Who are the only Mariners to hit 30 or more home runs in a season?

I enjoy thinking about Mariners history, and asking questions somewhere along the lines of "I wonder how many Mariners have done X?". It could be an ERA below 3.50 in a season, 25 steals, 40 doubles, a .310 BA, or a multitude of things. What came to mind most recently though, and inspired by Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, and Teoscar Hernandez, was how many Mariners players have hit 30 HR in a season?

Now, this may not seem like that big of a number. The Mariners are playing their 47th season (having debuted in 1977). 47 seasons, and you would expect them to have a whole bunch of players that have hit 30 or more homers in a season right? Especially when you think about the power hitters that were here throughout the 90's and 00's.

Well, that's not so much the case.

In fact, the Mariners have only seen 17 players hit 30 or more homers in a single season. We will get there soon, but if you know the first Mariners player to ever break that magical mark, I will give you massive props. I have to be honest, his name rang a bell, but I never in a million years would've guessed him.

(A hint... It took nearly a decade, he wasn't here long, only had one full season with the team, and had a terrible batting average.)

Anyway, let's get to it. I've split it up going from the least often to the most often done by a player, and you should all be able to guess who easily leads the way. Who am I KIDding, anyway? We start off with the big group who has done it only once.

10 Players have hit 30 or more home runs just once for the Mariners

Daniel Vogelbach hit 30 in 2019
Tino Martinez hit 31 in 1995
Paul Sorrento hit 31 in 1997
Russell Branyan hit 31 in 2009
Eugenio Suarez hit 31 in 2022
Gorman Thomas hit 32 in 1985
Raul Ibanez hit 33 in 2006
Edgar Martinez hit 37 in 2000
Robinson Cano hit 39 in 2016
Mitch Haniger hit 39 in 2021

The first and last on this last are the most recent ones to do it, and Vogey's first half of 2019 really stands out. He hit 21 HR by the All-Star break, making the game for the first, and only, time in his career. He would hit 5 more over the next 16 games, but really cool down and hit just .140/.284/.256 with 4 HR over the last 43 games he played in. It was still enough to get him on the list. Meanwhile, Haniger hit 39 in 2021, and hasn't been healthy since, and now I'm sad.

Gorman Thomas, though. That's the answer to the trivia question posted above. He was the first Mariners player to break the 30 HR mark, hitting 35 in 1985, despite a .215 BA. He was a slugger with the Brewers hitting 175 HR over a 5 year stretch. He came to Seattle in 1984 and barely played, managed 135 games in 1985, and was released in June of 1986.

We have a handful of other first baseman on this list, from Russell Branyan to Tino to Sorrento, who all hit 31. Geno managed it last year, but isn't going to get there again unless he has an insane September. RAUUUUUUUUUL did it once, so did Cano, and Edgar easily cleared it in 2000 at the age of 37... while driving in 145 runs!

Jay Buhner - 3 times, 1995, 1996, 1997. 44 was his highest in 1996

Putting these two guys together because, well, they were a big part of the Mariners success in the 90s. Buhner managed the feat three times in his career, going 40/44/40 in three straight seasons. He struck out a lot, but had a great eye at the plate still as he put together a slash line of .259/.367/.542 with a 132 OPS+ over that stretch. He made his lone All-Star game in 1996 as well. Overshadowed by some of the other hitters on the team, The Bone stood out for his fun personality, strong arm, power bat, and big ol bald head that inspired countless kids (myself included) to shave their heads.

Alex Rodriguez - 4 times, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000. 42 twice in 1998 & 1999

Bret Boone was tough to root for, but that pales to the emotions that bubble up when speaking of Alex Rodriguez. He was amazing to watch while he was in Seattle, bursting onto the scene in 1996 at the age of 20. He would hit .358 with 54 doubles and 36 homers, turning in one of the best seasons ever... and essentially doing it as a rookie.

He would go 42/42/41 over those last three years in Seattle. I remember at the closing ceremonies of the Kingdome, A-Rod said something along the lines of Seattle being the last place he wanted to play growing up. Maybe that's wrong, and maybe it was my way of finding another reason to dislike the guy. He would go on to dominate in Texas and New York during the regular season, and we had to watch the highest paid player in baseball dominate, all the while not in Seattle.

156 homers in three years in Texas, 351 in 12 years in New York, and 189 in seven years in Seattle. He was a lot of fun while he was here, and for now, I'm going to remember just that about him, instead of the reported steroids and money-grabbing antics.

Nelson Cruz - 4 times, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019. 44 was his highest in 2015

Why am I putting Nelly on his own page? Well, because Boomstick was a lot of fun to have on the team, and it was a surprise to see him keep hitting and hitting and hitting in Seattle, despite his advanced age. You have to remember that he was 34 when he got to Seattle, had broke 30 HR twice in his career, and there were questions about his production from a PED test failure earlier in his career.

It ended up being one of the greatest signings in the history of the Seattle Mariners. Cruz would hit a total of 163 HR for the M's while slashing .284/.362/.546 with an OPS+ of 148. Three All-Star Games, Two Silver Sluggers, MVP votes in three different seasons, and 414 RBI made Cruz a lot of fun to watch every time he got to the plate.

You could argue that Cruz was the last true slugger that the Mariners have had, that performed like he was supposed to. Haniger hit the mark once, and Teoscar is a scary dude at the plate. Maybe if he stuck around, he could put together a run like he did and Toronto and join Nelly with a 4-year run of 30+ homers. It's unlikely, but fun to think about. For now, Boomstick is the last true slugger the Mariners have had.

Ken Griffey Jr - 6 times, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999. 56 twice in 1997 & 1998

Have you ever seen someone happier on a baseball field? Getting to the bigs at 19 and getting to play next to your old man, the joy was easily apparent with Jr. The power took a while to come around, but the swing was sweet as ever, and is still one of the greatest things in all of sports to watch.

Griffey would hit 45 homers in 1993, showcasing true power at just 23 years old. He essentially hit 40 every season after that, as we toss out the strike shortened season (still stupid). 45,40,49,56,56,48. What a run by Griffey. He had 398 homers in Seattle by the end of the 1999 season, and it was a true conversation about when a healthy Griffey would break the all-time homer record.

Real quick. A Griffey that plays... 142 games a year for 7 more years, then 100-120 for the last 4 years? Let's say he averages about 42 a year for those first 7 (he hit 30 at age 38 still and 35 at 35), and that puts him at 678. 30-24-19, and that's a total of 765. And that's not even being over the top with his numbers.

Alas, he left to Cinci, dealt with injuries, but came back to finish his career in Seattle. Let's remember, instead, Griffey for who he was during those first 11 years. One of, if not, the greatest outfielder to ever play the game of baseball.