Seattle Mariners: Left Field History from Phil Bradley to Domingo Santana

1992- 2002

In 1992 the Mariners decided to go out and get another veteran outfielder who had success in the past, Kevin Mitchell from the San Francisco Giants. Mitchell had a solid batting average hitting .285 in 99 games but hit only nine home runs while driving in 67 runs. Of the 99 games, he played 69 were in left field while the remaining as the designated hitter.  After the season he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for reliever Norm Charlton.

Another player who spent time in left field in 1992 was Henry Cotto. The Mariners acquired Cotto from the New York Yankees in December 1987. In 1988 he started 95 games in center field. In 1989 through 1991 he played a little in left field, however,  he still spent more time in center field and right field.

In 1992 Cotto played 62 games in left field. He hit .259 while stealing 23 bases. In 1993 he split time playing all three outfield positions then was traded to the Florida Marlins on June 27 for Dave Magadan.

The Mariners decided again in 1993 to sign another free agent outfielder to play left field in Mike Felder. He was another one lasting just one season. He hit for an average of .211 with one home run and 20 RBI. In December 1993 he was traded to the Houston Astros along with pitcher Mike Hampton for outfielder Eric Anthony.

The  1994 major league baseball season was cut short because of players strike. The season ended on August 11, 1994. Eric Anthony was the primary left fielder starting in 62 games. He played several games in center and right field as well. Anthony again was another who only played one season in Seattle. He had a .237 batting average with 10 home runs and 30 RBI. He was released by the Mariners in December 1994.

The miraculous season of 1995 the Mariners lost Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.on May 26 crashing into the fence so he missed a lot of time returning in mid-August for the playoff run. So the Mariners went through several left fielders that season since they had to have someone in center field while Griffey was out.

Rich Amaral who played for the Mariners as an all-around utility player played the most games that season in left field. He played 53 games in left. Again in 1996, he played 63 games in left field. He played six full seasons with the Mariners. In all the years he had a solid .278 batting average with a .345 on-base percentage.

On August 15, 1995, the Mariners acquired veteran outfielder Vince Coleman from the Kansas City help for the push to the playoffs. In that short period of time, he played 38 games in left field for the Mariners. He hit .290 with 16 stolen bases.

In 1997 Jose Cruz Jr., the Mariners number one draft pick in 1995, started the season as the Mariners left fielder. However, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 21 for pitchers Paul Spoljaric and Mike Timlin. Not a popular move at all. Most everyone thought he would be the Mariners left fielder for the next ten years. I guess we should have known it wouldn’t happen.

Cruz Jr ended up playing 49 games in left field batting .268 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI before the trade to the Blue Jays. The Mariners used several players in left field after Cruz departure including reliable Rich Amaral. The Mariners finished 1997 in first place of the AL West with a record of 90-72. The Mariners lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the first round losing 3 out of 4 games.

You would have thought the Mariners given up on these veteran players picking up for one year well it happen again with another interesting player in Glennallen Hill. He was known for having a problem with snakes. His time playing in the field was because the Mariners still had Edgar Martinez as the designated hitter.

He played 71 games for the Mariners before being waived on July 6. He did play reasonably well compared with some of his predecessors. He hit .290 for the Mariners with 12 home runs and 33 RBI. Again the Mariners finished out the season with several players taking a crack in left field.

The Mariners acquired yet another left fielder for one season in Brian Hunter from the Detroit Tigers. He to hit for a low batting average at .231 with four home runs and 34 RBI. He did steal 44 bases that season. Unlike some, he did do a good job playing in the field. The Mariners released him during 2000 spring training.

The Mariners continued on the same path in 2000 signing 41-year-old future  Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson who played 92 games in left field. He hit only .238 however did have 31 stolen bases. This was fine because the Mariners had a record of 91-71 for second place in the American League West. They lost to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series 4 games to 2.

The Mariners acquired veteran outfielder Al Martin in July 2000. He became the Mariners regular left fielder in 2001. He hit .240 that season they won 116 games. He was an interesting fellow for sure. You could say he wasn’t much of a positive influence in the clubhouse.  They had Stan Javier a super 4th outfielder play some in left field well as super utility player Mark McLemore who played 63 games there. In 2002 he played 82 games in left field.