When it comes to the Mariners, we tend to dwell on all the front-office miscues responsible for the longest playoff drought in major professional sports.
Draft classes distinguished by first-round whiffs, a barren farm system, five different general managers and 10 different field managers since making their last postseason appearance in 2001 — the troubles are many. The template for a championship baseball operation could read: “Pay attention to everything the Seattle Mariners have done, and then do exactly the opposite.”
But once in a while, there’s a success story worth pointing out. Mike Zunino, for instance.