Could Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson be the 2026 AL Rookie of the Year?
In this story:
Colt Emerson will enter Spring Training in a few weeks with much anticipation. The Seattle Mariners and their fans have seen and heard nothing but great things about the 20-year-old phenom, who looks he will not only have an opportunity to make the big league ball club, and possibly even break into the everyday, starting lineup.
Drafted in the first round (22nd overall) in the 2023 MLB Draft, the infielder has shot through the Mariners' system in a short amount of time. In 2025, Emerson hit .285, with 16 home runs and 78 RBIs across different minor league teams. He played 90 games with the Everett AquaSox, 34 games with the Arkansas Travelers, and six games with the Tacoma Rainiers in 2025. However, he wasn't a September call-up, as Seattle chose to get him prepared and focused for this year, instead.
In a recent poll of MLB executives, names like Tigers'shortstop Kevin McConigle and Toronto's RHP Trey Yesavage were at the top of their list. Meanwhile, Emerson didn't even get a mention, and that bulletin board material could add fuel to his fire. He would be the dark horse in the race... only to somehow pull off a win at the finish line.
The Mariners have a history with the award
One of the two greatest Mariners of all time, outfielder Ichiro Suzuki won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2001 on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Underrated first baseman Alvin Davis took home the honor in 1984, and Kazuhiro Sasaki did so in 2001. More recently, Kyle Lewis won it in 2020, and Julio Rodriguez achieved the accolade two years later. So a victory by Emerson would be the sixth one in franchise history,
CLICK FOR MORE: Mariners farm system recently voted one of the best in Major League Baseball
If Colt Emerson wins the award in 2026, it will be because he makes good contact all year long and sports a high batting average. While he's no slouch in terms of slugging, his playing style seems to lean toward a future batting champion and Gold Glover. Playing at that level for a winning team would definitely get him some votes at the postseason ballot box.
