Mariners' Emerson doubles up on history in his Fall League debut

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Scouts consider Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson one of the best pure hitters in the Minor Leagues. He more than lived up to his reputation in his Arizona Fall League debut.

Emerson went 5-for-6 with with four doubles, five RBIs, two runs and a stolen base as his Peoria Javelinas dropped a 15-13 slugfest to the Glendale Desert Dogs. Two of his doubles came off the bat at 108 mph. He also made a diving play up the middle to rob Tyler Callihan (Reds) of a hit in the bottom of the first inning.

The AFL record book dates back to 2005, and Emerson is the only player to smash four doubles in a game during that 20-season span. He's the third player to record a game with five hits and five RBIs, joining Brandon Wood (2005) and Gordon Beckham ('08).

"I don't think I've ever had a game like that," said Emerson, who ranks No. 27 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. "Our team battled. A lot of guys had great ABs, and we hung in there. It was a dogfight the whole time, so I'm happy to see our team fight like that."

Seattle drafted Emerson 22nd overall a year ago, making him the highest-drafted Ohio high school hitter out since Adam Hyzdu went 15th in 1990. Emerson features a pretty left-handed swing, and he makes advanced swing decisions for a teenager. He focuses on driving balls from gap to gap, but he should develop at least 20-homer power as he gets stronger and learns to turn on pitches more regularly.

Emerson's hitting ability and mature approach have enabled him to make an easy transition to professional ball. He slashed .374/.496/.549 in his 24-game debut after signing for $3.8 million, then batted .293/.440/.427 as an 18-year-old at Single-A Modesto this year. He missed six weeks after fracturing his left foot on a foul ball in mid-May, but returned to earn a promotion to High-A Everett for the final month of the season.

Emerson initially struggled against more advanced pitching, then rallied to tally 14 hits in his final nine games and finish with a .225/.331/.317 slash line in 29 High-A contests. He said he was thrilled to build on that momentum in the Fall League, where he's the third-youngest player behind two other Javelinas, Leodalis de Vrias and Ethan Salas (both Padres).

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"I'm so grateful for the opportunity to do this," Emerson said. "Being my age, I didn't think that being in the AFL was possible, or if I was going to get picked. I'm just so grateful that I get 30 more games to do what I love."

Emerson said he got back on track at the plate at High-A by thinking less about his mechanics and just letting his swing do the work. Though the regular season ended Sept. 7 and he hadn't faced any live pitching in a month -- other than in batting practice the past two days -- his natural hitting ability was evident in his AFL opener.

Similarly, Emerson is not looking to complicate things during his time with the Javelinas.

"I really want to work on perfecting the fundamentals and really prioritize having fun and just competing," he said. "Because if I'm doing that, then I'm myself."