Cole Young a sign Seattle Mariners solved prospect problem

It shouldn’t be hard for longtime Seattle Mariners fans to answer the question of what Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and Cole Young have in common.

Each are homegrown players who were developed by the M’s and now are key members of the team’s major league lineup.

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In Mariners history, particularly since they moved outside from the Kingdome to what is now known as T-Mobile Park, it’s rare to find teams that have that many homegrown offensive players all contributing at the same time. It’s a lot easier to find the names of hitters who never quite reached the expectations they had as highly-ranked prospects.

Sure, there’s Kyle Seager. But there is also Dustin Ackley, and Jarred Kelenic, and Mike Zunino, and Evan White. And the list can go on.

There were multiple reasons likely hindering the young Mariners players, chiefly the difficulties of their pitching-friendly ballpark, and the fact that the prospects tended to arrive with a lot of fanfare but not a soft landing spot in M’s lineups that tended to struggle putting runs on the board.

It seems that with the way Young is being utilized, and how he’s following in the footsteps of All-Stars Raleigh and Rodríguez, the Mariners may have finally solved one of the franchise’s oldest problems: transitioning a young hitter from the minor leagues to the majors.

Young especially didn’t join the Mariners with a ton of pressure on his shoulders, even though he arrived as the team’s No. 2 prospect. He was simply slotted in the bottom-third of the batting order and asked to play second base. And after a tough first six games when he went just 1 for 19, he’s been a truly solid option for the M’s, slashing .274/.363/.384 with a .747 OPS in the 48 games since.

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan has taken notice of what Young’s doing, and what it means for the future of a Mariners franchise that has maybe the best farm system in the game with nine players ranked in MLB Pipeline’s top 100, including six position players.

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“I think this is a really good sign for what the Mariners have to come, that Cole Young has transitioned as well as he has to the big leagues,” Passan told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday. “Now, I think it doesn’t hurt that he did not come up as a savior. He did not come up as Roman Anthony, who has handled it and more with the Boston Red Sox. He did not come up as Jac Caglianone, who had some flashes (for the Kansas City Royals) but struggled before he wound up on the injured list.

“It’s a very delicate balance that you need to strike. But going to Cole Young, like the Mariners did, and saying, hey, we don’t need you to win us the pennant, we need you to go out there and be yourself. And that’s pretty much what he’s been to this point.”

The Mariners seem to be enjoying one of the less obvious fruits of the rebuild they undertook after the 2018 season, which is the confluence of a maturing MLB roster with a sustainable and successful farm system, allowing prospects a better chance of finding their footing in big leagues.

Additionally, Passan thinks the Mariners’ rookies are getting help from the players that came before them.

“I think what the Mariners have in place is a foundation that makes it a very accommodating place and an accommodating clubhouse for young players,” Passan said. “And I think that begins with Cal. He had some stuff early in his career where he saw the way that he was treated by certain guys and it didn’t sit well with him. And I think he learned from that, that if I’m going to be a leader on this team, then I need to make this place as comfortable as possible so everyone can find the best version of themselves.

“And I think that’s one thing that we’re seeing with Cole Young right now.”

Hear the full Brock and Salk conversation with ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan in the podcast at this link or the player below. Catch Brock and Salk weekdays live from 6-10 a.m. on Seattle Sports.

Cole Young a sign Seattle Mariners solved prospect problem

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