Top 100 Seattle Mariners Prospect Cole Young Likely to Begin Season in Triple-A

Cole Young will have an opportunity to compete for the starting second base job for the Seattle Mariners, but the odds are on him beginning the year in Triple-A with the Tacoma Rainiers.

Seattle Mariners infielder Cole Young poses for a Spring Training portrait on Feb. 23, 2024, at Peoria Sports Complex. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Seattle Mariners major league lineup is all but set before Spring Training officially begins.

The Mariners reunited with 2024 starting second baseman Jorge Polanco on a one-year, $7.75 million deal on Jan. 30. Unlike 2024, he's expected to play third base for Seattle.

The only position left for the Mariners to sort out is second base, which the team will likely handle in-house. Several players from 2024 including Leo Rivas, Ryan Bliss and Gold Glove-winner Dylan Moore are expected to compete for the position. Top 100 prospect Cole Young is also expected to have a chance to snag the spot.

According to a story from Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, Seattle is open to the idea of Young potentially earning the role, but the odds are still on him beginning 2025 in Triple-A with the Tacoma Rainiers.

Young has been lauded as a polished athlete with a mature approach at the plate, and the Mariners officials are open to the idea of Young coming into Spring Training and performing so well that he forces their hand and simply wins the second-base job. The most likely scenario, though, is that Young opens the season in Triple-A Tacoma with the possibility of a mid-season call-up. One talent evaluator who has closely monitored the Mariners farm system said Young would be best served by spending a full season in Triple-A, with an eye on an MLB promotion in 2026.

LUCKY #7 FOR COLE YOUNG 🍀

TRAVS LEAD 2-1! pic.twitter.com/AyegfWvJBf

— Arkansas Travelers (@ARTravs) June 18, 2024

The report about the talent evaluator's assessment falls in line with the assumption of Young's major league status going into the offseason.

A story from MLB.com's Daniel Kramer published on Nov. 8, 2024, reported Young was expected to begin 2025 with the Rainiers. But the article also mentioned the Mariners previously expected Polanco to be a two-year bridge at second base until Young was ready to be called up in 2026. The M's declined Polanco's option at the outset of the offseason, only to bring him back Thursday.

A lot of things have changed since the article was published. But as the saying goes, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." Polanco is still on the team, albeit in a different role, and Young still has an upward climb to carve out a starting role on the 26-man roster.

Based on Jude's reporting, Young will get a legitimate chance to be the team's starting second baseman. But there might be too many players in front of Young for him to reach that goal to start 2025.

The Mariners report to spring training in just under two weeks.

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