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Ranking the Best Third Baseman in Mariners History

By Christopher O'Day

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 03: Kyle Seager #15 of the Seattle Mariners hugs teammates as he was pulled from the game during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park on October 03, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 03: Kyle Seager #15 of the Seattle Mariners hugs teammates as he was pulled from the game during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park on October 03, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /
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Mariners Jim Presley
BALTIMORE, MD – CIRCA 1984: Jim Presley #17 of the Seattle Mariners sits in the dugout prior to the start of a Major League Baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles circa 1984 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Presley played for the Mariners from 1984-89. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Mariners #5 Third Baseman: Jim Presley – 4.8 fWAR

Presley took over third for the Mariners back in 84, and at first, it looked like he was going to be another one and done at the position. He hit .227/.247/.402 with a 72 WRC+ in 70 games. Since he was only 22, the team decided to give him the job in 85 to see how he would do. It ended up being the right choice.

He would turn in the best season of his career, hitting .275/.324/.484 with a 114 WRC+, blasting 28 home runs, and accumulating a 2.9 fWAR. All six of those numbers would end up being career highs, as would his 7.0% walk rate and 16.0% K rate. With an ISO of .209 and a solid BABIP of .286, it seemed like the Mariners had a young stud on their hands. If he could do that at 23, imagine what he could do as he got more comfortable.

He stepped back a tiny bit in 86, striking out a lot more (26.1%), but was still a 2.1 fWAR. He scored a career-high 83 runs and drove in 107 RBI, also a career-best. 87 was another small step back. However, the power was still there with 24 homers, and he had a 1.8 fWAR.

If you’ve been doing the math so far, you know what’s coming. Presley would put up two consecutive subpar seasons of -0.8 and -0.5 fWAR, and then would be done in Seattle at the age of 27. He’s head to Atlanta for a year, and then the Padres, and by 1992 he was out of baseball. That three-year stretch was pretty good for the youngster though and gets him into the top five for Mariners third baseman all-time.

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