Top Seattle Mariners Prospect Earns Arizona Fall League Hitter of Week Honors

The following comes from MLB Pipeline:

There may not be a more highly regarded pure hitter in the Fall League this year than Emerson, the Mariners’ first-round pick in 2023 who is in Arizona looking to make up some time after missing six weeks due to a fractured foot this spring. Seattle's top prospect was the first player to record four doubles in an AFL game in at least 20 years, and the third player to record a five-hit, five-RBI game in the league.

All told, Emerson went 11-for-20 (.550) and added a few notable defensive plays as well during the first week of game action.

It was announced back in September that Emerson was invited to join the AFL, a haven for some of baseball's top prospects. His inclusion made sense, given that he was limited to just 70 games this year because of injury. There were seven players in all from the M's system down in Arizona, with Emerson being the highest-rated. Cole Young has since been pulled out of the AFL because of a wrist issue.

Emerson is the No. 27 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB.com rankings. He was a first-round pick in 2023 and is projected to reach the M's in 2026. It will be interesting to see how the Mariners handle him moving forward. While he'd likely be ticketed for some combination of High-A and Double-A in 2025, the M's could also use him in a trade for a major league hitter this offseason.

Emerson hit .263 across Low-A and High-A this year with four homers and 37 RBI. He posted a .393 on-base percentage and is known for his ability to get on base.