent him to the Chicago Cubs.

Now, Leonys is with the Tigers and has already accrued a 2.2 WAR. As Colby pointed out, the Mariners should look at reacquiring him in July.

#9: 1B Russell Branyan

Finally! A player came to us and actually got better! Who knew that was possible?

Russell Branyan is just a Mariner to some and a Mariner legend to others. When he signed with the Mariners in 2008, most fans didn’t even know who he was. He was a role player in Milwaukee with some pop and good on-base skills.

No one expected that Branyan would be one of the best power hitting first basemen in the league in 2009. But that’s exactly what happened, as Branyan dropped 31 bombs with a 126 wRC+. What makes that more impressive is that he never played in September that season, going on the disabled list with a herniated disk.

Due to the injury, the Mariners were uncomfortable with committing to him long-term. Branyan wound up going to the Indians in free agency, only to be traded back to Seattle in June of 2010.

Branyan would only slash .215/.319/.483 in his return to the M’s, but he still managed a 121 wRC+ along with 15 homers. But that would be it for Branyan’s time in Seattle and his career only further declined.

Branyan may have been the best 1B/DH type the Mariners had in Jack Zduriencik’s regime. That’s saying quite a bit, considering how obsessed Zduriencik was with that kind of player.

#8: RHP Joel Pineiro

When you think of the Mariners in the early 2000s, rarely does Joel Pineiro pop into your head. But Pineiro was key to the Mariners’ success, especially after the 2001 season.

Many forget that the beginning of the Mariners’ playoff drought wasn’t ugly. In fact, it was pretty good. They just resided in a division that featured the Oakland Athletics and Anaheim Angels. Finishing 93-69 in both seasons, the Mariners received a huge boost from Pineiro.

Pineiro was worth 6.0 WAR (2.5 and 3.5 respectively) over those two seasons. In 2003, Pineiro was the dictionary definition of “stable,” pitching 211.2 innings.

He was not flashy by any means. He didn’t strike a lot of guys out and had an average walk rate. But he kept the Mariners in games and very rarely worked his bullpen.

Pineiro slowly declined more and more over his last three years, resulting in the Mariners stepping away from him after 2006.

But the contribution he gave the Mariners from 2001 to 2004 should not go unnoticed. That’s why he’s found himself on this list.

#7: RHP Shigetoshi Hasegawa

You already know I had to put Shiggy on here.

Though never a very consistent pitcher for the Mariners, Hasegawa’s 2003 season was such a great story that he had to be included on this list.

Born in Hyogo, Japan, Hasegawa was somewhat lost in the hype of the Mariners’ other two Japanese stars: Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki. Middle relievers are never the talk of the town, but Shiggy would make himself known in ’03.

Hasegawa took over the closing duties for the Mariners when Sasaki landed on the disabled list after his infamous staircase injury.

Due to a successful first half prior to Sasaki’s injury, Shiggy found himself on the American League All-Star team in July. Suddenly, he was in the spotlight and rightly so.

In Sasaki’s absence, Hasegawa totaled 15 saves in 16 closing appearances, filling the role nicely on short notice.

Though Hasegawa’s three other years in Seattle weren’t as spectacular, he still became a fan favorite and earned his respect as one of the more memorable Mariners in recent history.

#6: RHP Tom Wilhelmsen

From 2005 to 2009, Tom Wilhelmsen was a bartender in Tucson, Arizona. Suddenly, he was a Seattle Mariner. If we’re being honest, Wilhelmsen may very well have the best story of any Mariners player ever.

Being good helps that, and that’s exactly what Wilhelmsen was in Seattle. He wasn’t just a guy that came in, got his cup of coffee, and got out. Wilhelmsen quickly became the soul of the Mariners’ bullpen for the early 2010s.

When Brandon League fell apart in 2012, Wilhelmsen picked up the pieces and took over the closer’s role with flying colors. In 34 opportunities, Wilhelmsen successfully saved 29 games. Considering he was mixing cocktails only two years prior, that was pretty impressive.

With his newfound role, Wilhelmsen earned himself the nickname of “The Bartender,” penned by Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims. When Wilhelmsen entered the game in the 9th inning, it was “closing time.”

Unfortunately, being a closer was short-lived for Wilhelmsen, who lost the job in 2013 and wound up sent down to Triple-A Tacoma. He made his way back to the MLB level later that year and stayed for good.

In 2014, Wilhelmsen was a key part of the dominant Mariners’ bullpen that finished tops in the MLB across the board. The bond that he and his ‘pen-pals created that year was something special to behold.

I wish we could have seen that squad pitch in the playoffs.

STAY TUNED!

That concludes the first part of this list. Part two, featuring players #5 through #1, will be up later this week!

In the meantime, let us know in the comments or on Twitter what you think about the list! Did I miss anyone? Is there someone you would like to see in part two?

Until then, Go M’s!