Hancock has been one of the most parts of an underwhelming start to the Mariners season, and Ryan Rowland-Smith spoke about him on the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast.
SEATTLE -- At 4-8, the Seattle Mariners are out to an underwhelming start. While the pitching has been generally solid, the offensive woes have been pronounced. The Mariners enter play on Wednesday with the worst batting average in baseball (.191) and they've scored three runs or less in eight of their last nine games.
If you're looking for silver linings to the offense, it's the production from rookie infielder Cole Young. If you're for a silver lining in general it's the work of Emerson Hancock on the mound.
The former first-round pick out of Georgia has made two starts, pitching to a 0.71 ERA. He's got 14 strikeouts in 12.2 innings as he's reshaped his arsenal and his arm slot.
Furthermore, he looks confident on the mound and he also seems at peace with everything in his career. For instance, after he pitched against the Cleveland Guardians on March 30, I noticed a calmness about him at T-Mobile Park. Rather than worrying about his place on the roster or his future in the organization, he seemed at ease.
The following day, I asked former M's pitcher (and current broadcaster) Ryan Rowland-Smith about that observation, and he added the following on Hancock:
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock (26) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Angel Stadium. Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images"And you make a great point, man. He has spent the last two years being that dude who every time he pitches, he’s auditioning to stick around.
And look, this is what I’m saying with the human element, right—like to look at him and go, “Oh yeah, hey, his role is to be the No. 6 starter and fill in,” he’s going to bounce back at you, maybe not publicly, but he’s going to go: “No, no, no. I don’t want to have that label. I don’t want to be the guy filling in. I want to be a number three starter. I want to be in the middle of this really good rotation.”
And so there’s that sense of pride, that sense of, 'all right, if someone goes down in spring training, I’m licking my lips. I feel bad for Bryce Miller—no, this is another platform for me to be on where I can be in the midst of a rotation and just get after it.'
It is so tough, though, man. And you may ask Emerson—he probably won’t admit this— But you know, when someone’s doing their rehab outings, you’ve got just a couple starts to go. And we saw this from him last year, where Emerson would start to struggle a little bit because you’re trying to do too much.
And it can be tough in that position. 100 percent. I’ve been there plenty of times."
You can hear the full talk with Rowland-Smith on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose' podcast.
Emerson will take the mound on Friday night when the Mariners return home against the Houston Astros.
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