For now, Colt Emerson is playing in a liminal state.
Recipient of the largest contract in baseball history for a player yet to make his Major League debut, the 20-year-old is a daily presence in the Triple-A Tacoma lineup. That contract, plus the endorsement of the Mariners' front-office brass, has largely freed him up to just play. When will he do so for the big league club? To be determined. But Wednesday afternoon, the club's No. 1 prospect put on a show for the Rainiers.
In a tried-and-true Pacific Coast League 11-10 barnburner with eventual victor El Paso at Southwest University Park, Emerson amassed a three-hit day that included his fifth homer of the year, a then-go-ahead shot in the eighth. He added an RBI groundout in the first and a 102.8 mph RBI single in the fifth, giving him a season-high three runs driven in. Over his past six games, Emerson has racked up eight RBIs.
Emerson once again drew the start at shortstop. MLB’s No. 5 overall prospect has made 26 of his 29 starts there, also getting in three games at the hot corner -- the two spots where he saw action during his extended look in Spring Training. He’s made just one error on more than 100 chances this year.
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“Third base came pretty easy for Colt,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto told MLB.com in March, “and he looked great at shortstop. I think it's a huge advantage.”
Where Emerson hasn’t played is second base. The emergence of Cole Young at the big league level (1.5 bWAR entering play Wednesday, tops among AL second basemen) has essentially narrowed Emerson’s options defensively to the left side of the infield. J.P. Crawford recently put together a six-game hitting streak in which he launched three homers and reached base 16 times while holding down shortstop. Third baseman Brendan Donovan has begun a rehab assignment and is on line to be activated for this weekend’s series vs. the White Sox, barring any setbacks.
Which is to say, Emerson can continue to focus on establishing a routine and finding success at Triple-A.
Including his 101.7 mph wallop off right-hander Misael Tamarez (Padres) on Wednesday, Emerson has put 14 balls in play this season north of 100 mph off the bat. But there’s also been plenty of soft contact. With just an 87.4 mph average exit velocity, Emerson ranks sixth among Rainiers with at least 50 plate appearances. Out of the 353 players at Triple-A to reach the same PA threshold, Emerson ranks near the bottom third.
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But there’s not much reason to press the panic button. His walk rate (11.1 percent) is largely in line with where it’s sat throughout his career (12.9 percent). He’s oddly excelling while behind in the count (.302 AVG, .830 OPS) while hitting just .150 with a .250 slugging percentage with it in his favor. In situations that meet the late-and-close threshold, he’s produced a .932 OPS, an approximation of how to grade the ever-elusive “clutch” gene.
Still less than three years removed from starring on the amateur scene in Ohio, Emerson is more than seven years younger than his average International League competitor. But being in yet another competitive environment has enabled him to thrive.
“I think iron sharpens iron,” Emerson said during his time in big league camp. “Being around these guys in this clubhouse, I think, has made me a better player. And me embracing how hard it is to play this game, I think, has allowed me to do that.”