Colt Emerson will enter 2026 with some lofty expectations across league circles
This past year was one of the most eventful ones in Seattle Mariners history.
The Mariners won their first American League West title and made their first American League Championship Series since 2001. The team made it to Game 7 of the ALCS, which was the first time it was one win away from the World Series.
En route to the best season run in franchise history, Seattle boasted five All-Stars, including catcher Cal Raleigh, who broke the MLB single-season record for home runs by a catcher and switch-hitter (60 homers).
It was an incredible 2025 and based on predictions from an ESPN insider, 2026 could shape up to be even more so.
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A recent article from ESPN listed bold baseball predictions for 2026. Buster Olney, a frequent guest on the Refuse to Lose podcast with Roundtable Sports' own Brady Farkas, predicted the organization's top prospect will win the American League Rookie of the Year award.
This will be the year that Julio Rodriguez fully emerges as one of the game's best players," Olney predicted. "Cal Raleigh continues his reign as the best catcher in the majors and Colt Emerson is promoted to the big leagues in May and wins the AL Rookie of the Year Award. The Mariners are early in an extended period of dominance that will resemble what the Astros accomplished from 2015-24."
Emerson was selected by the Mariners with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and is regarded as one of baseball's best prospects.
Emerson is the ninth-best prospect in the sport according to MLB Pipeline's list and No. 12 according to Baseball America's top 100.
This past season, Emerson slashed .285/.383/.458 with an .841 OPS in 130 games across the High-A, Double-A and Triple-A levels. He hit 28 doubles, six triples and 16 home runs with 78 RBIs and stole 14 bases in 19 attempts.
Emerson ended the season on Seattle's postseason taxi squad and got a firsthand look at the best postseason run in team history.
Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has already said that Emerson will be a part of the team's plans in 2026.
If Seattle doesn't add a third baseman this offseason, Emerson is expected to compete with Ben Williamson for the open third base job.
Incumbent starting shortstop J.P. Crawford will be a free agent after 2026. If the Mariners don't make an effort to re-sign the veteran infielder and Emerson meets expectations, he'll likely slide over to shortstop. A Rookie of the Year award would make Seattle more confident in that move.
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