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Countdown to Opening Day: Top 50 Mariners Of All-Time

By Nick Lee

Aug 10, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; An overall view of Safeco Field during the fifth inning of a game between the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 10, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; An overall view of Safeco Field during the fifth inning of a game between the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 26, 2014; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher J.J. Putz (40) throws a pitch as Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Justin Turner (10) leads off of second base during the fifth inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

42. Jeff Nelson (1992-1995, 2001-2003, 2005)

Like several others on this list, Nelson played a key role in the Mariners’ historic 2001 season. In fact, that was his lone All-Star season. As the setup man for Sasaki, he posted a 2.76 ERA in 69 games. He also had 88 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings.

He spent parts of eight seasons in Seattle in three stints, including both the 1995 and 2001 postseason runs. Aside from going over to the Yankees with Tino Martinez to win four rings, he appeared in 11 games and only allowed two earned runs in 14 total innings in Mariners playoff runs. Overall, he posted an 8.3 WAR in his time in Seattle.

41. J.J. Putz (2003-2008)

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Putz was one of the better closers in baseball for a few years. He broke into the big leagues with Seattle. He was an All-Star in 2007 when he notched 40 saves and an incredible 1.38 ERA. He was the 2007 Rolaids Relief Award winner. He also had 82 strikeouts in 71 innings.

An argument can be made for him to be higher on this list. Perhaps if he would have stayed for a year or two longer, that would be the case. But after a hiccup of a season in 2008, he was traded to the New York Mets in a three-team blockbuster that included names like Luis Valbuena, Jason Vargas and Endy Chavez. At the end of his Mariners career, he was second on the franchise saves list. He is currently 6th in games pitched in team history as well. After leaving Seattle, he had two more 30+ save seasons. He retired with 189 career saves. As a Mariner, he had a WAR of 8.4 (13th in franchise history).

Next: The Top 50 Mariners of All Time: 40 Through 31

Stay Tuned

Stay tuned for the next section of Mariners greats as we get closer to Spring Training on ECS!

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