Felix Hernandez, starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, was first signed by the Mariners in 2002 when he was only 16. He spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons in the minor leagues, coming up to the Mariners in 2005 at the age of 19. In his first season in the major leagues, Hernandez played in 12 games, pitched 84.1 innings, and had an ERA of 2.67 with 77 strikeouts to 23 walks.
Raul Ibanez, left fielder and designated hitter for the Seattle Mariners, is playing for the Mariners for the third time in his 17-year career. The Mariners first drafted him in 1992 but they never played him in more than 104 games in any season. He spent his first eight years with the Mariners primarily in the minor leagues, playing for them in just 4 games in 1996, 11 games in 1997, and 37 games in 1998.
Jason Bay, right fielder for the Seattle Mariners, was initially with the New York Mets but they traded him almost immediately to the San Diego Padres in 2002. A year later, on May 23, 2003, Bay made his first major league appearance with the Padres. His first season with the Padres was cut short quickly after his debut when his wrist was broken by a pitch. At the end of August, 2003, the Padres traded Bay to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 2009, Kendrys Morales had big shoes to fill when he replaced Mark Teixeira at first base for the Los Angeles Angels and he proved himself up to the task. In his first full season with the Angels, Morales batted .306 with 173 hits, 34 home runs, 43 doubles and 108 RBIs.
Eric Wedge, who started his career with great promise as a catcher, has had a more successful career as a manager than he ever had as a player. Wedge was an outstanding, award-winning baseball player in college but he never fulfilled that promise as a major leaguer, playing most of his post-college career in the minors.