Mariners C - 2022 Cal Raleigh
If the 2020 season was not already shortened down to 60 games and Austin Nola playing more than 29 games and somehow maintained his 151 OPS+ over a near-full season, then he is the easy choice for this spot, but due to the circumstances surrounding that year and his career averages, it seems like more of a fluke than anything.
For Zunino, his 2017 year was the season that he put it all together while in Seattle, he stayed healthy enough to play 124 games, the second-most in a single season of his career, and put up great numbers slashing .251/.331/.509 with 25 HR and 64 RBI, Zunino was worth 3.4 WAR for his season.
But for a major reason, Raleigh was the pick. Not only did he put up an OPS+ of 122 with 27 HR, stats comparable to Zunino, but he was also a better defender. This led to him being worth 3.9 WAR, but that is not what got him his selection.
His walk-off home run at the end of the ‘22 regular season to send the Mariners to the playoffs and end their drought secured this spot for him, as he is forever attached to franchise history.