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The fans want Colt Emerson in the major leagues.
That's how it usually works with top prospects. There's no time to wait to see them. Give them their chance, the fans say. The Seattle Mariners surely are well aware of that.
They sent Colt Emerson down anyway.
The top-10 prospect in the whole sport won't start the year in MLB. He'll start it in Triple-A Tacoma, according to MLB.com's Daniel Kramer.
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Why isn't Colt Emerson in MLB for Opening Day?
This move is all about Emerson's development, and it can also have positive contract implications for service time and future club control if he spends at least three weeks in the minor leagues to start the season.
All the messaging about the decision from Seattle appears to be about development, though.
The Mariners are dealing with an injury to J.P. Crawford at shortstop but didn't want Emerson's debut to be just a temporary thing.
"The club doesn’t view him as a placeholder and also didn’t want that to impede his player development by bringing him up for his MLB debut, potentially for a short stint, then sending him back down," Kramer writes. "Moreover, while he had a solid camp, Emerson didn’t necessarily force the front office’s hand by wowing his way onto the Opening Day roster."
Emerson played just eight games at Tacoma last season, so he'll get more chance to develop at the top level of the minors.
"He climbed three Minors affiliates last season, and the next leap will be the big leagues -- potentially in 2026, as the club has said publicly," Kramer writes. "It just won’t happen for Opening Day."
Fans in Tacoma will get another glimpse of Emerson before he gets called up, potentially for good. And fans in Seattle will have to be patient just a little bit longer.
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