When Brendan Donovan was sent to the injured list on April 20th, the Seattle Mariners could have called up their top prospect, shortstop Colt Emerson. Instead, they chose to call up Will Warren, a journeyman infielder who was once an Angels first-round pick.
Yet Colt Emerson is knocking on the door.
The 20-year-old has played 18 games with Triple-A Tacoma and has looked more than capable at the plate. He is rocking a .258 batting average, a .361 on-base percentage, and a .452 slugging percentage. He is showing the ability to hit for power, get on base, and use his legs. He has two home runs, six doubles, and six stolen bases in Tacoma so far. He’s driven in seven runs and scored ten.
While Emerson’s bat is starting to heat up, it’s not his bat that is his strongest trait on the field, but his glove. Emerson has been making highlight-reel-worthy plays all spring in Tacoma.
Just take a look at this backhanded, cross-body throw to get the out at first base.
On this play, Emerson failed to catch a pop-up that was hit into no-man’s land in shallow left field. No problem for the shortstop, as he picked the ball and made a ridiculous throw on target to second base, to get the out. Of course, better baserunning probably prevents this, but it’s still insane that Emerson was able to make this throw.
BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM COLT EMERSON
Emerson has also shown he has no issue with getting dirty, as he made a diving stop to prevent a base hit.
Emerson flashed his glove again a few days later, picking up a ground ball and spinning around for good measure before making the throw to get the out at first.
While Emerson is currently blocked at shortstop by J.P. Crawford, there is an opportunity for him to eventually play third base for the Mariners. Seattle’s third baseman, Brendan Donovan, also has experience in left field. When Emerson is ready, the Mariners can shift Donovan to left field and move Randy Arozarena to the DH spot.
Donovan getting hurt felt like the perfect opportunity to call up Emerson, but there’s a reason why Emerson was not called up.
Emerson is Dealing With A Write Issue
According to Seattle Times reporter Adam Jude, Emerson is currently dealing a with a sore wrist, which is why he has been out of the Rainiers’ lineup three games in a row.
That could also explain why Emerson’s strikeout rate has been so high in Tacoma. Emerson currently has a 26% strikeout rate and an 11% walk rate. While those are not bad numbers, the Mariners are probably hoping to see some improvement in Emerson’s plate discipline before he comes to the show.
The Mariners Are Hoping to Avoid A Repeat of Jarred Kelenic
There is a cautionary tale of Jarred Kelenic that the Mariners appear to have learned from.
Kelenic, the club’s top prospect in 2021, was called up early in the season and struggled. He never put together a full season of successful baseball and was eventually sent to Atlanta. He’s now back in Triple-A with the White Sox, and it is hard to consider him anything but a bust.
If giving Emerson a few extra weeks (or even months) in Triple-A is what it will take to prevent him from becoming the next Jarred Kelenic, the Mariners will gladly be patient with the young shortstop until he is ready.
Mariners Top Prospect Heating Up in Triple-A, Still Awaiting Call-Up