Sunday Notes: Colt Emerson Believes In Being True To Who You Are

Colt Emerson has a bright future, and he is approaching it with a stay-true-to-yourself mindset. Exactly how much his identity will evolve is the question. Seventeen months removed from being selected 22nd overall in the 2023 draft by the Seattle Mariners out of New Concord, Ohio’s John Glenn High School, the left-handed-hitting shortstop is just 19 years old, with all of 94 professional games under his belt. He has plenty of room to grow, with his below-average raw power being part of that equation.

Emerson recognizes that what he is today isn’t necessarily what he’ll be in the future. At the same time, he doesn’t anticipate changing too much.

“I think I have a good feel for the type of player I am,” the 6-foot-1, 195-pound infielder told me during the Arizona Fall League season, where he slashed a lusty .370/.436/.547. “But I’m also not physically mature yet. I have more strength to put on, and as I keep growing into it, hitting the same way is going to be crucial for me. Getting stronger and being able to put balls over the fence more easily doesn’t mean that I need to try to hit more home runs. They’re going to come, just doing what I do.”

What Emerson currently does is hit line drives with a swing that our lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen has described as “aesthetically pleasing.” Generated by “lightning quick hands,“ it produced a .263/.393/.376 with for home runs and a 119 wRC+ over 332 plate appearances between Low-A Modesto and High-A Everett. One of the youngest players at each level, he missed time in April with an oblique issue, and in mid-season he was out for a month-plus due to a fractured foot.

Asked if hitting is fun, Emerson answered in the affirmative — “I love being up there competing against the pitcher” — although he did add a caveat.

“Hitting is hard,” he admitted. “Hitting is very hard. You just have to trust your process. You do what works for you, and if it’s not there that day, it’s just not there that day, You just flip the page to the next game. A great thing about baseball is that when you have a bad day, you get to come back and have five at-bats the next day.”

To this point in his young career, Emerson hasn’t faced much adversity outside of the two injuries. His numbers, including contact and walk rates, have been solid, especially for a player competing against mostly-older competition. Part of the reason is the aforementioned mindset he brings with him to the batter’s box.

“For a young kid reading this, my message would be to not try to be anything you’re not,” said Emerson, who will be ranked at or near the top when our 2025 Mariners Top Prospects list comes out. “If you’re a contact guy, don’t try to hit home runs. Be yourself, knowing that the best you can do is the best you can do.”

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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS

Ty Cobb went 30 for 52 against Rollie Naylor.

Joe DiMaggio went 27 for 43 against Elon Hogsett.

George Brett went 25 for 41 against Ed Figueroa.

Al Kaline went 23 for 42 against Chuck Stobbs.

Ted Williams went 21 for 42 against Art Ditmar.

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Guardians starters threw 805 innings this past season, the seventh lowest total in MLB, as well as one of the lowest in franchise history. Injuries were a big part of the reason why. When Cleveland won the AL Central two years ago, Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie combined for 391-and-a-third of the club’s 907 starter innings. This year, they combined for just 87-and-two-thirds innings, only a dozen of them by Bieber, who had Tommy John surgery in mid-April.

The low-budget Guardians were still able to win 92 games and go on to play October baseball — an elite bullpen deserves much of the credit — but can they reasonably expect to return to the postseason without more production from the starting staff? I asked that question of Chris Antonetti at last month’s GM Meetings

“I have no idea, but I’m not looking to test it,” Cleveland’s President of Baseball Operations replied. “That’s not the goal. Our goal last year wasn’t to have [a low number of] starter innings, it’s just the way our season evolved. We had to adapt to figure out how to win in light of what was happening around us.”

Getting Bieber back will help — the righty became a free agent but has reportedly agreed to return on a one-year deal — although he likely won’t be game-ready until early summer. Meanwhile, McKenzie’s recent track record makes him anything but a sure bet, and postseason stalwart Matthew Boyd is now a Chicago Cub, having departed via free agency. Finding a way to meaningfully increase starter innings will be a challenge for Antonetti’s club, something he readily acknowledges.

“In an ideal world, we will [get more],” the executive told me. “Now, whether or not that’s possible, and if it would lead us to being the best team… that’s what we’ll have to figure out.”

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Mike Rizzo cited health when I asked him about his organization’s pitching development priorities.

“I think our number one criteria is the safety and longevity of the pitcher,” said the Washington Nationals GM. “We do everything in our power to do what’s right for their arm health and longevity. That means tweaking deliveries, using our technology — frame-by-frame photography, and all the technology tricks that help keep those pitchers on the field — because that’s what it’s all about.

“We tweak pitchers; we don’t overhaul pitchers,” added Rizzo. “When we see something that we think is dangerous, it’s our job to do what’s right for the pitcher and keep him as healthy as possible. Everyone wants to throw hard, and everyone wants to miss bats. If we chase that, we have to chase it in the healthiest manner possible. We’re always drafting and developing stuff, and natural stuff is better than chasing artificial stuff. If you have the capability of doing it naturally, that is less taxing on your arm.”

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A quiz:

Which pitcher in Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers franchise history has the most seasons leading the senior circuit in strikeouts? [A hint: he was named NL MVP in one of those years.]

The answer can be found below.

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NEWS NOTES

The Miami Marlins have hired Brian Plunkett to lead their newly created Baseball Solutions department, within the R&D department. The Harvard University graduate has spent the last five years with the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

The Baltimore Orioles have hired Tim Federowicz to manage their Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides. The former catcher was at the helm of Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens, this season.

Al Fitzmorris, who pitched primarily for the Kansas City Royals in a career that spanned the 1969-1978 seasons, died earlier this month at age 78. The right-hander was at his best from 1974-1976, logging 44 wins and a 3.14 ERA while averaging 217 innings over that stretch. For those of you’d like to learn more about Fitzmorris, I interviewed him for Baseball Prospectus back in 2009.

Gail Henley, an outfielder who went 9-for-30 with a home run while playing in 14 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1954, died late last month at age 96. Henley went on to manage in the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers systems from 1961-1983. He also spent several years as a scout.

Bill Melton, a third baseman who spent the first eight of his 10 big-league seasons (1968-1977) with the Chicago White Sox, died earlier this week at age 79. A right-handed-hitting slugger who went to become a broadcaster, Melton belted 33 homers in both 1970 and 1971. In the latter of those campaigns he went deep on the final day to break a three-way tie with Norm Cash and Reggie Jackson for the most home runs in the junior circuit.

The Major League Baseball Players Association’s eight-member executive subcommittee was announced on Wednesday. It comprises Chris Bassitt, Jake Cronenworth, Pete Fairbanks, Cedric Mullins, Marcus Semien, Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, and Brent Suter.

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The answer to the quiz is Dazzy Vance, with seven. The right-hander led the National League in strikeouts each year from 1922-1928. His MVP award was in 1924 when he went 28-6 with a 2.16 ERA.

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Clay Holmes will reportedly vie for a spot in the New York Mets starting rotation next year after having pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since his 2018 rookie season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The second of his four big-league starts was one of the outings the 31-year-old right-hander brought up when I asked him which he considers to have been the best games of his life, at any level.

“I think I had two no-hitters in high school,” said Holmes, who hails from Slocomb, Alabama. “In one of those I was an out away from a perfect game, walked a batter, then got the last out. In my first big-league win, I threw six shutout innings against the Brewers. I’d have to say those probably stand out the most.”

Holmes, who has agreed to a three-year contract with the Mets after spending three-plus seasons in the Bronx, also brought up a playoff win Slocomb High School had over the number-one team in the state. He recalls pitching well that day, although “It wasn’t a crazy stat-line game or anything like that; I gave up a run or two.”

Needless to say, the Mets will be more than happy to get those types of performances from their newest acquisition.

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Nick Pivetta was predictably engaging when answering a question I posed to him on the final weekend of the season. From my experience, the 31-year-old right-hander is usually more than willing to offer his thoughts on pitching. In this case, he threw me a bit of a curveball. As I’d done with several other hurlers, I asked Pivetta what he feels is the worst pitch he threw all season.

“I have a worst sequence of pitches,” replied Pivetta, who is now a free agent following four-plus seasons with the Boston Red Sox. “It was against the A’s. I forget exactly how I got there, but I walked the bases loaded, then gave up a hard-hit double for three runs. Then I proceeded to strike out the next eight guys. So, it was the worst sequence followed by the best sequence. We ended up losing the game [5-2].”

The inning in question began with a fly out, an infield single, and a strikeout, after which Pivetta surrendered another single, a pair of walks, and the two-base hit.

“It was poor fastball command,” the thoughtful righty said of the damaging sequence. “I got behind. [Lawrence Butler] came up and I threw him a fastball middle-away that I never should have thrown. It went right down the middle and he hit it off the wall for a double.”

Poor location wasn’t the sole reason the pitch to Butler was squared up.

“A fastball wasn’t the right pitch there,” recalled Pivetta. “I should have thrown a curveball. I’m sure if I had executed the pitches I needed to execute in that spot, or just not walked the guys previous — all the garbage that happened — it probably would have turned out way better. So, for me it’s more of a sequence. I don’t think it’s ever one pitch. It’s the sequence of things that happen.”

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Ben Ferrer is 3-1 with a 2.95 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 18-and-a-third innings for the Australian Baseball League’s Sydney Blue Sox. The 25-year-old erstwhile Oregon State Beaver went 10-4 with a 4.35 ERA this summer with the independent Pioneer League’s Yolo High Wheelers. He hasn’t played affiliated ball.

Austin Murr is slashing .360/.439/.620 with one home run in 56 plate appearances for the Blue Sox. The 25-year-old outfielder in the Detroit Tigers system had 10 home runs and a 122 wRC+ between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie.

Jordan Lawlar is slashing .237/.315/.355 with three home runs in 108 plate appearances for the Dominican Winter League’s Tigres del Licey. The 22-year-old infielder is No. 1 on our recently-released Arizona Diamondbacks Top Prospects list.

Luis Matos is slashing .313/.356/.548 with eight home runs in 191 plate appearances for the Venezuelan Winter League’s Tiburones de La Guaira. The 22-year-old outfielder had a 60 wRC+ over 156 PAs for the San Francisco Giants this seasons, as well as a 91 wRC+ over 375 PAs with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats.

Guillermo Moscoso has thrown 22-and-a-third innings for the Venezuelan Winter League’s Tigres de Aragua and has allowed just two runs. The 41-year-old right-hander pitched in MLB from 2009-2013, most recently with the San Francisco Giants.

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A random obscure former player snapshot:

Ernie Koob’s long-ago career included his throwing the first of two St. Louis Browns no-hitters on consecutive days. On May 5, 1917, the southpaw held the Chicago White Sox without a hit, then Bob Groom followed suit the following day against the same team in the second game of a double-header. (Of note, the White Sox went 100-54 that year and won the World Series.) The no-no came in one of just 23 wins Koob was credited with in his four-year MLB tenure. He did have one other notable accomplishment. In 1916, the Keeler, Michigan native went 0-for-41 at the plate, yet had a .268 OBP thanks to 15 walks. No player in history has had more walks in a single season without recording a hit.

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

MLB.com’s Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra, and Jonathan Mayo teamed up to profile one intriguing Rule-5 candidate from each team.

Which Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher has had the best single season in franchise history? Paul Dietrich delved into that question at Brew Crew Ball.

What is the meaning of baseball cards? David Russell shared his thoughts at SABR’s Baseball Card blog.

MLB teams now face new competition for talent: college programs awash with money. Noah Furtado wrote about it for The Athletic (subscription required).

At Sox Machine, James Fegan wrote about how John Donaldson was a trailblazing Negro League star and a Chicago White Sox scout, yet Hall of Fame recognition has eluded him.

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

Luis Tiant is s the only pitcher in the modern era (since 1901) with multiple streaks of four consecutive shutouts. Tiant turned the trick with Cleveland in 1968, and again with Boston in 1972.

Kirby Puckett played in 1,783 games and had a 122 wRC+, and 44.9 WAR.
Duke Snider played in 1,752 games and had a 142 wRC+, and 53.2 WAR.
Dick Allen played in 1,749 games and had a 155 wRC+, and 61.3 WAR.

Dave Parker had 2,712 hits, 339 home runs, 154 stolen bases, and 41.1 WAR.
Torii Hunter had 2,452 hits, 353 home runs, 195 stolen bases, and 42.9 WAR.

Danny Jansen has gone 25-for-158 (.158) with four home runs against the Tampa Bay Rays. He has gone 23-for-61 (.377) with six home runs against the Texas Rangers.

In 1924, George Sisler had 194 hits and 31 walks for the St. Louis Browns. In 1888, Yank Robinson had 94 hits and 118 walks for the St. Louis Browns.

The San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals made an 11-player trade on today’s date in 1980. Rollie Fingers, Terry Kennedy, and Gene Tenace were among those switching teams in the Winter Meetings swap.

Barry Bonds signed as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants on today’s date in 1992. The would-be Hall of Famer had won two MVP awards and slugged 176 home runs in seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He went on to win five MVP awards and slug 586 home runs n 15 seasons with San Francisco.

Players born on today’s date include Ed Brinkman, a slick-fielding shortstop who logged over 6,600 plate appearances from 1961-1975 despite a .224/.280/.300 slash line and a 64 wRC+. Later a big-league coach and minor-league manager, Brinkman played his first 10 seasons with the Washington Senators, and the next four with the Detroit Tigers. He hit 14 of his 60 career home runs in 1974.

Also born on today’s date was Razor Ledbetter, a right-handed pitcher whose MLB career comprised one game, and one scoreless inning, for the Detroit Tigers in 1915. In between, the Rutherford College, North Carolina native — his given name was Ralph Overton — had a 26-win season for the Charlotte Hornets in 1914 and a 25-loss season for the Mobile Sea Gulls in 1916.

Teams in the 1904 Iowa League of Professional Baseball Clubs included the Fort Dodge Gypsum Eaters, Ottumwa Standpatters, and Waterloo Microbes. Bugs Raymond, who went on to pitch for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Giants went 19-7 for the Microbes. (Raymond’s tumultuous life, which included alcoholism and brawls — he died of a fractured skull after being assaulted with a bat — is chronicled at the SABR BioProject.)

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