Mariners select high school SS Colt Emerson with first pick in 2023 MLB draft
SEATTLE – With the first of their four picks on Day 1 of the MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners selected high school shortstop Colt Emerson with the No. 22 pick on Sunday evening at Lumen Field.
Emerson, out of Glenn High School in New Concord, Ohio, is listed at 6-feet-1 and 195 pounds. He hits left-handed and throws right.
He had made a commitment to play college ball at Auburn. It’s likely he will sign with the Mariners, and the slot value assigned for the No. 22 pick is just under $3.5 million.
Emerson was named 2023 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year after batting .446 during his senior season at John Glenn High School.
He turns 18 on July 20.
“Emerson is an advanced high school hitter who makes repeated hard contact with a pretty left-handed swing,” MLB Pipeline wrote in its evluation of Emerson. “He usually drives the ball from gap to gap but shows the ability to pull the ball with authority. Once he does that more regularly, his bat speed and strength should translate into 20 or more homers per season.”
Tiago Viernes, a 9-year-old cancer survivor from Wapato, drew a loud ovation from the crowd of several thousand after he was introduced on a makeshift stage on the field at Lumen Field. Viernes then announced the selection of Emerson, drawing more cheers.
“Colt is a left-handed hitting high school shortstop from Ohio,” Scott Hunter, the Mariners director of amateur scouting, said in a statement. “He is a pure hitter who already possesses an advanced knowledge of the strike zone. As a member of Team USA last summer, he was an important part of the lineup that won the Gold Medal. We see Colt as an advanced hitter who will not only hit for average but power in the future. Colt’s leadership and polished approach to the game makes us extremely excited to add him to our organization.”
This is the third consecutive year the Mariners have taken a high-school position player with their first pick. In 2021, they selected catcher Harry Ford and last year they drafted shortstop Cole Young.
With their second selection in the first round — an prospect promotion incentive pick awarded to the Mariners because of Julio Rodriguez’s Rookie of the Year season last year — the Mariners took another high-school prospect, outfielder Jonny Farmelo, at No. 29 overall.
Farmelo, 6-2 and 205 pounds, is from Westfield High in Chantilly, Virginia. He’s a left-handed hitting center fielder.
With the very next pick, the Mariners selected yet another left-handed-hitting high school prospect, Tai Peete.
Pete, still just 17, is a shortstop from Trinity Christian in Sharpsburg, Georgia. He’s listed at 6-2 and 193 pounds and he has experience pitching in high school too.
“One of the better all-around athletes among 2023 high schoolers, Peete has plus speed and had displayed similar arm strength in the past,” MLB Pipeline wrote. “The Georgia Tech recruit rarely has cut loose while throwing from a low arm slot this spring. He has range to both sides at shortstop and should he have to move, he would fit the offensive profile at third base and the defensive profile in center field.”
They also have a second-round pick (No. 57 overall) Sunday evening.
The draft is being held for the first time in Seattle as part of the MLB All-Star Week festivities.
LSU pitcher Paul Skenes (Pirates) and LSU outfielder Dylan Crews (Nationals) were selected with the first two picks Sunday, the first pair of teammates selected 1-2 in draft history.