Ken Griffey, Jr.
Griffey Jr., perhaps the most popular player of his generation, is a Mariners icon.
He made 10 all star games with the Mariners, and won the AL MVP in 1997 in his first tour with the team. Griffey helped spark the city of Seattle’s interest in the franchise, as he lived up to the hype behind his baseball family tree (even getting to play with his father) and his number one overall draft status, by bringing the Mariners their first two playoff appearances in 1995 and 1997 (with perhaps their most endearing franchise moment as he scored the winning run against the Yankees in the ALDS in 1995 in one of baseball’s classic playoff games).
Given his place as a baseball legend, it was hard to picture Griffey wearing anything else besides the Mariners logo, but he was traded to the Reds in February of 2000. While he still had success, The Kid battled injuries quite a bit in Cincy, which stifled his production. After spending over eight years with the Reds and making a pit stop with the White Sox, he was signed as a free agent to return to the Emerald City.
The 2009 season though was largely unremarkable for Griffey, as he posted just a 0.6 WAR and he retired during the 2010 season.