Minor League Baseball

Seattle Mariners' Colt Emerson Predicted to Be Top 10 Prospect in All of Baseball in 2026

The crew over at MLB.com looked into their crystal ball this weekend and predicted good things for the young shortstop.
Brady Farkas|
Seattle Mariners infielder Colt Emerson poses for a portrait during media day at Peoria Sports Complex on Feb 20.
Seattle Mariners infielder Colt Emerson poses for a portrait during media day at Peoria Sports Complex on Feb 20. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners enter the 2025 season with one of the best farm systems in baseball. They have at least seven Top 100 prospects, according to both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, and Keith Law of The Athletic recently ranked the Seattle system as No. 1 in the sport.

While several top prospects, including Lazaro Montes and Cole Young, are projected to make big impacts on the Mariners in the future, the crown jewel of the system is young shortstop Colt Emerson.

A first-round pick in 2023 out of the Ohio high school ranks, Emerson is ranked as the No. 20 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

And the outlet projects that he'll be a Top 10 prospect by this time next year, writing as such this weekend.

Emerson hit .263 across Low-A and High-A last year with four homers and 37 RBIs. He posted a .393 on-base percentage and is known for his ability to get on base. He dealt with some injury issues, playing just 70 games, but he tore through the Arizona Fall League and continued to show why he has the pedigree he does.

MLB.com projects that he'll make his major league debut in 2026 and when he does, he'll pair with Young to make up the next era of the M's middle infield.

The Mariners continue Cactus League play on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies and open up the regular season on March 27 against the Athletics at T-Mobile Park.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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