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1) OF Ken Griffey Jr.
Drafted in first round (No. 1 overall) in 1987
Griffey might have a case as the best homegrown player of any team in any era when considering how much hype surrounded the top overall pick as the son of a three-time All-Star. It’s wild to imagine that the Mariners nearly passed on the sure-bet center fielder out of Moeller High School in Cincinnati.
Former owner George Argyros had his heart set on a college pitcher, and his top choice was Mike Harkey. Griffey only wound up in Seattle by agreeing to a $160,000 bonus, well below the $225,000 that the previous year’s top pick received. Griffey took pride in being the top pick, and boy, did he deliver. Griffey played in just 129 Minor League games before going on to become the franchise leader with 70.6 wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference, and 417 homers. He ranks at or near the top of just about every offensive category in team history. ....

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