Seattle Mariners - The Reagan Years (1980-1989)

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1980

103

1983

102

Decade

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Titles:

Top Mariners Players of the Eighties

None

Pitchers:

Ballpark:

Mark Langston (19.35) - 50

Kingdome

Mike Moore (17.92) - 39

Floyd Bannister (10.18) - 25

Team Name:

Jim Beattie (14.11) - 25

Mariners

Matt Young (6.59) - 21

Bill Caudill (4.7) - 17

Owner:

Scott Bankhead (8.88) - 16

Consortium of six including Danny Kaye (1980-1981)

Mike Morgan (5.1) - 14

George Argyros (1981-1989)

Glenn Abbott (4.69) - 12

Consortium led by Jeff Smulyan (1989)

Mike Schooler (2.58) - 12

Shane Rawley (3.06) - 10

General Managers:

Ed Van de Berg (5.58) - 10

Lou Gorman (1980)

Gaylord Perry (2.97) - 8

Dan O'Brien (1981-1983)

Bryan Clark (4.77) - 6

Hal Keller (1984-1985)

Bob Stoddard (5.02) - 5

Dick Balderson (1986-1988)

Jerry Reed (5.18) - 4

Woody Woodward (1989)

Catchers:

Managers:

Dave Valle (3.77) - 14

Darrell Johnson (1980)

Bob Kearney (2.51) - 14

Maury Wills (1980-1981)

Rene Lachemann (1981-1983)

First Basemen:

Del Crandall (1983-1984)

Alvin Davis (19.07) - 44

Chuck Cottier (1984-1986)

Ken Phelps (9.63) - 17

Marty Martinez (1986)

Dick Williams (1986-1988)

Second Basemen:

Jim Snyder (1988)

Harold Reynolds (6.61) - 30

Jim Lefebvre (1989)

Julio Cruz (6.19) - 20

Jack Perconte (5.43) - 11

Hall of Famers:

Gaylord Perry

ShortStop:

Ken Griffey Jr

Spike Owen (3.28) - 18

Rey Quinones (0.15) - 12

Rookie of the Year:

Todd Cruz (0.08) - 12

Alvin Davis (1984)

Third Base:

MVP

Jim Presley (3.31) - 18

None

Outfield:

Cy Young

Dave Henderson (7.71) - 43

None

Phil Bradley (12.8) - 30

Bruce Bochte (5.28) - 21

Notable Events:

Tom Paciorek (4.81) - 12

Al Cowens (2.09) - 17

1980 - The Mariners have been in existence for three years and haven't improved a bit

Richie Zisk (3.71) - 12

since their inception. Seattle is owned by a group who, after procuring the franchise from

Mickey Brantley (0.91) - 11

the American League thru a lawsuit, didn't have a clue as what to do with the club once

Steve Henderson (1.62) - 9

they had it. Moving into the decade the prospects for the Mariner's on the field

Ken Griffey Jr (3.26) - 8

performance were bleak. Here's the few decent players that Seattle did have on

Jay Buhner (4.27) - 4

the ' 80 roster moving forward:

□ 1B / OF - Bruce Bochte, 29, signed as a free agent from Cleveland in '78

Notable Events:

□ 2B - Julio Cruz, 25, drafted from Anaheim as 52nd pick in expansion draft

□ OF - Juan Beniquez, 30, obtained in deal with Yankees for OF Ruppert Jones, 24,

1981 - The big problem for the Mariners during their first thirteen years

who was drafted from KC as first overall pick in the expansion draft.

of operation is that, while the city and the fans wanted the team,

□ OF - Leon Roberts, 29, obtained from Houston for Jimmy Sexton in '78

there was no one around Seattle who wanted to own a baseball

□ OF - Dan Meyer, 27, drafted from Detroit as 9th pick in expansion draft

team for the reason that you would think folks would want to own

□ LHP - Floyd Bannister, 24, obtained from Houston in a trade for SS Craig Reynolds

a baseball team - for the joy of trying to produce a winner or at

□ RHP - Jim Beattie, 25, obtained from Yankees the Ruppert Jones deal

least a competitive club.

□ RHP - Glenn Abbott, 29, drafted from the A's as the 24th pick in the expansion draft

□ LHP - Rick Honeycutt, 26, obtained from the Pirates for Dave Pagan in '78

1981 - George Argyros buys the Mariners and embarks on a nine year

□ LHP - Shane Rawley, 24, obtained from the Reds for Dave Collins in '78

Reign of Error. He runs the Mariners on the cheap and blames his

managers and General Managers who he hires and fires as often as

1980-1989 - All of the losing during the Eighties gives the Mariners a lot of high

he changes his laundry. Because of his presence, the Mariners

draft picks. In general, they could have done better, overall, with their picks as they

don't come close to having a winning season during the eighties

were not able to fill the organization with enough talent to compete during this period.

and don't progress, at all, as a franchise.

It wasn't any one person as the Mariners went thru three owners and five General

Managers during the decade.

1987 - 3B Edgar Martinez, 24, is a rookie. He was an IFA in '82

Notable Draft Selections during the Eighties

□ 1980 - SS Darnell Coles, 18, 6th overall selection in amateur draft, debut 1983 - √

1988 - OF Jay Buhner, 23, is stolen from the Yankees in a deal for

□ 1980 - 2B Harold Reynolds, 19, 2nd overall selection in amateur draft, debut 1983 - √√

1B Ken Phelps

□ 1981 - RHP Mike Moore, 21, first overall selection in amateur draft, debut 1982 - √√

□ 1981 - LHP Mark Langston, 20, 2nd round of draft, debut in '84

1989 - Mercifully, a group led by Jeff Smulyan rescues Seattle from

□ 1982 - SS Spike Owen, 22, 6th overall selection in amateur draft, debut 1983 - √

Argyros. This group wants to win, what a concept!

□ 1982 - OF Phil Bradley, 22, 3rd round pick, debut In '83 - √

□ 1982 - 3B Jim Presley, 17, 4th round pick, debut in '84 - √

1989 - Woody Woodward is named General Manager. An excellent

□ 1982 - 1B Alvin Davis, 22. 6th round draft pick, rookie of the year in 1984 - √√

baseball man, the M's are ingood hands with Woodward.

□ 1983 - C Terry Bell, 17th overall selection in amateur draft- X

Altho', to be fair to the GM's before Woodward, they had very

□ 1984 - RHP Bill Swift, 22, 2nd overall selection in amateur draft, debut 1985 - √√

little, in the way of resources, to work with.

□ 1985 - RHP Mike Campbell, 7th overall selection in amateur draft - X

□ 1986 - SS Patrick Lennon, 8th overall selection in amateur draft- X

1989 - Randy Johnson is stolen from the Expos in a midseason deal

□ 1987 - OF Ken Griffey Jr, 17, first overall selection in amateur draft, debut 1989 - √√√

for Mark Langston who is a free agent at the end of the year

□ 1988 - 1B Tino Martinez, 20, 14th overall selection in amateur draft, debut 1990 - √√

□ 1989 - RHP Roger Salkeld, 3rd overall selection in amateur draft - X

1989 - The Eighties end pretty much the way they began for the

Mariners, they're awful. At least there's some hope, however,

now that there's new ownership in town.