Buster Olney expects M’s prospect Colt Emerson in majors soon

Each and every spring training comes with excitement about the up-and-coming prospects in a team’s organization, and there’s no shortage of that this spring for the Seattle Mariners.

Mariners’ top pitching prospects impressing beyond strikeouts

The M’s have several touted prospects in camp from their highly regarded farm system, which features six of MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects and four of Baseball America’s. One of the names generating the most buzz from the group is shortstop Colt Emerson, the organization’s consensus top farmhand.

The 20-year-old Emerson is a top 10 prospect in all of baseball, according to both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, and coming off a year where he climbed from High-A to Triple-A with impressive performances along the way. That included hitting .333 (10 for 30) with two homers, two doubles and nine RBIs over eight games including the playoffs in his brief stint with Triple-A Tacoma at the end of the season.

Emerson has a chance to force his way on to the big league roster at the end of camp if he can put together a standout spring, and he started moving in the right direction Tuesday with a pair of hits, including a two-RBI single.

Colt comes up clutch 👊 pic.twitter.com/JGFm4ThIw3

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) February 24, 2026

Even if Emerson doesn’t make the team right away, the expectation is he will be in the majors at some point this season. In fact, ESPN’s Buster Olney fully expects to see Emerson in the big leagues soon and would be surprised if he’s not there by a certain date.

“I would be surprised if he’s not in the big leagues by May 15,” Olney told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Monday. “I know they’re excited about him. And when I talk to folks with other teams, they think he’s going to be an impact guy.”

A Mariners lineup including Emerson is one Olney is excited to see.

“I love the potential makeover of what their lineup could look like after they get Colt to the big leagues,” he said. “With the addition of Brendan Donovan, it is going to be a team that gets on base more consistently, I believe. You’re not going to have some of the valleys offensively when you have a top of the lineup with Donovan.”

ESPN’s Buster Olney has never had expectations for Mariners like this

As for where Emerson would slot into the lineup, Olney thinks the ninth spot would make sense because of the 2023 first-round pick’s skill set.

“I’m guessing that Colt Emerson, when he’s called up, maybe they stick him in the nine hole because he’s got excellent command of the strike zone,” Olney said. “With Cal and Julio batting behind him, I think their offense is going to take a step forward this year.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player below. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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