Top prospect Emerson powers Triple-A Tacoma to win with 4th homer
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The future is rapidly approaching for the Mariners, seemingly faster by the day.
Seattle’s No. 1 prospect Colt Emerson (MLB Pipeline’s No. 7 overall) homered for the fourth time this season on Wednesday, helping Triple-A Tacoma to a 5-1 win over Las Vegas at Cheney Stadium.
With a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, Emerson jumped on a first-pitch slider on the inner portion of the plate. The lefty-hitting shortstop rocketed it to right field at 103.8 mph and 375 feet, into the trees well beyond the wall.
It ended up being the difference in the game. Las Vegas pushed across its lone run in the top of the seventh.
“Just looking for a good pitch over the plate that I can put the barrel on,” Emerson said in a postgame interview. “God willing, it happened.”
Emerson struck out in his other three trips to the plate, but one was a 10-pitch at-bat in which a backdoor cutter froze him for strike three.
The 20-year-old and former 2023 first-round pick -- fresh off a contract extension that is the largest for a player yet to make his Major League debut -- also flashed the leather Wednesday. He ranged to his left to collect a ground ball and started an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the fifth.
Emerson has now reached base safely in 11 of his past 12 games, bringing his season slash line to .233/.347/.453.