Emerson Hancock, Dan Wilson Talk About Handling a Really Tough Role For Seattle Mariners
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PEORIA, Ariz. -- Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock is in a tough spot.
A former first-round pick of the Mariners (No. 6 in 2020), he has prospect pedigree and a real skillset.
What he doesn't have is an opportunity, at least a consistent one. Hancock made 12 admirable starts for the Mariners in 2024, going 4-4 with a 4.75 ERA. He filled in for an injured Bryan Woo at the beginning of the year and an injured Luis Castillo at the end of it.
Unfortunately, for Hancock to get the consistent chance he undoubtedly wants, someone above him has to fail or get injured.
Speaking after his spring training start on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, we asked Hancock how he balances his desire for a consistent opportunity with being a good teammate and supporting those around him.
I mean, it's easy to be a good teammate here, to be honest. We have great people. It's fun to be a part of this group, but also, it's just trying to take it a day at a time. I know that there's things I need to get better at. There's always things that I can improve on. And if you just kind of work on that, just what can I do today? What can I do tomorrow? What do I need to do in my next start? Then hopefully, you'll get to where you want to be.
Dan Wilson today acknowledged that Emerson Hancock really handles a tough role well.
— Brady Farkas (@RefuseToLosePod) February 23, 2025
I asked him: How hard is it to balance wanting your opportunity, while also being a good teammate and not rooting for someone else to fail in order to get it?
His answer, after today's start: pic.twitter.com/WLIwLwetdk
Hancock allowed one run for the M's in 1.2 innings, giving up three hits while striking out two. The Mariners beat the Diamondbacks
Speaking several hours before Hancock took the mound, manager Dan Wilson addressed how he handles a tough role.
This is a tough spot, and I think Em has done a really good job of handling it and taking it sort of day by day. And at the end of the year (2024), with the Rock (Luis Castillo) having the hamstring injury, he really came up, I thought, and threw the ball very, very well in a couple of really key games for us and had to face the same team twice. He made some great adjustments. So, I thought he handled it not only well on the mound, but also mentally. And, it's a tough role, but, he kind of embraced it and did a great job with it.
The Mariners will be back on the field on Monday with a road game against the Milwaukee Brewers. First pitch is set for 12:10 p.m. PT as Logan Gilbert takes the mound.
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