What to Expect from Mariners Shortstop Cole Young

Not to mention, Young showed great feel for his hit tool. He doesn’t miss much (17.9% Whiff%), and even when he was a little behind, Young still did damage by taking it the other way.

Getting back to his eye, Young’s ability to get on base has arguably been his calling card. The 21-year-old posted a .423 OBP in his first taste of pro ball in 2022 and hasn’t slowed. Young has a career OBP of .388 in the Minors and with Tacoma, wasn’t a habitual chaser (23.3%).

Defensively, Young’s split time between second and short this season. Given the speed, one would expect good range from the 21-year-old, and he’s been very successful holding down second. Between 125 games at second between 2023-25, Young only made two errors at the position.

The Mariners officially selected Cole Young’s contract on May 31. Seattle DFA’d Will Klein and optioned Leo Rivas in corresponding moves.

Analysis

The Mariners have tried a lot of different options over the years to fill out the second base position. Sam Haggerty, Josh Rojas, Jorge Polanco — who’s seen most of his time as a DH this season — and utilityman Dylan Moore are among those names.

Moore’s been very productive, with eight home runs and eight stolen bases, along with a .803 OPS that would be a career-best if that held. However, the 32-year-old can play multiple positions.

Young profiles as a future leadoff man with his ability to get on base but that likely won’t be in the cards yet with J.P. Crawford, who has a .377 OBP this season. But what Young can do is help fill out a lineup that needs some depth & punch.

Ben Williamson is a valuable utilityman thanks to his speed and defensive ability but hasn’t been productive at the plate, with only five extra-base hits in 38 games. Donovan Solano (.413 OPS) and Miles Mastrobuoni (.590 OPS) are other players who’ve been below-average offensively.