Patience Occasionally Pays Off

 

The Mariners promoted Colt Emerson a few weeks ago, and Emerson's been taking the majority of reps at third in the wake of yet another Brendan Donovan injury. You can tell the Mariners have faith in Emerson because they traded their other infield prospect, Ben Williamson, to make room for him, and so far that seems to be a good move on their part. Emerson's currently hitting .222 with 6 hits and 4 RBIs in 9 games. It's not immediately showing Emerson's high ceiling numbers, but if the Mariners' gameplan over the last few years has taught us anything, it's that they can afford to wait a little while.

Look at Cole Young, who was honestly inessential in his midyear callup last year. They brought him in to be a better choice at 2nd, he...sort of was, but didn't hit. Now, with another few months under his belt in the majors, he's figured a ton more out, with a more pronounced contact game, complete with 10 doubles and 23 RBIs, and some excellent defense at 2nd. He's been one of the most confident pieces of the lineup thus far, and in a season without Cal Raleigh's better numbers, that's worth a ton. Young wasn't an immediate smash in Seattle, but the Mariners didn't give up on him. Same with Emerson Hancock, who regularly brought up the rear of the five man rotation; Hancock's now a surer, more consistent starter, with a 2.78 ERA and 63 Ks in 11 games. He might honestly have the best line of any of the five right now, which is kinda insane. 

The waiting approach also applies to some of their acquisitions. J.P. Crawford, Dominic Canzone and Victor Robles hadn't completely hit their potential yet when they were traded, yet they've all found pivotal roles in this lineup. Crawford's still a welcome contact hitter, and though he's a little less accurate than usual he's still got 7 home runs. Canzone is the fun bench/DH bat whose power boosts have been welcome this year. Robles is still a great help defensively in the outfield, and he can hit .300 to boot. I'd even through Luke Raley in this category, because the Rays didn't get a ton of use out of him but in Seattle he's become one of the most reliable sources of power. Dude's got 11 home runs so far. 

The inverse of this is the guys the Mariners lose their patience with typically don't have a ton left afterwards. Kyle Lewis's peak WAS in Seattle, and after that season he barely touched the majors. Jarred Kelenic just got DFA'd by Chicago, proving the Mariners were right to give up on him. Easton McGee also hasn't really recovered from the injury he suffered right after his Mariners debut. They just seem to know when to pull the trigger and when to hold off.

Thanks to a strong series against the A's, the Mariners are momentarily back in first and hoping to build on the narrow lead. They've got Julio hitting, the rotation's looking surer than before and the wins are coming more frequently than they were in April. I think they can hold this for a little while, but the amount of time it took them to get here is slightly concerning. 

Coming Tonight: I was reminded the other day that this guy's been in the majors for nine years now. It's no less wild than it was in 2018. 

Uncustomed Heroes of 2025: Mariners

 

It was a pipe dream that became a reality. 'What if the Mariners caught fire, took the West and made a run?' It'd be cool if it happened. Switch-hitting catcher hitting 60, that was already a thing. Maybe it was possible. And sure enough, this Mariners team stopped the Tigers from making it deep, and nearly caught the Jays. With Julio, Randy, Cal, Jorge and Logan all doing what they were brought here to do, the Mariners finally seemed like they were fulfilling the promises of so many lost seasons. With Dan Wilson at the helm, there's firmer footing, and there's a big chance this team can rule the West going forward.

Victor Robles was looking to repeat his surprise 2024 success, then got hurt a week into the season. So his output was ultimately kind of limited, but he did show up in a few spots for the Ms. He hit .245 in 32 games for the Mariners, with six steals and some slightly limited defense.

2026 Prediction: Who even knows with this guy? He's almost never been good when his team has needed him to be. Maybe he has a decent year, I dunno if it'll be starting.

Before the Eugenio Suarez deal, the Mariners used rookie Ben Williamson as a 3rd base option. Williamson was average, hitting .253 without much to show for it and having 21 RBIs in 85 games. 

2026 Prediction: Might get to start once or twice, but unless he really levels up and acclimates to the majors, he's not gonna have much of a role here. It also has to do with...

...foundational rookie prospect Cole Young, who got plugged in at 2nd as Polanco took more reps at DH. Young similarly struggled at the plate, hitting only .201 in 77 games. Even if the Mariners really want this guy to succeed, they used a different young second baseman in October.

2026 Prediction: Of Williamson, Young and Rivas, Young will have the furthest reach, and it'll start with a breakout 2026.

One of the best middle relief pieces in Seattle this year was Eduard Bazardo, a 29-year-old who had failed to click with Boston or Baltimore but somehow found a place here. This year Bazardo was very sharp, going 5-0 with a 2.52 ERA and 82 Ks in 72 games. In the playoffs he struck out 13 in 12 innings, getting his first postseason win.

2026 Prediction: Slightly lesser numbers but same amount of reps.

The guy who saw the most time at 2nd this postseason for Seattle was another young guy, Leo Rivas, a 27-year-old second year who got 48 games and wound up as the victor thanks to a .244 average and a .721 OPS. The playoffs brought a ton more cool moments from Rivas, with a very crucial RBI against Detroit.

2026 Prediction: I'm not sure how much staying power he has, but until they figure out what the proper formula is, they're gonna need pieces like Rivas to test out.

And even in a season where the starting catcher did the unthinkable, there was still room for a rookie backup, organizational favorite Harry Ford, no doubt a lock for UK's WBC team next year. Ford got 8 games in the MLB this September, and got his first MLB hit and RBI, then went 1 for 1 in a postseason at-bat. Unfortunately, Raleigh's incredible season spelt doom for any notion of Ford being the starting catcher in Seattle anytime soon, and the M's dealt him to Washington for Jose Ferrer.

2026 Prediction: This is what Ford needed. In Washington, his biggest rivals will be Keibert Ruiz, who was once a promising prospect but hasn't accomplished much at all, and Riley Adams, a professional backup. I think he will ascend to everyday catcher and be the next piece of the Nats rebuild. 

Coming Tomorrow- The Marlins, as bad as they were, were still entertaining, and I have a bunch from their season.