Minor League Baseball

Seattle Mariners Top Prospect Discusses His First Spring Training Experience

Colt Emerson talked about getting the call he would be invited to spring training and his experience in Peoria, Ariz., so far.
Teren Kowatsch|
John Glenn shortstop Colt Emerson hits a double against West Muskingum during a game on March 21, 2023.
John Glenn shortstop Colt Emerson hits a double against West Muskingum during a game on March 21, 2023. | Brandon Hannahs/Times Recorder/2023 archived photo / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Seattle Mariners

For many of the Seattle Mariners top prospects, this spring will be the first time they've gotten to compete with and against major league players.

The Mariners have seven top 100 prospects according to both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. Many of those top 100 players, including Michael Arroyo and Lazaro Montes, are participating in spring training for the first time. And so is Seattle's top prospect, Colt Emerson.

Emerson is widely considered the best minor leaguer the Mariners have. He's ranked No. 16 on Baseball America's top 100 and No. 20 on MLB Pipeline's.

In a news conference posted to Seattle's YouTube channel on Feb. 15, Emerson talked about going through his first spring training with the team.

"It's exciting. It's extremely exciting more than anything," Emerson said in the news conference. "I'm just so happy and blessed for this opportunity to be able to get in there in the clubhouse and see how the big leaguers work, how they go about their business and just really just soak everything up as much as I can. Because they're in the spot I want to be and if I can learn from them as much as possible, that's the thing I'm looking for here."

Emerson also discussed getting the call informing him he would be attending the first big league camp of his career.

"I didn't even really think about it, and then they called me," Emerson said. "And it was such a nonchalant, 'Hey you're going to big league camp.' And I was just like, 'Wow.' It's things you dream of. Well, things that you don't even think about that come with it. You think about getting drafted or getting to the show, but it all starts with spring training. So, getting that call saying, 'Yo, you're going to be in the big league clubhouse and you're going to be with the bigger guys.' I'm just so happy to get this opportunity, really."

Emerson had a solid stretch in the Arizona Fall League and was named an AFL Fall-Star after putting up a .370 average with nine doubles, 10 RBIs and eight steals in 13 games.

Emerson played just 70 games in 2024 due to a broken bone in his foot. He ended the season with the High-A Everett AquaSox. He hit .263 with four home runs, 37 RBIs and 15 steals.

Emerson turned a lot of heads in the Arizona Fall League and has steadily risen up the ranks since he was drafted in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. And it will be interesting to see if he can continue that development in spring training.

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Teren Kowatsch
TEREN KOWATSCH

Teren Kowatsch is a staff writer for ''Minor League Baseball on SI'' and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He has been a writer for “On SI’’ for two years and is a graduate of the University of Idaho. You can follow him on Twitter @Teren_Kowatsch

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