Who are the most lethal Mariners killers?
Certain hitters give fans a sense of dread whenever they come to the plate against the Mariners in crucial situations.
Every fan base has a list of killers. Players who always seem to find a way to do-in their favorite team. With this in mind, I compiled a list of active hitters with a history of having their way with the Mariners’ pitching staff.
Perhaps you’d come up with a different group of Mariners Maulers. That’s okay. My list isn’t absolute, it’s just my perspective based on cherry-picked stats. The selected players are recognizable to Seattle fans, although there was one name I didn’t expect to see. Perhaps you’ll be surprised by his inclusion too.
The criteria for eligibility is simple. Be an active player and have more than 100 plate appearances against Seattle. Let’s begin with a hitter living rent free in the heads of Mariners fans and perhaps Seattle’s skipper.
Home Run King - Mike Trout (54)
With seven homers against the Mariners last year, Trout surpassed Rafael Palmeiro (52) to become the all-time home run leader against the team. The three-time AL MVP also has more runs scored (141), triples (11), walks (114), and RBI (131) versus Seattle than any active player.
Something to remember. The only active player with more games against the Mariners than Trout’s 178 is Elvis Andrus (216). Players like Trout, Andrus, and other long-time AL West rivals are going to hold a decided edge in counting stats. For this reason, I’m going to shy away from these types of numbers with one exception.
That said, Trout has over twice as many home runs against Seattle than any active player. That’s impressive regardless of how many times he’s faced the team.
Notable runners-up: Rougned Odor (25), Marcus Semien (24), Nelson Cruz (24), Kole Calhoun (24), George Springer (24)
Best OPS – Aledmys Díaz (1.111)
Yes, Aledmys Díaz. I didn’t see that coming. Did you? The Cuban has 147 plate appearances against the Mariners and boasts the highest OBP (.429) and SLG (.682) of any active player.
What impresses me most about Díaz is his .720 SLG is higher at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park than at his former home field, Minute Maid Park, when facing the Mariners. In 23 games hosted by Seattle, the seven-year veteran has 26 hits, including 18 of the extra-base variety.
Now with the A’s, Díaz will have an opportunity to continue tormenting Mariner pitchers on a regular basis in 2023.
Notable runners-up: Mike Trout (1.098), J.D. Martinez and Charlie Blackmon (1.055), Tim Anderson (1.037), Rafael Devers (1.036)
Highest AVG - Tim Anderson (.395)
Considering his success against Seattle pitching, the 2019 AL batting champ might wish he played for an AL West team. In fact, Anderson’s AVG when facing the Mariners is his highest against any club. Next closest is Miami (.364).
Notable runners-up: Wil Myers (.354), Aledmys Díaz (.349), Charlie Blackmon (.341)
Not only does Anderson’s AVG lead active players, it’s the best ever recorded by any hitter with over 100 plate appearances against Seattle. J.D. Martinez (.355) of the Dodgers and the long-retired Cliff Johnson (.353) and Carlos Delgado (.351) trail well behind Anderson.
Base Thievery - Jose Altuve (29)
Once again, a long-time AL West player leads in a counting stat. That said, Altuve does hold a large lead over the next closest base stealers. The 2017 AL MVP also boasts a .309 AVG/ .369 OBP/.469 SLG slash-line in 159 games against the Mariners.
Despite the incorporation of larger bases into the game this season, it’s unlikely Altuve or any player challenges the all-time steals record against Seattle for quite some time. The mark is 93, held by Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson.
Notable runners-up: Elvis Andrus (22), Mike Trout (15)
Walking Man - Aaron Judge (15.5 BB%)
Trout leads the pack with 114 walks. But when we look at this category through the lens of walk percentage, Judge tops the list.
Notable runners-up: Mike Trout 14.7%, Miguel Sanó 14.4%, Anthony Rendon 13.9%, Robinson Chirinos 13.6%, Evan Longoria 12.9%, Shohei Ohtani 12.9%
Obviously, the reigning AL MVP is great at many things, not just drawing walks. For evidence, I present a video of a home run hit by Judge at then-Safeco Field in 2017.
The ball came ever so close to completely leaving the park, which I don’t believe has ever happened in a game. The reaction by Mariners television play-by-play man, Dave Sims, succinctly captures the devastating nature of Judge’s blast.
Noise Maker - Yordan Alvarez (63.2% hard-hit rate)
Speaking of devastating, Mariners fans may not be surprised to learn Alvarez has the highest hard-hit rate of any player with 100-plus batted balls against Seattle since 2015. After all, they’re still reeling from his soul crushing walk-off home run against their team in Game One of last year’s ALDS.
Notable runners-up: Aaron Judge 62.7%, Adolis García 61.6%, Corey Seager 55%, Mike Trout 54.5%, Shohei Ohtani 54.1%
Alvarez’s propensity for making loud contact helps explain his .305 AVG/.385 OBP/.597 SLG slash-line in 40 regular season games against the Mariners. But if it’s any consolation to Pacific Northwest fans, the 25-year-old has a relatively pedestrian .239/.321/.391 slash at T-Mobile Park.
T-Mobile Park Lienholder - Mike Trout
Of course Trout owns Seattle’s home field with the highest OBP (.428) and SLG (.716). He also has the second highest AVG (.332).
Notable runners-up: J.D. Martinez and David Fletcher (.339 AVG), Tony Kemp (.317 AVG), Robinson Chirinos (.409 OBP), David Fletcher (.592 SLG)
Here’s another jarring tidbit likely to induce nightmares. Only 15 hitters have clobbered more home runs at T-Mobile Park than Trout has. All were Mariners for a considerable amount of time with the exception of the New Jersey native.
Most HR at T-Mobile Park
Kyle Seager (94)
Nelson Cruz (84)
Raúl Ibañez (83)
Bret Boone (62)
Robinson Canó (57)
Adrián Beltré (56)
Richie Sexson (55)
Edgar Martinez (54)
Ichiro Suzuki (54)
Mitch Haniger (51)
Mike Zunino (50)
John Olerud (42)
Álex Rodríguez (40)
José López (38)
Franklin Gutierrez (35)
Mike Trout (33)
Let’s face it. Perception can sometimes lead to fans designating a hitter as a team “killer” even when the stats don’t necessarily justify it. Kole Calhoun could be such a player. Calhoun has a career .232 AVG against Seattle. Yet, some followers of the team consider him a Mariners killer.
Then again, Calhoun does have 24 career home runs against the Mariners. And who can forget how he was sent to the minors for two weeks in 2018, hit .208 that season, and still managed to slug four of his 19 homers off Seattle pitchers?
Alvarez has been a monster at Minute Maid Park and average-ish in the Emerald City. But his Game One bomb last October will be forever etched in the minds of Mariners fans. Therefore, his home/away splits just don’t matter to a segment of fans.
As for Trout, he’s definitely put up record numbers against the Mariners. But we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact he’s one of the best baseball players ever and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. The 12-year veteran has a career 1.002 OPS against all teams.
Still, Seattle manager Scott Servais did resort to intentionally walking Trout four times last season, including twice in one game. That’s how much six home runs in a 10-day span can affect the psyche of a team and its manager.
And its fan base too.
My Oh My…