The infield mix comes into sharper focus for the Mariners
Today the Mariners announced that they have re-assigned two top prospects to minor-league camp: infielders Ben Williamson and Cole Young.
Cole Young will still likely see playing time in Seattle this year, but he won’t be on the Opening Day roster, as some guessed he might. It’s been a quiet spring for Young, who showed he still has learning to do while facing MLB-caliber arms, as he’s struck out six times while walking just once, which is the antithesis of the kind of contact-oriented, control-the-zone player Young typically is. He’ll head to minor-league camp, likely with Tacoma, to continue getting reps against MLB-experienced arms.
Ben Williamson was a pleasant surprise in camp, making the most of his 19 plate appearances by collecting six hits, and walking almost as much as he struck out (2:3). He showcased the solid bat-to-ball skills that made the Mariners spend their second-round pick on him in 2023 as a money-saving senior sign out of the College of William and Mary. Most excitingly, he showed off the defensive skills that have been his calling card since his earliest days in the sport, playing a crisp third base which stood in stark contrast to some of the defensive miscues witnessed there this spring. He’ll head to minor-league camp to keep working on finding his doubles power at the upper levels of the minors.
While many players are disappointed after being reassigned to minor-league camp, Williamson was all smiles when I caught up with him today. He said he was just excited to be in big league camp for so long and have an opportunity to learn from the big leaguers. He also mentioned that he’s learned a lot in a short time from Mariners infield guru Perry Hill, as he was part of a group of infielders (also including fellow prospects Michael Arroyo and Colt Emerson) who participated in a special defensive skills camp with Hill prior to spring training.
The moves bring some clarity to an infield mix that still has questions marks outside of shortstop anchor J.P. Crawford and do-it-all Dylan Moore. Donovan Solano and Jorge Polanco seem like locks to make the team after the Mariners spent modestly to acquire the two this off-season. Beyond that, the picture gets murkier, including Ryan Bliss and Leo Rivas, who are in the mix as second base and utilityman, respectively. Austin Shenton can reportedly play third but has been stationed at first most of the spring. First baseman/DH Rowdy Tellez has had a very solid camp and provides the biggest power upside, but is also the most defensively limited. The Mariners will use this last week-plus of spring training to make final decisions on an infield that has been in flux all spring.
Today’s roster moves mean the Mariners now have 43 players in camp: 34 rostered players (and Jackson Kowar) and eight non-roster invitees.
Catchers Blake Hunt and Harry Ford both stay on in big-league camp through this round of cuts. The Mariners also did not trim any pitchers off the spring roster as the bullpen competition remains open.