Rookie Cole Young settling in after first month with Mariners
MINNEAPOLIS – This is Cole Young’s first trip to Minnesota’s Target Field as the Seattle Mariners’ second baseman. It’s not his first time taking the field here, though.
As a precocious 10-year-old, Young won the national Pitch, Hit & Run competition for his age group during the 2014 MLB All-Star Game at Target Field. He even got to run around the outfield as part of the big-leaguers’ Home Run Derby.
“I was so young that I kind of forget what it was like here,” Young said this week. “But it’s super cool, for sure. That was a fun moment in that Home Run Derby, and it’s cool to be back.”
The 21-year-old second baseman seems to be enjoying himself more and more as a big leaguer, too.
Young had a fairy-tale walkoff moment in his first MLB game against the Twins at T-Mobile Park on May 31. He struggled for the next week, though, going 0 for 15 with eight strikeouts in next five games.
He had a small breakthrough with two hits, including his first double, in Anaheim on June 7, and since then he’s produced at a steady clip.
In his previous 51 plate appearances coming into Thursday, Young was hitting .340 with a .360 on-base percentage and a .404 slugging (.764 OPS) with a 122 wRC+ (100 is average).
“Just learning how to stick to my approach each at-bat, each game – not worrying about how good the pitcher is, more so just having the confidence that I’m going to go do the job and get it done,” Young said. “Having that confidence and having that approach helps.”
He had a sharp single off the Twins’ flame-throwing closer, Jhoan Duran, to spark a ninth-inning rally Tuesday.
“You forget sometimes he’s 21 years old,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “And I’m sure each day that he comes here, it’s a lot for him. When you’re 21, you’re young, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that unless you knew. And I think he’s been getting more and more comfortable, and defensively done an outstanding job at second base, learning that position here at this level.”
Young and rookie third baseman Ben Williamson have played together the past couple of years in the minor leagues – and they were roommates in Tacoma to start this season in Triple-A. They’ve leaned on each other a lot during their first foray in the big leagues over the past month.
“It’s helped so much,” Young said. “We played together all last year, so we have that friendship. And it’s awesome to come up here and already be close with someone. He can help me with some stuff; he got here like a month and a half before myself … and it’s nice to talk with him about anything.”
Tellez released
The Mariners announced Thursday that they placed first baseman Rowdy Tellez on unconditional release waivers for the purpose of granting him his unconditional release.
Tellez is now a free agent.
Last Friday, the Mariners had designated Tellez for assignment to open a roster spot for Luke Raley, who return from the injured list.
Tellez batted .208 with 11 homers, 27 RBIs, six doubles and a .682 OPS in 62 games for the Mariners, who had signed him to a $1.5 million deal in spring training.