Brock: Colt Emerson gives Mariners much-needed defensive boost

Seattle Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson is most known for his advanced approach and bat-to-ball skills at the plate.

But with his promotion to the majors on Sunday night, the 20-year-old Emerson also could bring a much-needed boost to Seattle’s sputtering defense.

What Mariners GM said about Colt Emerson’s callup

The Mariners rank 29th out of 30 MLB teams with a minus-16 outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. And those issues have been especially prevalent on the left side of the infield. Veteran J.P. Crawford is tied for 30th out of 32 qualified shortstops with a minus-6 OAA, while injured Brendan Donovan is tied for 35th out of 37 third basemen with a minus-5 OAA.

Emerson, meanwhile, is considered a 60-grade fielder on the 20-80 scale by MLB Pipeline, meaning he projects as an above-average fielder at the major league level. That showed up during his stint this spring at Triple-A Tacoma, where he made a number of impressive web gems at shortstop.

Emerson projects as a shortstop for the long-term. But for now, he’s expected to play third base.

Either way, adding Emerson to the left side of the infield is a welcome sight to Brock Huard, who highlighted the former first-round draft pick’s defensive prowess during Monday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“It was obvious that this team is lacking some dynamic movement and athleticism, certainly on the left side of the infield,” Huard said. “… J.P.’s movement and trying to get to balls, trying to elevate like, those legs just aren’t there anymore. I mean, they’re just not there.

“I can’t wait for the day when it’s (Emerson and second baseman) Cole Young up the middle. It’s going to change this thing defensively dramatically, right? You see the balls that (San Diego Padres shortstop) Xander Bogaerts gets to and the plays that he’s able to make. Colt’s gonna make those.

“And this team needs that,” he added. “They need that infusion of defense. So obviously for the time being, with Donovan out (on the injured list), we’ll see Colt at third a bunch. He’ll help cover, I think, some ground there for J.P. That should help him.”

Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation at this link or in the audio above. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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