Seattle may have found its newest baseball crush
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.

Three days in, and Colt Emerson is already looking like the Mariners' next fan obsession.
Why it matters: It's been a frustratingly flat start to a season for a team that entered 2026 with legitimate World Series expectations.
The latest: The 20-year-old infielder got a standing ovation before he even stepped into the batter's box during his first game Sunday at T-Mobile Park.
- A day later, he delivered.
- Facing a two-strike count in the bottom of the eighth, Emerson sent a low pitch over the wall Monday for a three-run homer — his first major league hit — helping seal Seattle's 6-1 win over the White Sox.
- T-Mobile Park predictably erupted.
State of play: The youngest Mariner to debut since Félix Hernández in 2005, Emerson entered the season as Seattle's No. 1 prospect and one of the top-ranked young players in all of baseball.
- The Ohio native was drafted 22nd overall in 2023, and the Mariners showed just how much they believed in him by signing him to a massive eight-year extension in March — before he had even appeared in a major league game.
- He was called up from Triple-A Tacoma shortly before the third game against the Padres to replace an injured Brendan Donovan.
The big picture: Mariners fans love getting attached to young talent early — especially players who arrive with hype and make an immediate impact.
- Julio Rodríguez became the franchise's new sweetheart in 2022 with towering home runs, All-Star energy and a swagger Seattle instantly embraced.
- Cal Raleigh became a cult hero by crushing 60 home runs last season, the most by a catcher and one of the greatest power-hitting seasons in MLB history.
- But neither has generated much electricity so far this year.
Catch up quick: The Mariners spent much of April and May looking less like the confident October team fans expected and more like a group searching for momentum.
- That's why Emerson's arrival feels bigger than one rookie call-up.
- Less than a week in and he's given Seattle something the season had been missing: buzz.
The bottom line: Maybe Emerson won't save the Mariners' season, but it's sure starting to feel fun again.
