5 Times the Mariners blew their First Round Pick in the MLB Draft

With the 3rd Pick in 1989, the Mariners should've selected - Frank Thomas (7th)

The Mariners took an RHP by the name of Roger Salkeld in 1989 with the 3rd pick. He threw 73 innings for the Mariners, and was traded in 1995. He never did much after that, appearing in one more season in the pros.

Instead... Frank Thomas? In that lineup? Oh my goodness. He would've solved a rotating door at first base for the Mariners that saw the likes of Paul Sorrento, David Segui, Tino Martinez, and John Olerud. Although, Olerud was a beast.

Still, Thomas outpaces them all. Pitchers, already afraid to face the Mariners in the mid-90s, now would look at a lineup that featured this at it's core.

1 - Alex Rodriguez
2 - Ken Griffey
3 - Frank Thomas
4 - Edgar Martinez
5 - Jay Buhner

Buhner hit .271/.369/.557 that season, and easily was the worst hitter of the group. It's not even close, either. I can't begin to fathom in any non-video game sense what it would've looked like in Seattle to have a group like that.

Guess what...Let's make it even crazier.

With the 11th Pick in 1991, the Mariners should've selected- Manny Ramirez (13th), Cliff Floyd (14th), or Shawn Green (16th)

You know... I really hate doing things like this sometimes. In 1991, the Mariners took Shawn Estes. He had a good career, but the Mariners traded him away before he ever threw a pitch for Seattle. You know what they could've had instead?

Manny Ramirez.

I love Manny. Manny was so fun. Yeah, he was a goofball, had some wierd stuff happen near the end of his career, and I think he got his meds mixed up once in a while (or so it was reported back then). But the dude could straight-up hit. I don't know where you would place these guys, but here is what the lineup could've possibly looked like in 1996, along with the numbers that each player put up that year.

With the 3rd Pick in 1994, the Mariners should've selected- Kerry Wood (4th) or Todd Helton (8th)

In 94, the Mariners took Jason Varitek. Then, they traded him for Heathcliff Slocumb. Stupid. Can we just not do that trade, and stick with Varitek? No? I've had enough of talking about hitting, even though Todd Helton would've been amazing, but I'm tired of thinking about what the lineup would've looked like. How about we add some pitching to the team? Okay, then we are taking Kerry Wood here with the 3rd pick, who went just one pick later in reality.

The Mariners pitching was actually pretty good at the turn of the millennia. I have a feeling that Wood would've pushed them over the top, permitting he stayed healthy, of course. Check out their starting rotation in 2001.

Freddy Garcia: 18-6, 238.2 IP, 3.05 ERA
Aaron Sele: 15-5, 215 IP, 3.60 ERA
Jamie Moyer: 20-6, 209.2 IP, 3.43 ERA
Paul Abbott: 17-4, 163 IP, 4.25 ERA
Kerry Wood: 12-6, 174.1 IP, 3.36 ERA

This gets rid of the weak point that season, which was John Halama. He was replaced by Joel Pineiro, but i think having Pineiro out of the bullpen that season, at such a young age, would've been nasty and a huge win for the Mariners.

Would this have been a difference maker that year? Would they have broke the wins record, and rode that all the way to a World Series? It's quite possible, and something that makes me happy and sad all at the same time.

With the 5th Pick in 2006, the Mariners should've selected - Andrew Miller (6th), Clayton Kershaw (7th), Tim Lincecum (10th), or Max Scherzer (11th)

Look at this group of pitchers. The Mariners took Brandon Morrow with the 5th pick. He had a decent little career, but most of it wasn't in Seattle. Then, you look at those next pitchers that went, and holy crap. There is Andrew Miller, who has had a really good career as a reliever, and went through one of the more dominant stretches we have seen from someone in his position.

2013-2017: 1.82 ERA, 1.96 FIP, 234 ERA+, 291.2 IP, 297 G, 14.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9

And he would've been the 4th pick of the four guys listed. Between the three of them, they've won 8 Cy Youngs, finished 2nd 3 times, and finished 3rd three times. All of them are multi Cy Young winners. Lincecum is retired now, but Kershaw is still doing well and Scherzer is still incredible.

Imagine having Lincecum back then. The kid from the Seattle area who went to UW. He and Felix leading the way, teammates fighting for a Cy Young. It would've been amazing.

Or Kershaw, pairing a lefty to Felix's right arm.

Or Scherzer, who could still be going. Sure, they would've doled out $300 million or more over that frame to keep him (or trade him), but it would've been incredible. They are all franchise altering pitchers. Instead, the Mariners ended up with Brandon Morrow.

With the 36th Pick in 2001, the Mariners should've selected - David Wright (38th)

Well, not quite in order. I saved this for last because, more than any other player on this list, this is the one I wish happened. David Wright was one of my favorite players, and is the only non-Mariners player that I almost bought a jersey of.

I mean, come on, how can you not like the guy?

Plus, he was so. darn. good. Check out these numbers from 2005-2013.

You're getting 145 games a year from a 20/20 guy that's hitting .300+, and mashing doubles while doing it. Oh, he was an above average defender as well, even winning a couple of Gold Gloves while manning the hot corner.

More than anything else on this list, I wish the Mariners would've taken David Wright back in 2001. That would've been amazing to watch one of the most liked Mets players ever don a Mariners jersey instead. This was the year they drafted Garciaparra, so instead of Wright's 49.2 WAR, they got 49.2 less WAR from that spot.

There were some other close calls for years I thought that they blew it, and definitely could've taken a better player. However, these were the top 5 to me that stood out as franchise altering and defining moves that they reasonably missed out on. Stay tuned for some more draft related news and historical altering chances that the Mariners have had throughout their history.