After making his major league debut in 2025, what has the young infielder learned heading into the new campaign?
Heading into 2026, Cole Young figures to be a big part of the Seattle Mariners as they look to win the American League West for the second straight season.
A former top 100 prospect, Young, 22, gained a lot of valuable experience in 2025. He made his major league debut, appeared in 77 games for a team that ended up getting to the American League Championship Series, went on a massive hot streak, then a massive cold streak and was left to watch the playoffs from the dugout after he was kept off the playoff rosters in both the ALDS and ALCS.
So what did Young learn in 2025 about the grind of a big-league season that he's taking into 2026? He caught up with Mariners Roundtable on Friday morning:
I'd say the biggest thing I learned about the grind is just the importance of having a solid routine each day. Whether it's getting in the training room each day, going in the weight room to lift, whatever it is. But just having a consistent routine, it just helps you play 162 games, and it'll help you with the mental side of it too.
And while being left off the roster in the playoffs was assuredly hard for him, we asked him what he learned and took away from watching that deep October run:
Yeah, I learned a lot. The biggest thing I learned is that this is where you want to be. You want to be playing in the playoffs at the end of the year. You don't want to go home after September. So, the playoffs is, that's where all the fun's at. And that's the biggest thing I learned from watching it. And, obviously, there's other little things that I learned too, but that's the biggest thing: you want to be playing in the playoffs in October and that's where all the fun's at.
About Young's outlook
Young hit .211 with four home runs in 2025, but I've been bullish on him starting the year as this team's second baseman. I believe he makes consistent contact and solid contact, and I believe he can be an 8-12 home run contributor.
That said, while Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto called Young the favorite for the second base job at the outset of spring training, he wasn't 100 committed to him either. The door is at least open for Colt Emerson to get that job with Brendan Donovan playing third.
Michael Arroyo is playing second in the spring opener, which is likely because of his impending exit from camp for the World Baseball Classic.
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