Cole Young promotion: What to know about Mariners prospect ahead of his MLB debut vs. Twins
The Seattle Mariners promoted infield prospect Cole Young to the majors on Saturday ahead of their game against the Minnesota Twins. Young, 21, will be making his big-league debut. (The Mariners announced Young’s arrival among a slew of other moves, including the activation of righty Bryce Miller and demotion of infielder Leo Rivas.)
Young, a first-round pick in 2022, had spent the year to date in Triple-A, hitting .277/.392/.461 with five home runs and four stolen bases across 54 games. Those marks include a recent tear that saw him bat .398/.505/.705 with 10 more walks than strikeouts over the past four weeks.
Young entered the season ranked by CBS Sports as the 44th best prospect in the minors. Here’s what we wrote at the time:
Young is another polished left-handed hitter, albeit one who produced at an above-average clip during his season in Double-A. He relies heavily on singles and walks, and his in-game power seems likely to be contained in the form of doubles to the gap (though he did lift a few balls out the other way). Young has also stolen 20 or more bases two years in a row, giving him a chance to provide more value on the basepaths. He’s all but certain to remain up the middle, with his eventual landing spot hinging in part on Emerson’s arrival.
To honor Young’s arrival, let’s hit on three other parts of his game worth knowing about.
1. Polished offensive game
As noted above, Young’s best traits are his bat-to-ball and zone-management skills. Thus far, he’s connected on more than 82% of his overall swings, including almost 90% of those he’s taken on pitches inside the rulebook strike zone. Additionally, he’s managed a 22.9% chase rate.
Here’s how Young stacks up to the average Triple-A batter in some key categories:
Young | 82.2% | 22.9% | 44.6% | 24.2% | 18.6% |
Triple-A average | 73.1% | 26.6% | 40.7% | 29.3% | 18.2% |
In layman’s terms: Young has made contact and controlled the zone at better-than-average clips. He’s also made authoritative contact at a higher clip, albeit while hitting a lower share of batters in the proverbial sweet spot (between 10 and 30 degrees).
2. Should slot in at second base
The Mariners have cycled through various options at the keystone since losing starter Ryan Bliss to a biceps injury back in April. Lately, manager Dan Wilson has turned to a combination of Miles Mastrobuoni, Dylan Moore, and the now-departed Leo Rivas. While Moore has performed well overall this season, Mastrobuoni has not and Rivas had scuffled after a shockingly effective introduction to The Show.
Here’s how Seattle’s various second basemen have performed this year.
Dylan Moore | 19 | 134 |
Leo Rivas | 15 | 116 |
Ryan Bliss (injured) | 11 | 77 |
Miles Mastrobuoni | 10 | 76 |
Jorge Polanco | 1 | 140 |
Young, who has ample experience at both second base and shortstop, figures to become the most-days option at the keystone, forming a double-play combination with J.P. Crawford. In turn, Young’s arrival can free up Moore to see more action at other positions. Rookie third baseman Ben Williamson and veteran right fielder Leody Taveras entered Saturday sporting OPS+ below 75.
3. Joins scuffling M’s squad
The Mariners will come into Saturday’s game with a 30-26 record, putting them a half game back of the Houston Astros in the American League West. The M’s have lost three in a row, each by at least six runs, as well as five of their last six.
No matter what happens against the Twins on Saturday, the Mariners will exit May with a losing record.
