Pittsburgh Roots: NA Grad Cole Young in Pennant Race as Mariners Rookie
CLEVELAND — Barely more than three years ago, Cole Young was playing baseball at North Allegheny High School. The 22-year-old is now in the middle of the American League pennant race.
Young is a rookie second baseman for the Seattle Mariners, who are in second place in the AL West, two games behind the Houston Astros, and hold the third and final AL wild card by 2.5 games over the Texas Rangers. It’s impressive stuff for someone who would have finished his junior season at Duke this spring if he decided to attend college.
“It’s amazing. It’s fun coming to the park every day and playing for something,” Young said when the Mariners played the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend at Progressive Field. “That’s the main goal: Get to the postseason. It’s just come to the park every day and win a ballgame, however you can do that, and then come back the next day and do it all over again.”
Spoken more like a veteran than a rookie.
In fact, it is Young’s maturity that has most impressed the Mariners, who selected him in the first round of the 2022 amateur draft. He was just 21 when called up from Triple-A Tacoma on May 31.
“He’s been solid for us, no question,” manager Dan Wilson said. “It’s a lot to put on a young kid, particularly one who’s only 22 years old. And the way he’s handled it, we’ve talked about it a lot, especially early on when he got called up; he just plays above his age in a lot of different ways.
“He’s had some great at-bats for us. He’s played a really good second base, been very solid defensively. I think for him, taking it all in and having it be his first time in the big leagues, it’s been a pretty smooth transition for him, and he’s certainly played well for us.”
Young made an immediate impact in his MLB debut with a walk-off RBI fielder’s choice in the 11th inning against the Minnesota Twins at Safeco Field in Seattle. However, like most young players, Young is still adjusting to major league pitching and is hitting .228/.320/.332 with four home runs in 67 games.
The Mariners expect that Young will become an above-average hitter with good on-base skills. In 321 minor-league games over four seasons, he batted .279/.388/.432 with 27 home runs and 53 stolen bases.
Many baseball people say the difference between major-league and Triple-A pitching has never been larger. Young is finding that out in his first season in the big leagues.
“You don’t realize just how nasty the pitchers are until you get to this level and face them on a daily basis,” Young said. “So, you’ve got to start preparing a lot more before games. You’ve got to study a lot more, prepare your body a lot more. So, there’s a lot more that goes into getting ready for a game here.”
Young was drafted as a shortstop but also saw playing time at second base in the minor leagues. However, with Gold Glove winner J.P. Crawford playing shortstop, Young has been forced to the other side of the bag.
Young has zero defensive runs saved this season, but the Mariners are encouraged by his progress with the glove.
“He keeps getting better and better and better,” infield coach Perry Hill said.
The Mariners keep stressing that Young is just 22. Though fast-tracked through the minor leagues, Young feels like he is proving he belongs in the major leagues.
“Ideally, you want to get (to the major leagues) as quickly as possible, but I wasn’t sure how long it would take me once I got drafted,” Young said. “I kind of just told myself when I got drafted, just try to stay healthy, go out, and just compete every single day and give it my all, and I know I’d be in a good spot if I could do that consistently in the minor league. So, luckily, I didn’t really have any setbacks or anything.
“It’s been great to be here. I’ve learned a ton already, and I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a player these last few months. It’s been a lot of fun.”
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