Emerson earning A+ for effort early in rookie season

This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SEATTLE -- The prevailing trait that’s been attached to Colt Emerson throughout his ascent to the Majors has been his maturity. But the attribute that’s defined his first two and a half weeks in The Show?

Effort.

And no moment encapsulated this more than his sliding catch in foul territory that marked the 27th out in Tuesday’s 8-3 win. It wasn’t just that Emerson raced all the way near the wall along the third-base line to make the impressive grab, but that he went all-out despite the Mariners holding a five-run lead.

“Every day is a highlight, if I'm being honest,” Emerson said. “With these guys, this is the group you want to be with. I love this clubhouse, and a lot of great dudes. The camaraderie here is like something I've never seen, so it's fun coming to the field every single day.”

Worst-case scenario, that ball drops and the at-bat resumes with Cooper Criswell facing the Mets’ Brett Baty in an 0-2 count and with no runners on base. Instead, Emerson ensured that the game would end right then and there.

That capstone moment followed a hustle double into the right-field corner earlier on Tuesday that many would’ve held up at first base. But Emerson went diving into second after dialing up his sprint speed to 27.9 feet per second. For context, 27.0 is league average and 30.0 is elite.

He also had a last-second bunt single down the third-base line in the fifth inning off right-hander Jonah Tong, upon noticing that Baty, the third baseman, was shaded near the shortstop’s position. That came immediately after a two-run homer from Jhonny Pereda, when Tong was on the ropes.

And the bunt itself was Ichiro-esque, with Emerson already turning toward first base out of the batter’s box before making contact. His sprint speed on that one was 28.2 feet per second.

“That's who he is,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said, “and wherever that comes from, it comes from a really good place. I think he really appreciates being in the big leagues, for sure, and he sees every day as a chance to get better or make the team better in some way.”

Emerson’s slash line is up to .255/.333/.549 (.882 OPS) through 57 plate appearances. And the number that really stands out is his slugging percentage, as eight of his first 13 knocks have been for extra bases -- including the homer he crushed for his first career hit.

He’s also seeing 4.31 pitches per plate appearance, well above the MLB average of 3.88, a number that underscores his disciplined approach.

“That's just my identity,” Emerson said. “At the end of the day, I mean, you're going to be put in a negative spot, but if you get in, battle and you never give up, that's what these guys preach. And that's what this team preaches, and that's what they expect, and coming in these games like that, and high-stress situations or low-stress situations, I'm out there and going to compete and give my all at all times.”

Moreover, Emerson has also played every inning over his first 16 games, all but two at third base, when he filled in for J.P. Crawford while the veteran nursed a sore triceps. The Mariners have toyed with the idea of Crawford moving to the hot corner to allow Emerson to shift to shortstop, the position he’s expected to man longer term after Crawford’s contract expires.

The pitch was Crawford’s idea, after Emerson was called up on May 17. But it doesn’t appear to be in the immediate cards. And Crawford, despite recognition that Emerson will eventually take his position -- this season or next -- has been a guiding mentor.

It’s been a short stretch for the 20-year-old, but he’s making a strong impression.

“I'm a very logical person in a baseball space, at the end of the day,” Emerson said. “Some things are harder than others for me. But at the end of the day, getting back to my anchor of, 'This is just baseball, and this is not everything in the world. This isn't life or death.' This is, you're going out there and trying to score as many runs as you can and win a ballgame.”