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The Mariners not too long ago signed a report extension with infield prospect Colt Emerson. President of Jerry Dipoto spoke to members of the media within the wake of that deal. Per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Dipoto stated that J.P. Crawford will stay the membership’s shortstop this yr. If Emerson is recalled to the lively roster sooner or later, he’ll possible play third base, which is able to bump Brendan Donovan right into a utility position.
Although the Mariners signed Emerson to that long-term deal, they instantly optioned him to Triple-A Tacoma. That’s an unprecedented sequence of occasions however it additionally has some logic to it. Emerson is 20 years outdated and solely has ten Triple-A video games below his belt up to now. The Mariners clearly consider in his long-term future however he’s nonetheless a prospect they usually should make the alternatives that they really feel are in the very best curiosity of his improvement.
In addition they have a reasonably crowded infield in the mean time. Crawford began the season within the injured listing resulting from some shoulder irritation however he was reinstated immediately. Fellow infielder Ryan Bliss was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma because the corresponding transfer. Crawford will retake his shortstop place with Cole Younger at second and Donovan at third.
Maybe Emerson will pressure his method onto the roster sooner or later through his bat, since his offense is his true calling card. He went from Excessive-A to Double-A to Triple-A final yr, slashing .285/.383/.458 alongside the way in which. His 11.8% stroll price and 17.5% strikeout price had been each just a few ticks higher than common and he hit 16 residence runs, regardless of being very younger for every stage.
His protection has typically been thought-about a bit behind his offense. He has made strides in recent times and lots of evaluators assume he has an opportunity to be a serviceable shortstop, however it’s comprehensible that the Mariners would go for Crawford for now. Crawford’s defensive opinions are combined, with Outs Above Common placing him at minus-29 for his profession whereas he’s been credited with 5 Defensive Runs Saved. Regardless of that imbalance, he has nearly 8,000 large league innings on the place, whereas Emerson has none and is questionable on the spot for now.
Crawford is slated at no cost company after 2026, so maybe Emerson will get a crack on the shortstop job subsequent yr. That’s maybe another excuse to maintain him in Triple-A for now, as he can have higher means to proceed getting reps at shortstop within the minors. His third base expertise can also be nonetheless pretty restricted, so he’ll have to hold working at that spot as nicely, if that’s his present path to a giant league job.
As for Donovan, his potential transfer is one other illustration of why he was such an ideal match for the Mariners this offseason. His versatility signifies that he could be moved across the diamond relying on what occurs with different guys. Younger solely hit .211/.302/.305 final yr and due to this fact wasn’t a positive factor at second base, whereas Emerson seemingly had some small probability to interrupt camp at third.
Younger went on to hit .281/.349/.667 in spring and seize the job on the keystone. He has carried that over within the season up to now, as he’s presently sporting a .320/.346/.520 line. That pushed Donovan to 3rd base for now, although his outfield expertise means Emerson may push him to the grass sooner or later. That would take taking part in time away from the Luke Raley, Dominic Canzone, Rob Refsnyder, Víctor Robles group, relying on how issues go between from time to time.
Dipoto additionally expressed broad openness to doing extra extensions. “I can’t let you know that there’s any chance we’ll get anything accomplished on this season, however it gained’t be as a result of we’re not ,” Dipoto stated, per Adam Jude of The Seattle Occasions. “It’s all the time an open door.” It was not too long ago reported that the Mariners have broached the topic of contract extensions with each Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo, although it doesn’t seem the membership bought near an settlement with both pitcher.
Picture courtesy of Matt Kartozian, Imagn Pictures
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