When it comes to top prospect Colt Emerson, the question is not if, but when the Seattle Mariners shortstop of the future will make his MLB debut this season.
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The 20-year-old Emerson, who signed an eight-year, $95 million contract extension with the club last week, is expected to reach the majors sooner rather than later.
Emerson is currently off to a solid start with Triple-A Tacoma, batting .308 with an .828 OPS, one homer and four doubles in his first 10 games. And with the M’s struggling offensively early and new third baseman Brendan Donovan having some defensive issues at the hot corner, which is where Emerson is expected to get most of his big league action this year, there is some added wonder to just how soon Emerson could be called up.
When Emerson does reach the majors, the Mariners may have to get creative in order to get him and others the at-bats they need. That could lead to some complicated situations.
With Emerson expected to play third in the majors, Donovan’s positional versatility will be key in helping Seattle keep its big offseason trade acquisition in the lineup. But Donovan moving around will come at the expense of the playing time of others. One of those could be left fielder Randy Arozarena, who mans one of the two positions Donovan has played most in his career.
During a conversion with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Thursday, Mariners play-by-play Aaron Goldsmith highlighted why moving Arozarena from a full-time role in left field could be a complicating factor when it comes to promoting Emerson.
“Here’s my one concern with that, I’m just gonna be perfectly honest, Randy’s in a contract year,” Goldsmith said. “You’re gonna tell a guy in a contract year, ‘Hey, you’re now a part-time DH.’ It takes a pretty big man to say, ‘I got you, skip. Yeah, I’ll do what you need there.’
“Now, if Randy just signed a big, fat free agent deal and he was taken care of for the rest of his life, maybe it’s different.”
One potential benefit of Donovan playing in left field is it could upgrade the defense. Arozarena has consistently rated as below-average defender by defensive metrics. Donovan has been around average.
“Is that an upgrade? I’ll let other people decide that,” Goldsmith said. “… My point is that (calling up Emerson)… isn’t as clean as it sounds if you’re making a fantasy baseball lineup.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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