Countdown to Opening Day: Top 50 Mariners Of All-Time
By Nick Lee
45. Joey Cora (1995-1998)
Cora was also an intricate part in the Mariners’ 1995 run to the ALCS. In fact, he scored the tying run on perhaps the most famous play in Mariners’ history, the Edgar Martinez double in the bottom of the 11th in Game 5 of the Division Series. The 5’7″ Puerto Rican was Seattle’s everyday second basemen for a better part of four seasons.
His best year came in 1997. In his lone All-Star appearance, he hit 11 home runs, 40 doubles, hit .300 and walked more than he struck out. He was traded to the Indians in the summer of 1998. He totaled 600 hits and batted .293 in his 544 career games in a Mariners uniform.
44. Tino Martinez (1990-1995)
Most of the baseball world knows Martinez as a Yankee for their four World Series championships in five seasons. Some forget that he played his first six seasons in Seattle. Drafted 14th overall in 1988, the first baseman broke into the bigs in 1990. His best season with the Mariners was his last, in 1995. He mashed 31 home runs, drove in 111 runs and hit .293.
Before he became a postseason mainstay for the Yankees, he hit .273 with a home run and five RBI in Seattle’s 1995 playoffs. He was traded to New York after that season and finished his Mariners career with 88 home runs, 106 doubles and 312 RBI. He went on to hit 339 career home runs.
43. Brian Holman (1989-1991)
Holman was drafted 16th overall by the Montreal Expos in 1983. Then the Mariners traded for Holman in 1989 and sent Mark Langston (we will see him later) to Montreal. Holman immediately became part of Seattle’s rotation.
Holman went on to average 10 wins, a 3.73 ERA and 104 strikeouts per year in three solid seasons. He posted a WAR (wins above replacement) of 8.0 when he was a Mariner. That is 17th best among all Mariners pitchers in team history.