The Seattle Mariners beat the Cleveland Guardians 8-7 on Thursday afternoon in Cactus League play.

Bryce Miller impressed, hitting 98 mph with his fastball, and Cal Raleigh belted a pair of doubles, but youngster Colt Emerson also turned some heads by registering two hits, including an RBI triple.

Through seven spring training games, Emerson is now hitting .364. But perhaps even more interesting than his work at the plate is where Emerson is playing in the field.

Let's examine:

The No. 9 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, Emerson is the shortstop of the future. However, with J.P. Crawford still under contract through this season, Emerson doesn't figure to be the shortstop of the now.

We've been under the assumption that if he has a true chance to make the Mariners Opening Day roster it would be as a third baseman or a second baseman. And while Emerson has started multiple games at third this spring, he's also played multiple at short while Crawford battles a minor shoulder injury.

My first thought is: If Emerson has a legitimate chance to make the team, then why is he not getting reps at a position he might actually play in the big leagues in 2026? My second thought is: Does it really matter? Or does it just matter that he's getting consistent at-bats?

I asked ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney on the latest 'Refuse To Lose' podcast:

Yeah, I think the fact that he's playing on the left side of the infield tells you a lot, and that's what I heard during the winter time, that their intention was one way or another to continue to play him on the left side of the infield. Get him experience on that side, with some uncertainty at that point when they were talking about this internally, about, okay, is that going to wind up being at third base? You know, when is that going to happen? Because you could always adjust. I mean, all you have to do is look at the names of the people who played second base in the big leagues in recent years, including Mike Moustakas. 

Look at Bo Bichette in the postseason last year. He never played second base before he played it in the World Series, and he did fine in the end.

And so I think the feeling is that, 'hey, we've always got that in our back pocket if, when we look at the personnel, that's where we land..."

So, it seems like the fact that Emerson is playing is the first big deal, and the fact that he's playing on the left side is a second big deal, but the actual positional usage doesn't necessarily matter.

Following Emerson's growth will continue to be one of the biggest storylines of this Cactus League season and one of the biggest stories of the 2026 M's.

The Mariners will play the Arizona Diamondbacks at 5:10 p.m. PT on Friday night. Luis Castillo will make his spring training debut.

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