Best Mariners to wear each uniform number

SEATTLE -- Some numbers are iconic. It’s not hard to remember which Mariners wore 11 or 24, the two jerseys that hang on the center-field fa?ade at T-Mobile Park as the lone numbers retired in franchise history.

But just who is the best player to wear every uniform number? Well, that’s a little tougher. So here’s our list of the best to don each digit for the Mariners:

00: Jeffrey Leonard (1989-90): HacMan is one of just two players to wear either 0 or 00 for Seattle, and he closed out his 14-year MLB career with two seasons for the Mariners, including an All-Star campaign in ’89.

1: Kyle Lewis (2020-21): There have been 21 players to wear numero uno for Seattle, but none did it better than the 2020 American League Rookie of the Year.

2: Jean Segura (2017-18): Segura spent just two seasons in Seattle but made the most of them with an All-Star effort in his second year and a .302 combined batting average.

3: Alex Rodriguez (1994-2000): A-Rod spent seven seasons wearing this number for Seattle and earned four All-Star berths, four Silver Slugger Awards at shortstop and two top-3 MVP finishes.

4: Harold Reynolds (1984, 1987-92): The current MLB Network analyst wore No. 4 for most of his 10 seasons with the Seattle, regaining the number in ‘87 and earning both his AL All-Star appearances and three Gold Glove awards in that uniform.

5: John Olerud (2000-04): Better known for his batting helmet than his jersey number, one of the quiet standouts on Seattle’s outstanding teams at the turn of the century earned an All-Star berth and three Gold Gloves during his time with his hometown club.

6: Dan Wilson (1995-2005): Though Julio Cruz had some great years in this number, it’s tough to top the Mariners Hall of Fame catcher, as Wilson played a key role on all four Mariners playoff teams during his 12 seasons with Seattle.

7: Marco Gonzales (2019-21): Gonzales switched to No. 7 in 2019, a move that coincided with his emergence as the Mariners’ No. 1 starter; since then, he’s gone 33-21 with a 3.83 ERA in 70 starts.

8: Carlos Guillen (1999-2003): Guillen wore this number his final five seasons in Seattle and emerged as the starting shortstop on some very good teams, including the 116-win group in ’01.

9: Ruppert Jones (1977-79): The Mariners’ first pick in the 1976 expansion Draft became the first No. 9 in franchise history and wore it well as the club’s starting center fielder and first AL All-Star in ’77.

10: Dave Valle (1987-93): Valle switched to No. 10 in his fourth season with Seattle, which happened to also be the time he took over as the starting catcher, a position he held for seven straight seasons while batting .234 and providing solid defense.

11: Edgar Martinez (1987-2002): When Martinez made it to the big leagues at age 24, he became the eighth Mariner to wear No. 11. And nobody else will ever wear it again as the number was retired after Martinez was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame following his outstanding 18-year career in Seattle.

12: Mark Langston (1984-89): Langston broke in with the Mariners as a 23-year-old lefty and had six strong seasons -- including an All-Star campaign in ’87 -- before being traded to the Expos in the deal that brought Randy Johnson to Seattle.

13: Omar Vizquel (1989-93): He spent the first five years of his 24-year career in Seattle and remains one of the finest fielding shortstops to have played the game, but recent allegations of domestic violence will cast a shadow over his legacy and potentially erode support for a Hall of Fame bid.

14: Tom Paciorek (1978-81): One of Seattle’s early memorable characters, Paciorek hit .296 in four seasons with the Mariners and was the team’s 1981 All-Star.

15: Kyle Seager (2011-21): Seager took over as the starting third baseman in 2011 and held down the hot corner for a decade. He ranks fourth all-time in franchise history in hits, home runs and RBIs.

16: Mike Blowers (1993-95, ’97, ‘99): Willie Bloomquist wore this number well for seven seasons in Seattle, but the nod goes to fellow hometown hero Blowers, thanks to his power production as well as his key role on the historic ’95 team.

17: Mitch Haniger (2017-21): Injuries have hampered Haniger’s time in Seattle, but he had an All-Star season in ’18 and a resurgent season i n'21. His 14.0 bWAR in his limited time speaks volumes about his overall abilities.

18: Hisashi Iwakuma (2012-17): The quiet right-hander from Japan was one of the most underrated starters in the game during his six seasons in Seattle, going 63-39 with a 3.42 ERA in 150 games (136 starts), earning an All-Star bid in 2013 and throwing a no-hitter in ’15.

19: Jay Buhner (1989-2001): The Bone owned No. 19 for 14 seasons in Seattle, during which time he hit 307 homers with 951 RBIs and established himself as a fixture in right field, now standing as one of nine members of the Mariners Hall of Fame. Though his number hasn’t been retired, nobody has worn 19 since he stopped playing.

20: J.J. Putz (2003-08): The big right-hander saved 101 games after moving into the closer’s role his final three years in Seattle, and he posted a 3.07 ERA in 308 games in his six years with the club, including an All-Star season with 40 saves in ’07.

21: Alvin Davis (1984-91): They call him Mr. Mariner for a reason, as Davis became the franchise’s first real star, winning AL Rookie of the Year honors while making the All-Star team in ’84 and winding up as the first inductee into the Mariners Hall of Fame.

22: Robinson Canó: (2014-18): The biggest free-agent signee in club history after being lured away from the Yankees on a 10-year, $240 million deal, Canó was a three-time All-Star and hit .296 with 107 homers in five seasons before being traded to the Mets following a PED suspension in ’18.

23: Nelson Cruz (2015-18): The big designated hitter led the Majors with 163 home runs during his four seasons in Seattle, earning three All-Star berths and two Silver Slugger Awards while batting .284 with 414 RBIs.

24: Ken Griffey Jr. (1989-99, 2009-10): Frank MacCormack, Rob Dressler, Dave Edler, Gene Nelson and Harold Reynolds for one year as a rookie in ’85. Those are the only other players to wear 24 for Seattle, and that will forever remain the case, as Griffey’s was the first number retired by the Mariners after he became the club’s first National Baseball Hall of Famer.

25: Mike Moore (1982-88): Seattle’s first-round Draft pick in ’81 turned out to be a pretty good pitcher on some pretty bad teams. He went 17-10 with a 3.46 ERA in ’85 and finished 10th in the AL Cy Young voting, but was 66-96 with a 4.38 ERA overall in seven seasons and took a Major League-high 19 losses in ’87.

26: Brendan Ryan (2011-13): One of the more eccentric players to wear a Mariners uniform, Ryan was a defensive wizard at shortstop who couldn’t hit a lick … though he did have the odd habit of licking his uniform on his left shoulder as he was standing at the plate before every at-bat.

27: Diego Segui: (1977): Let’s be honest. There’s not a great choice among the 24 Mariners who’ve borne this digit, so we’ll go with the very first. Admittedly, Segui’s 0-7 record and 5.69 ERA in 40 games aren’t the stuff of legend, but at 39 years old he was the first Mariner to throw a pitch in their inaugural game in ’77 and his son, David, wound up playing first base for the Mariners 21 years later.

28: Raul Ibanez (2004-08, 2013): Tough call here as Joey Cora also wore the number during his four seasons in Seattle and was part of the fun ’95 run and an All-Star in ‘97. But Ibanez had the biggest six seasons of his 11-year Seattle career wearing No. 28 and ranks in the franchise’s Top 10 lists in nearly every offensive category.

29: Bret Boone (2001-05): Some worthy candidates here as well as outfielder Phil Bradley was a standout the 1980s and future Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre spent five seasons with the Mariners during his outstanding career. But Bradley made only one All-Star team and Beltre didn’t play his best ball in Seattle, while Boone was a huge factor on the Mariners’ 116-win team in ’01 and earned two All-Star bids, two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers, as well as a pair of Top 10 MVP seasons during his second stint with the club.

30: Ken Griffey (1990-91): With apologies to Aaron Sele, who won 17 games and earned an All-Star berth in 2000, we’re going to grandfather this one in -- or father it in, more accurately -- to Ken Griffey Jr.’s pops, who played alongside Junior for 51 games at the end of his own outstanding career and pulled off the amazing father-son back-to-back home run feat in 1990.

31: Jerry Reed (1986-90): This one took some digging, but Reed was a solid reliever for the Mariners for five years on some pretty lean teams, going 13-11 with a 3.49 ERA in 152 appearances. Who’d you think we were going to pick, Bobby Ayala?

32: Ed Vande Berg (1982-85): Another reliever out of the way-back machine, Vande Berg was a workhorse lefty who went 21-21 with a 3.75 ERA in 272 appearances, including an AL-leading 78 in a strong rookie season, when he put up a 2.37 ERA.

33: Bob Wolcott (1995-97): Justus Sheffield may soon claim this honor, but for now we’ll go with the guy who won only 15 games in three seasons as a Seattle starter, but will forever be remembered for his amazing Game 1 victory over the Indians in the ’95 AL Championship Series. Wolcott served as a fill-in starter that night after Randy Johnson and the rest of the rotation were wiped out in the dramatic five-game ALDS victory over the Yankees.

34: Felix Hernandez (2006-19): Freddy Garcia had six outstanding seasons and earned a pair of All-Star berths, but Hernandez took the same number as his Venezuelan hero when he arrived in Seattle, and the rest is history. Don’t expect anyone else to put on the 34 now that The King has concluded his reign.

35: Rickey Henderson (2000): Sure, he played just 92 games and hit .238 after signing with the Mariners as a free agent in mid-March. But we’re talking about a first-ballot Hall of Famer here, and the man still was able to put up a .362 on-base percentage and steal 31 bases for Seattle that year at age 41.

36: Gaylord Perry (1982-83): Brian Holman put up a couple pretty good seasons as a starting pitcher wearing this number, but again, it’s hard to ignore the Hall of Famer in the house, as Perry won his 300th career game with the Mariners in 1982 at age 43 and wound up 13-22 with a 4.58 ERA in 48 starts for Seattle at the tail end of his 22-year big league run.

37: Norm Charlton (1993, ’95-97, 2001): The Sheriff was a veteran force in the ’95 bullpen and wound up saving 67 games in three different stints with Seattle.

38: Joel Pineiro (2000-06): Pineiro was a key rookie on the 116-win club in ’01 and won 16 games in ’03, and despite some later struggles, he finished with a 58-55 record and 4.48 ERA over seven seasons with Seattle.

39: Edwin Díaz (2016-18): Nobody had a sweeter season than “Sugar” in 2018 when he blew away the franchise record with 57 saves, tied for the second most in MLB history, while posting a 1.96 ERA and a whopping 124 strikeouts with just 17 walks in 73 1/3 innings.

40: Mike Schooler (1988-91): Schooler racked up 85 saves and a 2.96 ERA in his first four seasons for Seattle wearing this number. Then he switched to No. 29 in ’92, saw his ERA balloon to 4.70 with five blown saves in 18 chances and was released at the end of the season.

41: Shane Rawley (1978-81): Opened a 12-year MLB career with four seasons in Seattle and posted a solid 3.79 ERA in 205 outings.

42: Dave Henderson (1981-86): Hendu was the first player ever drafted by the Mariners as their No. 1 selection in 1977 and wound up filling the primary starting center-field role for five seasons before being traded to Boston. He later became a postseason hero with the Red Sox and A’s while playing in four World Series during his 14-year career.

43: Jeff Nelson (1994-95, 2001-03): The lanky right-hander wore this number for five of the eight years he spent with the Mariners during three tours of duty, including his All-Star season of ’01. Nelson owns Seattle’s franchise record for most games pitched at 432 and posted a 3.26 ERA, while also helping the Yankees win four World Series titles in his spare time.

44: Mike Cameron (2000-03): Cameron did an amazing job of replacing Griffey in center field after being acquired as part of the superstar’s trade to the Reds, quickly becoming a fan favorite of his own with outstanding defense and a solid bat. Cameron was a two-time Gold Glove winner and an ’01 All-Star in his four seasons, and once hit four home runs in a game.

45: Jim Beattie (1981-86): Beattie was a solid starter on some not-very-good teams in his six seasons, going 43-72 with a 4.14 ERA in 163 games. He ranked in the top 10 in AL pitching bWAR in two seasons, then went on to get his MBA from the University of Washington, worked as the Mariners’ player development director from 1990-95 and later became GM of the Expos and Orioles.

46: Mike Hampton (1993): Hampton spent only one season with the Mariners and got roughed up badly, going 1-3 with a 9.53 ERA in 13 games (three starts) as a 20-year-old rookie. But after being traded to the Astros the following year, the lefty went on to become a two-time All-Star in a 16-year career with five other teams.

47: John Mabry (1999-00, 2003): The 14-year veteran spent three seasons in Seattle and hit .237/.310/.373 with 13 homers in 198 games as a versatile utility man.

48: Paul Abbott (1998-02): Abbott went 36-17 with a 4.48 ERA in 99 games (70 starts), including going 17-4 with a 4.25 ERA for the record-breaking ’01 squad.

49: Roy Thomas (1983-87): As a multi-inning reliever, Thomas posted a 14-3 record and 3.92 ERA in 252 2/3 innings over 112 outings with Seattle.

50: Jamie Moyer (1996-2006): After being acquired as a 33-year-old journeyman, Moyer refined his soft-tossing routine so well that he wound up with a 145-87 record and 3.97 ERA in 324 games over 11 seasons in Seattle. He won a club-record 21 games in ’03 at age 40 and now has a spot in the Mariners Hall of Fame.

51: Ichiro Suzuki (2001-12, 2018-19): Hoo boy. It’s not an easy feat to beat out Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, but Ichiro had a longer career in Seattle and a higher bWAR total (56.2 to 39.0) -- not to mention 10 All-Star berths and 10 Gold Gloves -- and will certainly find his own spot in Cooperstown once he becomes eligible in 2025.

52: George Sherrill (2004-07, 2012): The durable situational lefty put up a 3.65 ERA in 195 appearances in four years to open his career, then closed out his nine-season big league run back in Seattle for two games in ’12.

53: Arthur Rhodes (2000-03, 2008): A huge part of the Mariners’ outstanding bullpen in the playoff seasons of 2000 and ’01, Rhodes went 28-16 with a 3.05 ERA in 312 appearances in five years in Seattle as part of his 20-year career.

54: Tom Wilhelmsen (2011-16): One of the more colorful characters in Mariners history, “The Bartender” saved 68 games and posted a 3.01 ERA in 296 appearances over six seasons in Seattle.

55: Gil Meche (1999-06): The 1996 first-round Draft pick went 55-44 with a 4.65 ERA in 147 games (143 starts) in six seasons and went on to become an AL All-Star for the Royals in ’07 after leaving in free agency.

56: Fernando Rodney (2014-15): The eccentric closer shot his arrow after what was then a club-record 48 saves in ’14, posting a 2.85 ERA in 69 games while earning AL All-Star honors, then struggled the following season before being traded to the Cubs. He was a three-time All-Star in a 17-year career.

57: Mark Lowe (2006-10, 2015): The right-handed reliever opened his career with Seattle and returned as a 32-year-old in ’15, posting a 3.45 ERA in 196 appearances.

58: Doug Fister (2009-11): The 6-foot-8 right-hander posted a 3.81 ERA in 60 games (59 starts) for the Mariners to open his career but had a tough-luck 12-30 career record upon being traded to the Tigers, with whom he saw his fortunes turn. Fister wound up pitching on five postseason teams with the Tigers, Nationals and Red Sox, and he helped Detroit reach the World Series in ’12.

59: Felix Hernandez: With apologies to the 14 other players who’ve worn this number, we’ll give another nod to a young King Felix, who wore it his rookie season in Seattle before switching to 34 for the rest of his career.

60: Dave Heaverlo (1980): The Ellensburg, Wash., native pitched in 60 games his lone season in Seattle, going 6-3 with a 3.89 ERA and four saves.

61: Pat Venditte (2016): The entertaining Munenori Kawasaki donned 61 as a utility player in 2012, but we’ll give the nod to the amazing Venditte, MLB’s first ambidextrous pitcher since 1995 and first full-time left-right hurler in the Modern Era. He pitched seven games for Seattle after being acquired midseason from Toronto, posting a 6.08 ERA in 13 1/3 innings.

62: Joel Peralta (2016): No one has worn this number particularly well, but Peralta at least has a solid 12-year MLB career to his name. The lefty pitched in 26 games for the Mariners at age 40, posting a 5.40 ERA.

63: Jesus Montero (2012-15): Yeah, things start to get a little thin in the 60s numerals, but Montero did hit .260 with 15 homers and 62 RBIs in 135 games as a highly touted rookie after being acquired from the Yankees, then saw his career go sideways for a variety of reasons.

64: Jean Machi (2017): None of the four players to don this number appeared in more than seven games for Seattle, but at least Machi was effective, as he put up a 1.17 ERA in 7 2/3 innings in five relief appearances before being sidelined by a thumb injury that closed out his five-year big league career at age 35.

65: James Paxton (2013-18): When healthy, Paxton was a beast, as he went 41-26 with a 3.42 ERA in 102 starts, including a no-hitter in Toronto in ’18, before being dealt to the Yankees.

66: Tyler Olson (2015): The lefty out of Gonzaga put up a 5.40 ERA in 11 relief appearances as a rookie. The only other Mariner to wear double-sixes was reliever Jorge Campillo for five games in ’07.

67: Matt Festa (2018-19): The right-hander out of Brooklyn had a 4.70 ERA in 28 relief outings before being sidelined by Tommy John surgery.

68: Max Povse (2017): The 6-foot-8 Povse is the tallest Mariner to have worn 68. He’s also the only Mariner to have worn that number -- and gave up nine hits with a 7.36 ERA in 3 2/3 innings over three appearances.

73: Walker Lockett (2020): His 4.32 ERA in 8 1/3 innings over five outings after being claimed off waivers from the Mets on Sept. 1 vaults the big right-hander to the top of a two-man list.

74: Ljay Newsome (2020-21): Another modern-day addition to the list, Newsome became the first Mariner to wear this number when he stepped into the rotation in 2020 as a 23-year-old injury replacement and went 0-1 with a 5.17 ERA in 15 2/3 innings over five outings.

81: Aaron Fletcher (2020): The southpaw was also a trend-setter with his No. 81, as he appeared in six late-season games as a 24-year-old, posting a 12.46 ERA in 4 1/3 frames.

96: Mac Suzuki (1996): Suzuki became the Mariners’ first Japanese player -- and just the third in MLB history -- when he pitched one game wearing No. 96 in 1996 and gave up three runs in 1 1/3 innings at age 21. He got a better shot -- and better results -- when he returned to the Majors two years later, though he never wore 96 again.

97: Joe Beimel (2014-15): The lefty reliever is the only player in MLB history to wear this number and he did so for six different teams, including the Mariners, during a 13-year career that ended at age 38 with the Mariners when his arm gave out after 676 big league appearances.

99: Taijuan Walker (2020): Walker went with double-nines when he returned to Seattle as a free-agent signee in ’20, and it suited him well; he posted a 4.00 ERA in five starts to begin a comeback from Tommy John surgery that continued when he was traded to Toronto (where he wore both 0 and 00).