The 2015 MLB playoffs are underway, and for the fourteenth straight season, your Seattle Mariners are not invited to the party.
Lest you fret over not being able to watch your beloved M’s take part in the postseason, we’re here to bring you the list of all 24 former Mariners who find themselves on the active rosters of playoff-bound teams. Yep, you read that correctly. A total of 24 ex-Mariners have made their way to greener pastures since leaving Seattle, one shy of the number needed to fill a 25-man roster.
With 10 teams having qualified for postseason play (including Wildcard participants), that averages out to 2.4 ex-Mariners per roster. And in fact only one squad fails to employ a former Mariner: the St. Louis Cardinals, who have become renowned for cultivating their own homegrown talent.
Here’s the list of all 24 playoff-bound ex-Mariners, broken down by team:
Chicago Cubs
OF Chris Denorfia
OF Austin Jackson
RP Fernando Rodney
Houston Astros
RP Josh Fields
RP Oliver Perez
IF Luis Valbuena
Kansas City Royals
DH Kendrys Morales
SP Chris Young
Los Angeles Dodgers
OF Justin Ruggiano
New York Yankees
OF Dustin Ackley
SP Michael Pineda
DH Alex Rodriguez
IF Brendan Ryan
New York Mets
RP Eric O’Flaherty
Pittsburgh Pirates
1B/OF Michael Morse
Texas Rangers
3B Adrian Beltre
OF Shin-Soo Choo
C Chris Gimenez
Toronto Blue Jays
OF Ezequiel Carrera
RP Steve Delabar
SP R.A. Dickey
IF Munenori Kawasaki
RP Mark Lowe
1B Justin Smoak
With six ex-Mariners on their active roster, the Toronto Blue Jays have the best chance of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as the postseason rolls on.
And bear in mind, this list only includes those former Mariners who are on their respective teams’ active rosters. Which means a guy like, say, J.A. Happ, who helped pitch the Pittsburgh Pirates into the playoffs but was left off their first-round roster, is being scrapped from this ragtag bunch.
Amazingly, the balance across all positions found amongst these former Mariners is enough to field a team of its own. One could actually piece together a respectable Ex-Seattle Mariners roster from just these playoff-bound personalities.
Just for fun (loose definition of “fun” here), here’s how a starting nine might shape up:
- RF Shin-Soo Choo
- CF Austin Jackson
- 3B Adrian Beltre
- DH Alex Rodriguez
- 1B Kendrys Morales
- 2B Luis Valbuena
- LF Dustin Ackley
- C Chris Gimenez
- SS Brendan Ryan
Your three-man postseason starting rotation:
- Michael Pineda
- R.A. Dickey
- Chris Young
A formidable bullpen, with action from both sides:
RHP Steve Delabar
RHP Fernando Rodney
RHP Josh Fields
RHP Mark Lowe
LHP Eric O’Flaherty
LHP Oliver Perez
And a deep bench that features a fair amount of versatility:
OF Ezequiel Carrera
OF Chris Denorfia
IF Munenori Kawasaki
1B/OF Michael Morse
OF Justin Ruggiano
1B Justin Smoak
All in all, the ex-Seattle Mariners might not be too bad. Way to go, M’s.
Subtract ARod’s salary and what would the payroll be for this ex-M’s team. Just for fun and giggles..