Colt Emerson talks about ‘special day’ after being called up by Mariners | Notebook
SEATTLE – To be clear, Colt Emerson drove the speed limit on I-5 when he made the much-anticipated trip from Tacoma to Seattle early Sunday afternoon to make his major-league debut.
“No, I don’t speed,” he said with a chuckle. “I never speed.”
So he was the one traveler on that stretch of road adhering to the 60-mph limit?
Fibbing or not, the Mariners’ top prospect would’ve been justified to drive a little faster than normal on that 40-mile trip north from Cheney Stadium to T-Mobile Park — a distance that has felt much farther at times as he awaited his chance to put on a Mariners uniform.
When it became clear on Sunday morning that Brendan Donovan would need to be placed on the 10-day injured list for the second time this season after aggravating a left groin strain, the Mariners decided to call up Emerson to be their everyday third baseman.
Emerson was in full Rainiers uniform and preparing to play in the homestand finale when he was summoned into manager John Russell’s office.
“Where do you want me to sit?” a whistling Emerson asked Russell as the other coaches followed him in the room.
Russell, a no-nonsense manager who would’ve fit in well in decades past, replied: “You don’t need to sit cause you gotta get moving. You’re going to Seattle.”
Emerson paused briefly and stared at Russell and said: “No way. Are you serious?”
Russell, as Emerson knows well, isn’t one for joking and is almost always serious.
“You just need to pack your stuff up and just drive there,” Russell said.
Still a little confused, Emerson asked, “Just drive straight to the field?”
Hitting coach Eric Farris reminded him — “You’ve got a game.”
Emerson’s response: “Sweet.”
No tears, no screams. Instead, he thanked his coaches and gave them hugs, thanked them some more before grabbing his gear and getting into his vehicle — again not speeding.
It was typical of Emerson, who has maturity that is atypical for a 20-year-old.
“That’s something that I think I’ve said from day one,” he said. “I try not to let the emotions play the role in my life, but at the end of the day, there’s a game to play.”
Emerson didn’t know if he was going to be in the starting lineup. But with a 4:25 p.m. first pitch, he wanted to get there early. He didn’t even call his parents right away after being told by Russell. He waited until he was in the car driving — a veteran move for anyone driving that stretch of road.
“We had two-and-a-half hours before the game and had to be ready for the game,” he said of waiting.
But the call with his parents is something he won’t forget.
“They were freaking out,” he said. “It was very surreal. You dream about stuff like that. You dream about telling your parents that you made the bigs, and it finally came. I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s a special day for me.”
Normally stoic and serious, Emerson wore a perma-grin while talking about his day.
He got a loud ovation when he made a tough catch in foul territory on a pop-up off the bat of Jackson Merrill in the second inning. It was the first ball hit to him.
“Once I got that out of the way, I was like, ‘OK, like this is baseball,’” he said.
Emerson received a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 40,000 when he walked toward the plate for his first MLB plate appearance with one out in the third inning. He could feel adrenaline surging through him. He checked his swing on a first-pitch fastball from Lucas Giolito at 91 mph. He swung through another fastball, but worked the count to 2-2 and hit a hard line drive to right field for an out.
“I thought that was the fastest 90-mph fastball I’d ever seen in my life,” he said. “It was a good at-bat. I battled back. The more pitches I see, the more comfortable I will get.”
Emerson worked a leadoff walk in the sixth and came around to score on a bases-loaded walk. He flew out to right in his third at-bat.
“At the end of the day, this is a very special day for me, a special day for my family and special day for everybody who’s been along with me,” he said. “I wanted to soak in as much as possible, and really, like, take it in. This is the first of many days. Just happy to be here, happy to be a part of this team. Coming into the clubhouse, the guys were great to me. This is a really special group here, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
It will be more special when his parents and girlfriend arrive in Seattle on Monday and watch him that evening against the White Sox.
“That’s gonna be an emotional one,” he said. “I know I talked about trying not to let the emotions get to me, but that’s gonna be an emotional one. They’ve all ridden with me since day one. I’ve had a short stint in the minor leagues, but the struggles through the positive, negatives, they supported me 100%.”
Growing up in a small town of Concord, Ohio, Emerson had to travel long distances to play high-level baseball as a kid. His parents logged hours behind the wheel.
“I can’t even say enough about my parents,” he said. “The amount they sacrificed. My parents would split up. My brother played travel ball, I played travel ball. So my mom would go with my brother and he would go to Indiana, and my dad would drive me eight hours down to Georgia. That was a normal thing. Gosh, I mean without them, I’m not here. I’m being honest, I’m not here. “
Mariners make flurry of roster moves
Utility infielder Leo Rivas was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma and veteran infielder Patrick Wisdom was activated from the injured list as part of a flurry of moves the Mariners made Monday afternoon ahead of their series opener against the White Sox.
In another bullpen addition, left-hander Robinson Ortiz was also recalled from Tacoma, with right-hander Domingo González sent back to the Rainiers.
Rivas 28, has been a valuable defensive option around the infield, particularly with Brendan Donovan’s two stints on the injured list here early in the season. But Rivas has struggled at the plate in 38 games, hitting just .131 with two doubles, one triple and a .434 OPS in 120 plate appearances.
Wisdom, 34, has been on the IL since April 20 with a left oblique strain. He appeared in eight games on a rehab assignment with Tacoma, hitting .304 (7 for 23) with three home runs, a double, a triple, six RBI and five walks with a 1.255 OPS.
Wisdom made his Mariners debut on April 14 in a pinch-hit appearance.
Ortiz will make his MLB debut when he appears in a game. The 26-year-old has posted a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings for the Rainiers this season, with 18 strikeouts, 12 walks and a .148 batting average against. He gives the M’s a second left-handed option in the bullpen behind José A. Ferrer.
In a procedural move, the Mariners selected outfielder Brennen Davis to the 40-man roster and formally optioned him to Tacoma.
The 26-year-old Davis had signed a minor league deal with the Mariners this winter that featured a May 15 assignment clause. If he hadn’t been added to the 40-man roster, he could ask for his release.
A one-time top prospect in the Chicago Cubs system, Davis battled through numerous injuries the past several years, bouncing around the minors between the Cubs, Yankees and now the Mariners.
Davis had a productive spring training with the Mariners, and in 38 games with Tacoma he has a .281/.394/.548 slash line (. 942 OPS) with eight homers and 27 RBI.
Davis has a second clause in his contract where he can opt out on Aug. 1 and ask for his release.
It’s worth noting that outfielder Victor Robles remains on the injured list with a right pec strain. Robles has appeared in 10 games on a rehab assignment with Tacoma over the past two weeks.
Per MLB rules, position players are allowed up to 20 games on a rehab assignment.