Fans of the game today may just think of Jamie Moyer as a veteran southpaw who has hung around the last few seasons, but it was just a decade or so ago when he was dominating the American League with the Mariners. With news coming this week that the 49-year-old had earned a starting rotation spot with the Rockies, we figured it was time to reflect on Moyer's tenure in Seattle.
Dedicated followers of the Mariners know of his greatness, but most around the country completely forget just how great he was in Seattle.
Moyer came to Seattle in the summer of the 1996 season and remained with the club until 2006. He finished in the top-six of Cy Young voting three times, and was named an All-Star in 2003.
Moyer finished his tenure with the M's with an impressive record of 145-75. He made three postseason starts in 2001, winning two games in the NLDS against the Indians, and then losing in his lone start against the Yankees. His ERA in those three starts? 1.77.
The southpaw exceeded the 200 innings mark seven times while with the Mariners, and was worth a cumulative Wins Above Replacement (WAR - read more from FanGraphs) of 29.4. Given today's market value of a "win", which is around $5.5 million dollars, Moyer was worth approximately $161 million dollars while pitching in Seattle.
Not too shabby.
So whenever Moyer takes the mound with Colorado this season, cheer for him. He spent the prime of his long career with Seattle, and had some of the better stats of any pitcher in franchise history.
For more on the Mariners, head on over to Lookout Landing.