Colt Emerson giving Mariners ‘exactly what you want’

Colt Emerson has shown signs of why he was regarded as one of baseball’s top prospects during his ascent through the Seattle Mariners’ organization.

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The 2023 first-round pick has put together a strong first 10 games in the big leagues at just 20 years old, producing a .258/.361/.516 slash line with an .877 OPS, 152 wRC+ (100 is average) and five extra-base hits.

Emerson’s early efforts have included clubbing his first career home run for his first MLB hit in just his second game (a three-run blast on a pitch below the zone with his family in attendance at T-Mobile Park), a monumental four-hit game in Kansas City last weekend, and a two-hit, two-RBI performance as the Mariners clinched a three-game sweep of the Athletics on Wednesday to take over first place in the American League West.

During his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Thursday, Yahoo Sports baseball writer Jordan Shusterman said what Emerson has given the M’s thus far is exactly what they needed.

“I just think the quality of the at-bat has just been really encouraging,” Shusterman said. “I think that the maturity at the plate, the defense – I know he’s had a couple errors here and there, but (he’s) still (been steady) and just someone at the bottom of the lineup that can make you sweat. And I think that right now, especially with the lineup still not at full strength and still not with everybody clicking, that’s exactly what you want, is you want just someone at the bottom of the order that can give a really good at-bat, whether it’s fouling off a bunch of pitches, whether it’s driving a ball in the gap.

“You just have to keep in mind to yourself how young he is and kind of appreciate how much better he can still get this season and obviously in the years beyond.”

What needs to happen next for first-place M’s?

After being stuck in neutral for much of this season, the Mariners pulled off a big three-game sweep of the Athletics this week to leapfrog their division rival and gain first place in the AL West for the first time this season.

Bump and Stacy co-host Michael Bumpus asked Shusterman what needs to happen next for the M’s to take off.

“Obviously getting healthy and getting Cal (Raleigh) back in the mix and kind of rotating (Brendan) Donovan back in is going to be really important,” Shusterman said, referencing two key Mariners hitters on the injured list. “… I think that the offense will follow once that starts to get more healthy and you have guys like Julio (Rodríguez) playing well, Randy (Arozarena) playing well.”

Shusterman also mentioned the importance of getting the bullpen sorted out now that right-hander Matt Brash and left-hander Gabe Speier have returned from the IL, noting how it can help alleviate some of the pressure for the Mariners’ starting rotation, which is currently navigating Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo being used in a piggyback situation.

“So to me, it’s getting the bullpen sorted and getting those guys in a groove to kind of take the pressure off whatever’s going on in the rotation,” Shusterman said. “And then, I think the offense will follow once it warms up and they’re back to full strength.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. 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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