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Baseball is such a peculiar sport. The Chicago White Sox just swept the Toronto Blue Jays, and that’s indicative of exactly diddly squat about those two teams. What we know for a fact is that no matter the campaign the Blue Jays will have had at the end of the year, it’ll be possible to look back at this one series and see the dent it caused. Across short samples (specific series), a lot of wild stuff can happen, and over a period shorter than two full weeks, there are still major discrepancies about players’ productions and their expectations.

The Yankees will host the Athletics for a three-game set this week, a team that has won three of its first nine games, but that record doesn’t really matter for the purposes of this conversation. We’re focused on the individual production, or lack thereof — at least prior to Sunday’s games — of Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz, two outstanding hitters who are supposed to anchor this lineup. Said anchoring has been left primarily to Shea Langelieres, one of the better-hitting catchers in the game, but not expected to be the star of the show for this team. The production of Rooker and Kurtz has been so poor that even with Rooker’s massive two-homer game that included a walk-off shot on Sunday, the A’s DH still has an OPS of .609.

As a fan, it’s a question each of us must ask ourselves: how do we feel when coming up against undeniably great players in the middle of a rut or a slow start or whatever else you want to call it? Sure, Nick Kurtz has some questions to answer about how much of that phenomenal rookie campaign he is set to match long-term — even for the skeptical side of the room regarding his skill set, a .120 average is a bit much. On the flip side, Brent Rooker may not be as spectacular as Kurtz was at his best, but his quality has been well-established over the past few seasons — and he happens to be the only other A’s regular to be matching Kurtz’s struggles at the plate.

In many respects, without diving too deep into the reasons why these players are struggling, if there are any — usually there aren’t — the question being asked here is, are you an inherently positive person, or do you find yourself more often than not landing on the negative side of things? For me, personally, the latter is more often true, and thus it can be an extra concern, the fear that those guys will burst through.

It’s possible to talk yourself into both sides of the argument. On one hand, the Yankees’ staff is as well-equipped as any to take advantage of these early scuffles and hold down Rooker and Kurtz for a bit longer. On the other hand, isn’t that initial burst more and more inevitable the longer it is put off? Rooker already stuck his head out above water on Sunday — is that a sign of things to come in the near future?

This being a two-way street, A’s fans are probably pondering similar questions regarding a player like Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has yet to provide any offensive juice this season. These are mainly theoretical questions without a right or wrong answer. The more tangible impact of these points and what evidently separates these two teams is that, through the struggles of Kurtz and Rooker — even with ungodly numbers from Langeliers — the A’s offense cannot flourish, hence their poor record. Yes, the A’s had a couple of big games against the Astros, but as a whole, their offense has underwhelmed more often than not in these first few games. Meanwhile, the Yankees have been on a roll, even with one of their key hitters yet to do anything.

Whatever Kurtz and Rooker end up doing or not doing, the Yankees have a reasonable path towards keeping that offense from exploding, particularly facing it outside of their home park, a hitter’s paradise.

Baseball is such a peculiar sport. The Chicago White Sox just swept the Toronto Blue Jays, and that’s indicative of exactly diddly squat about those two teams. What we know for a fact is that no matter the campaign the Blue Jays will have had at the end of the year, it’ll be possible to look back at this one series and see the dent it caused. Across short samples (specific series), a lot of wild stuff can happen, and over a period shorter than two full weeks, there are still major discrepancies about players’ productions and their expectations.

The Yankees will host the Athletics for a three-game set this week, a team that has won three of its first nine games, but that record doesn’t really matter for the purposes of this conversation. We’re focused on the individual production, or lack thereof — at least prior to Sunday’s games — of Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz, two outstanding hitters who are supposed to anchor this lineup. Said anchoring has been left primarily to Shea Langelieres, one of the better-hitting catchers in the game, but not expected to be the star of the show for this team. The production of Rooker and Kurtz has been so poor that even with Rooker’s massive two-homer game that included a walk-off shot on Sunday, the A’s DH still has an OPS of .609.

As a fan, it’s a question each of us must ask ourselves: how do we feel when coming up against undeniably great players in the middle of a rut or a slow start or whatever else you want to call it? Sure, Nick Kurtz has some questions to answer about how much of that phenomenal rookie campaign he is set to match long-term — even for the skeptical side of the room regarding his skill set, a .120 average is a bit much. On the flip side, Brent Rooker may not be as spectacular as Kurtz was at his best, but his quality has been well-established over the past few seasons — and he happens to be the only other A’s regular to be matching Kurtz’s struggles at the plate.

In many respects, without diving too deep into the reasons why these players are struggling, if there are any — usually there aren’t — the question being asked here is, are you an inherently positive person, or do you find yourself more often than not landing on the negative side of things? For me, personally, the latter is more often true, and thus it can be an extra concern, the fear that those guys will burst through.

It’s possible to talk yourself into both sides of the argument. On one hand, the Yankees’ staff is as well-equipped as any to take advantage of these early scuffles and hold down Rooker and Kurtz for a bit longer. On the other hand, isn’t that initial burst more and more inevitable the longer it is put off? Rooker already stuck his head out above water on Sunday — is that a sign of things to come in the near future?

This being a two-way street, A’s fans are probably pondering similar questions regarding a player like Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has yet to provide any offensive juice this season. These are mainly theoretical questions without a right or wrong answer. The more tangible impact of these points and what evidently separates these two teams is that, through the struggles of Kurtz and Rooker — even with ungodly numbers from Langeliers — the A’s offense cannot flourish, hence their poor record. Yes, the A’s had a couple of big games against the Astros, but as a whole, their offense has underwhelmed more often than not in these first few games. Meanwhile, the Yankees have been on a roll, even with one of their key hitters yet to do anything.

Whatever Kurtz and Rooker end up doing or not doing, the Yankees have a reasonable path towards keeping that offense from exploding, particularly facing it outside of their home park, a hitter’s paradise.

Everything was going the Nationals’ way for most of yesterday’s game, as they had a 6-1 lead entering the 6th inning thanks to a 2-run Luis Garcia Jr. home run, a Keibert Ruiz single which ricocheted off the first base bag, allowing CJ Abrams to score, and a 3-run laser home run off the bat of James Wood.

The lead tightened after a 2-run homer by Dalton Rushing in the 6th inning off PJ Poulin, but the game came completely unraveled after Cionel Perez let the first 5 hitters in the 8th inning reach base, bringing in one run before he was pulled for Clayton Beeter, who got a force out, sacrifice fly, and strikeout to end the inning, but not without 2 more runs scoring to make it 7-6 Dodgers. They would tack on some insurance in the 9th inning with a Teoscar Hernandez solo shot, but it wouldn’t matter, as the Dodgers won 8-6 to secure the series sweep in DC.

The Nats have now lost 5 straight games, despite the offense scoring at least 5 runs in the last 4 games. Nats’ starters rank last in ERA at 6.69, and the bullpen ranks 26th at 5.85, resulting in the overall pitching unit ranking as the worst in baseball with a 6.27 ERA and -1.1 fWAR. Outside of a strong start for Foster Griffin in his return to MLB action and Cade Cavalli keeping 2 strong lineups at bay, there have been very few positives on the pitching side for the Nats.

The Nats will look to get back on course now during a 3-game homestand with the 5-4 St. Louis Cardinals, who are coming off their first series loss of the year to the Detroit Tigers. The record looks solid for the Cardinals, but the numbers suggest their success may not last, as they currently rank 24th in team OPS and 26th in team ERA. The offense is currently led by 23-year-old Jordan Walker, a once top prospect who may finally be realizing his true potential in year four. Matthew Liberatore is their ace on the mound, and the Nats will get a look at him during game two of the series.

Monday – 6:45 PM EST

STL: RHP Andre Pallante (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

WSH: RHP Zack Littell (0-1, 5.40 ERA)

Pallante was sharp in his first start of 2026, working 5 scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Mets, although he did walk 3 hitters and struck out just 3. Walks and the home run ball plagued Pallante in 2025, meaning patience will be key for Nats hitters tonight so they can get ahead in hitter counts.

Littell was just about as advertised in his 5 innings of work following an opener against the Phillies, giving up 3 runs and working his way out of trouble numerous times. He’ll now make his home debut against a struggling Cardinals lineup, where hopefully he can cut down on the hard contact he was giving up in Philly.

Tuesday – 6:45 PM EST

STL: LHP Matthew Liberatore (0-0, 1.64 ERA)

WSH: RHP Cade Cavalli (0-0, 2.79 ERA)

Liberatore has done everything he can to earn that first win of the year in his first two starts of 2026, giving up one run in 5 innings against the Rays on Opening Day and one run in 6 innings against the Mets, getting the no-decision both times. He’ll now have to face a Nats lineup that ranks top 5 in team OPS currently, and has had success against left-handed pitching to begin the year.

Like Liberatore, Cavalli has looked sharp in his first two starts of the year, but still doesn’t have a win to show for it, as he earned a no-decision after going 6 innings and allowing 1 run against the Phillies. He’s kept strong lineups in the Cubs and Phillies at bay, and now gets a weaker Cardinals lineup in his first home start of the year.

Wednesday – 4:05 PM EST

STL: RHP Michael McGreevy (0-1, 2.53 ERA)

WSH: RHP Miles Mikolas (0-2, 14.46 ERA)

McGreevy was great in his first start of 2026, going 6 scoreless against the Rays, before getting roughed up a bit by the Tigers, giving up 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings of work, earning him the loss. The righty has struggled with left-handed hitters in the past, and he’ll face a Nats lineup packed with impressive left-handed hitters on Wednesday afternoon.

Despite how much it looks like a typo, Mikolas does, in fact, have a 14.46 ERA through his first 2 Nats starts, averaging a run and then some allowed per inning. Granted, he’s faced 2 very good lineups in the Cubs and Dodgers, but so has the rest of the rotation, and their ERA’s don’t have 2 numbers before the decimal. He’ll look to get back on track against a struggling Cardinals lineup, but if they also get to him early, it may already be time to swap him to the long relief role.

Unlucky scheduling, or a more serious issue?

3-6 is not the place the Nats wanted to be after a strong 3-1 start to the year, but they’ve also had to face a gauntlet of playoff-level teams to begin the season. For me, the real test of what to expect from these Nats going forward begins tonight, against a more middle to lower end of the pack NL team in the Cardinals. Can they show they belong and take the series to get back on track, or will they roll over and make matters worse?

Everything was going the Nationals’ way for most of yesterday’s game, as they had a 6-1 lead entering the 6th inning thanks to a 2-run Luis Garcia Jr. home run, a Keibert Ruiz single which ricocheted off the first base bag, allowing CJ Abrams to score, and a 3-run laser home run off the bat of James Wood.

The lead tightened after a 2-run homer by Dalton Rushing in the 6th inning off PJ Poulin, but the game came completely unraveled after Cionel Perez let the first 5 hitters in the 8th inning reach base, bringing in one run before he was pulled for Clayton Beeter, who got a force out, sacrifice fly, and strikeout to end the inning, but not without 2 more runs scoring to make it 7-6 Dodgers. They would tack on some insurance in the 9th inning with a Teoscar Hernandez solo shot, but it wouldn’t matter, as the Dodgers won 8-6 to secure the series sweep in DC.

The Nats have now lost 5 straight games, despite the offense scoring at least 5 runs in the last 4 games. Nats’ starters rank last in ERA at 6.69, and the bullpen ranks 26th at 5.85, resulting in the overall pitching unit ranking as the worst in baseball with a 6.27 ERA and -1.1 fWAR. Outside of a strong start for Foster Griffin in his return to MLB action and Cade Cavalli keeping 2 strong lineups at bay, there have been very few positives on the pitching side for the Nats.

The Nats will look to get back on course now during a 3-game homestand with the 5-4 St. Louis Cardinals, who are coming off their first series loss of the year to the Detroit Tigers. The record looks solid for the Cardinals, but the numbers suggest their success may not last, as they currently rank 24th in team OPS and 26th in team ERA. The offense is currently led by 23-year-old Jordan Walker, a once top prospect who may finally be realizing his true potential in year four. Matthew Liberatore is their ace on the mound, and the Nats will get a look at him during game two of the series.

Monday – 6:45 PM EST

STL: RHP Andre Pallante (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

WSH: RHP Zack Littell (0-1, 5.40 ERA)

Pallante was sharp in his first start of 2026, working 5 scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Mets, although he did walk 3 hitters and struck out just 3. Walks and the home run ball plagued Pallante in 2025, meaning patience will be key for Nats hitters tonight so they can get ahead in hitter counts.

Littell was just about as advertised in his 5 innings of work following an opener against the Phillies, giving up 3 runs and working his way out of trouble numerous times. He’ll now make his home debut against a struggling Cardinals lineup, where hopefully he can cut down on the hard contact he was giving up in Philly.

Tuesday – 6:45 PM EST

STL: LHP Matthew Liberatore (0-0, 1.64 ERA)

WSH: RHP Cade Cavalli (0-0, 2.79 ERA)

Liberatore has done everything he can to earn that first win of the year in his first two starts of 2026, giving up one run in 5 innings against the Rays on Opening Day and one run in 6 innings against the Mets, getting the no-decision both times. He’ll now have to face a Nats lineup that ranks top 5 in team OPS currently, and has had success against left-handed pitching to begin the year.

Like Liberatore, Cavalli has looked sharp in his first two starts of the year, but still doesn’t have a win to show for it, as he earned a no-decision after going 6 innings and allowing 1 run against the Phillies. He’s kept strong lineups in the Cubs and Phillies at bay, and now gets a weaker Cardinals lineup in his first home start of the year.

Wednesday – 4:05 PM EST

STL: RHP Michael McGreevy (0-1, 2.53 ERA)

WSH: RHP Miles Mikolas (0-2, 14.46 ERA)

McGreevy was great in his first start of 2026, going 6 scoreless against the Rays, before getting roughed up a bit by the Tigers, giving up 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings of work, earning him the loss. The righty has struggled with left-handed hitters in the past, and he’ll face a Nats lineup packed with impressive left-handed hitters on Wednesday afternoon.

Despite how much it looks like a typo, Mikolas does, in fact, have a 14.46 ERA through his first 2 Nats starts, averaging a run and then some allowed per inning. Granted, he’s faced 2 very good lineups in the Cubs and Dodgers, but so has the rest of the rotation, and their ERA’s don’t have 2 numbers before the decimal. He’ll look to get back on track against a struggling Cardinals lineup, but if they also get to him early, it may already be time to swap him to the long relief role.

Unlucky scheduling, or a more serious issue?

3-6 is not the place the Nats wanted to be after a strong 3-1 start to the year, but they’ve also had to face a gauntlet of playoff-level teams to begin the season. For me, the real test of what to expect from these Nats going forward begins tonight, against a more middle to lower end of the pack NL team in the Cardinals. Can they show they belong and take the series to get back on track, or will they roll over and make matters worse?

The Phillies’ western swing started out well with the team scoring seven runs in the first inning of Friday’s game against the Rockies. Unfortunately, the offense largely dried up throughout the remainder of the series

The Phillies will try to get their bats going again when they travel to San Francisco for a three-game series against the Giants. The good news is that the Giants are off to a slow start to the 2026 season. The bad news is that no matter how good or bad the Giants are in a given season, the Phillies rarely win games in Oracle Park.

San Francisco Giants

Record: 3-7, Fifth place in National League West (4.5 games back)

The last time they met

The Phillies visited Oracle Park in July 2025, and as they usually do, they lost the series. However, they were able to win the finale by a score of 13-0, which feels like a special kind of triumph.

What’s the deal with the Giants?

After a mediocre 81-81 season that resulted in the firing of manager Bob Melvin, the Giants had a modest offseason, opting to stay away from the top of the market, and instead pursue second-level free agents like Harrison Bader, Adrian Houser, and Tyler Mahle.

Under new manager Tony Vitello, not much seems to have improved, and the offense has been putrid. They’ve scored the fewest runs of any team in baseball and have already been shut out three times. They haven’t hit for average, they haven’t walked much, and their four combined home runs rank last in the majors.

The pitching has been far more mediocre in the early going. The Phillies are scheduled to face three veteran starters in Adrian Houser, Tyler Mahle, and Robby Ray, so at least they won’t be surprised by anything they see. The Giants’ bullpen is largely unproven with players like Blade Tidwell and Ryan Walker in key roles.

Featured Giants player: Harrison Bader

After the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader at the trade deadline in 2025, the Phillies’ outfield situation became much better. He played solid defense in centerfield and put up one of the best offensive stretches of his career.

HARRISON BADER’S FIRST HIT AS A PHILLIE IS A GO AHEAD 3 RUN BLASTpic.twitter.com/7WWTJvKqnn

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) August 5, 2025

There was a strong sentiment that the Phillies should bring him back, but ultimately, they went in another direction. I liked Bader and certainly wouldn’t have minded having him on the team, but the team also seemed determined to play rookie Justin Crawford in centerfield. Since much of Bader’s value comes from defense, it was questionable how wise it would be to sign him to play a corner outfield spot.

Early in the 2026 season, Bader hasn’t done much to make the Phillies regret their choice. While he’s still playing strong defense, he hasn’t hit well, putting up an OPS of just .396.

Remembering a guy who used to play for the Giants

Barry Zito was a star pitcher for the Oakland Athletics in the early 2000’s, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2002. After the 2006 season, the A’s allowed him to leave as a free agent, but he didn’t go far, signing with the Giants.

For whatever reason, crossing the Bay didn’t agree with Zito, and he was largely a bust. The two-time All-Star’s most notable achievement was leading the NL in losses in 2008, and his ERA during his seven years in San Francisco was over a run higher than it had been in Oakland.

It should be noted that the Giants won two titles while Zito was there, although he didn’t even pitch in the 2010 playoffs. There’s been some debate about Zito’s worth among Giants fans. Because while he was not good overall, he did pitch well in the 2012 postseason, and flags fly forever.

Wrong. Barry Zito was so bad he was left off the 2010 post season roster. His one good season with the Giants was 2012 15-8 4.15 ERA. Got beat up in the NLDS and got pulled early. Got the win in game of the NLCS and game 1 of the world series.

— A (@a45511278) January 1, 2026

What about the Phillies?

Oracle Park has not been kind to the Phillies in recent years. The Phillies haven’t won a series in San Francisco since 2013 (though they did split a four-game set in 2017). Really, the park was never all that friendly to the Phillies as they’re 25-58 since it opened in 2000.

Phillies fans, we do not want this.

As bad as they’ve been at Citi Field recently, their entire history at Oracle Park is horrific https://t.co/fBPciIBkvI

— Smarty Jones (@TheSmartyJones) September 4, 2025

Andrew Painter will get the first crack at reversing that luck as he will make his second career start in the season opener on Monday. Maybe the rookie can succeed where so many veterans have failed.

Normally, I’d say the Phillies were catching the struggling Giants at the right time, but it seems more likely that the Giants aren’t actually as bad on offense as they’ve looked, and they’re due to regress the heck out of the Phillies the next few days.

Pennant year song battle

Everybody Wants You defeated My Sister to become the first song to successfully defend the title.

The next contender comes from the year 2009 and describes what Oracle Park has done to the Phillies over the years. It’s Gives You Hell by All-American Rejects:

Vote for the winner now:

Closing thought

A good rule of thumb for the Phillies is that they are never as bad as they look when they play at either Oracle Park or Citi Field. And if the Phillies should happen to do the impossible and actually win this series, then maybe that’s a sign that this is their year!

The Phillies’ western swing started out well with the team scoring seven runs in the first inning of Friday’s game against the Rockies. Unfortunately, the offense largely dried up throughout the remainder of the series

The Phillies will try to get their bats going again when they travel to San Francisco for a three-game series against the Giants. The good news is that the Giants are off to a slow start to the 2026 season. The bad news is that no matter how good or bad the Giants are in a given season, the Phillies rarely win games in Oracle Park.

San Francisco Giants

Record: 3-7, Fifth place in National League West (4.5 games back)

The last time they met

The Phillies visited Oracle Park in July 2025, and as they usually do, they lost the series. However, they were able to win the finale by a score of 13-0, which feels like a special kind of triumph.

What’s the deal with the Giants?

After a mediocre 81-81 season that resulted in the firing of manager Bob Melvin, the Giants had a modest offseason, opting to stay away from the top of the market, and instead pursue second-level free agents like Harrison Bader, Adrian Houser, and Tyler Mahle.

Under new manager Tony Vitello, not much seems to have improved, and the offense has been putrid. They’ve scored the fewest runs of any team in baseball and have already been shut out three times. They haven’t hit for average, they haven’t walked much, and their four combined home runs rank last in the majors.

The pitching has been far more mediocre in the early going. The Phillies are scheduled to face three veteran starters in Adrian Houser, Tyler Mahle, and Robby Ray, so at least they won’t be surprised by anything they see. The Giants’ bullpen is largely unproven with players like Blade Tidwell and Ryan Walker in key roles.

Featured Giants player: Harrison Bader

After the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader at the trade deadline in 2025, the Phillies’ outfield situation became much better. He played solid defense in centerfield and put up one of the best offensive stretches of his career.

HARRISON BADER’S FIRST HIT AS A PHILLIE IS A GO AHEAD 3 RUN BLASTpic.twitter.com/7WWTJvKqnn

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) August 5, 2025

There was a strong sentiment that the Phillies should bring him back, but ultimately, they went in another direction. I liked Bader and certainly wouldn’t have minded having him on the team, but the team also seemed determined to play rookie Justin Crawford in centerfield. Since much of Bader’s value comes from defense, it was questionable how wise it would be to sign him to play a corner outfield spot.

Early in the 2026 season, Bader hasn’t done much to make the Phillies regret their choice. While he’s still playing strong defense, he hasn’t hit well, putting up an OPS of just .396.

Remembering a guy who used to play for the Giants

Barry Zito was a star pitcher for the Oakland Athletics in the early 2000’s, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2002. After the 2006 season, the A’s allowed him to leave as a free agent, but he didn’t go far, signing with the Giants.

For whatever reason, crossing the Bay didn’t agree with Zito, and he was largely a bust. The two-time All-Star’s most notable achievement was leading the NL in losses in 2008, and his ERA during his seven years in San Francisco was over a run higher than it had been in Oakland.

It should be noted that the Giants won two titles while Zito was there, although he didn’t even pitch in the 2010 playoffs. There’s been some debate about Zito’s worth among Giants fans. Because while he was not good overall, he did pitch well in the 2012 postseason, and flags fly forever.

Wrong. Barry Zito was so bad he was left off the 2010 post season roster. His one good season with the Giants was 2012 15-8 4.15 ERA. Got beat up in the NLDS and got pulled early. Got the win in game of the NLCS and game 1 of the world series.

— A (@a45511278) January 1, 2026

What about the Phillies?

Oracle Park has not been kind to the Phillies in recent years. The Phillies haven’t won a series in San Francisco since 2013 (though they did split a four-game set in 2017). Really, the park was never all that friendly to the Phillies as they’re 25-58 since it opened in 2000.

Phillies fans, we do not want this.

As bad as they’ve been at Citi Field recently, their entire history at Oracle Park is horrific https://t.co/fBPciIBkvI

— Smarty Jones (@TheSmartyJones) September 4, 2025

Andrew Painter will get the first crack at reversing that luck as he will make his second career start in the season opener on Monday. Maybe the rookie can succeed where so many veterans have failed.

Normally, I’d say the Phillies were catching the struggling Giants at the right time, but it seems more likely that the Giants aren’t actually as bad on offense as they’ve looked, and they’re due to regress the heck out of the Phillies the next few days.

Pennant year song battle

Everybody Wants You defeated My Sister to become the first song to successfully defend the title.

The next contender comes from the year 2009 and describes what Oracle Park has done to the Phillies over the years. It’s Gives You Hell by All-American Rejects:

Vote for the winner now:

Closing thought

A good rule of thumb for the Phillies is that they are never as bad as they look when they play at either Oracle Park or Citi Field. And if the Phillies should happen to do the impossible and actually win this series, then maybe that’s a sign that this is their year!

It’s only 10 games, people! That’s just 6.2% of the season! The San Francisco Giants’ 3-7 start, then, shouldn’t be cause for a complete fandom meltdown. Seriously! Okay… honestly. Okay… maybe. Look, it’s not great. It’s reflective of all the downside risks that were apparent when the team was cobbled together in the offseason. But let’s take a look at the other times the franchise has started a season 3-7 and see if we can find solace in history.

The 2026 Giants are the 21st team in franchise history to start a season 3-7 or worse. The worse starts were the 1916 squad’s 1-9 and in 1983, 1950 & 1951 when those teams started 2-8. Let’s take a look at The 3-7 club:

Is it accurate to say the Giants are off to their worst start ever? The Giants have had 21 seasons of 3 or fewer wins in their first 10 games out of 144 seasons, so it depends on how you feel about 21 out of 144 (14.5%) being reflective of rarity. I think it is. It’s as bad as their sole 100-loss season. It’s worse than the execrable 2017 team, which started the season 4-6. With a rookie manager and questionable bullpen to go with a brutal schedule to start the year, sometimes it’s fine to just go with the obvious.

Does that mean a turnaround is impossible? Not necessarily.

Now, I’m just looking at this from the pitching side for the moment just to get this post up and running. As you can see, this isn’t the worst of the worst starts in team history. Their 4.65 ERA certainly isn’t all that great. Not seen on this chart are the 90 strikeouts through 89 IP — that’s the third-most strikeouts a Giants pitching staff has had through the team’s first 10 games in franchise history. Only the 2022 (95) and 2023 (91) teams have had more. Those squads got off to 7-3 and 4-6 starts, respectively. That 98-loss 2017 team struck out 87 through those first 10 games.

That 90 strikeout total is in a three-way tie with Texas and Miami for 10th in MLB. So, there are some positives. It’s when you get to the hitting side that the situation feels inescapably dire.

That’s right. The Giants’ 26 runs through their first 10 games of a season is a top 10-worst total in franchise history, tied with that 100-loss 1985 team, but also the 2015 team, which we’ll be talking about momentarily. Only four times have the Giants scored so few runs to start a season and wound up with a winning record, and two of those times were before prior to World War I and World War II.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that we don’t have to focus on the lineup’s fecklessness to find some tangible hope. Yes, it’s only 10 games. There’s a long way to go, and in recent memory (as in the 21st century), these Giants teams proved that. Let’s quickly go through them to see if we can find examples that make us feel better about the 2026 team.

2015 (84-78, 2nd in NL West)

Fresh off their third title in five seasons, the champs stumbled out of the gate to a 9-13 April with a -28 run differential (66 scored / 94 allowed). It was largely a run it back squad save two notable exceptions: outfielder Nori Aoki and Casey McGehee, one of the worst acquisitions in team history. The Giants had traded for the 2014 NL Comeback Player of the Year in the offseason to replace Pablo Sandoval, and he proceeded to ground into 8 double plays in April. According to Baseball Reference, he was a -1.684 Win Probably Added. Which means he cost the team probably two wins in one month. It prompted former FanGraphs writer and baseball exec Dave Cameron to propose he be moved to the leadoff hitter just to limit his damage.

After their 9-13 start, though, they went 21-9 in May but then hovered around .500 the rest of the season (54-56). Remarkably, after April, the team had a +97 run differential (630-533). They ended the season with the fifth-most runs in the NL and were the second best defense, too. Their Pythagorean record of 89-73 should point to how this team should’ve continued the dynasty in a more meaningful way than the 2016 team that wound up slamming that window of contention shut.

Matt Duffy emerged, Brandon Belt and Joe Panik hit like All-Stars, and Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford gave MVP-worthy performances. That helped makeup for what was a sort of ramshackle pitching staff. Madison Bumgarner was an ace-ace (he even hit 5 home runs), but outside of Chris Heston’s no hitter, it was replacement-level pitching from Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Hudson, Tim Lincecum, and Yusmeiro Petit and the end of the line for Matt Cain. The bullpen was pretty stellar, though, with the third-best ERA in the NL (3.33).

If the 2026 Giants got to 84-78, they’d be in a great position for a Wild Card spot. All they need is a couple of MVP-type performances and a couple of All-Star caliber performances from the lineup, absent stellar pitching.

2009 (88-74, 3rd in NL West)

All you need to know about this season is that it marked the end of the only time the current Giants ownership group allowed a rebuild to happen. From 2005-2008, the Giants were trying to ride out the end of Barry Bonds’ marquee status while figuring out how to retool for their ballpark. Brian Sabean saw the Padres’ pitching and defense style as the key to unlocking success since replacing Barry Bonds in the aggregate is impossible.

The 2009 team was a pitching force. The two-headed monster of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain picked up where it had left off. The bullpen was fantastic, too, with Jeremy Affeldt in particular a real standout.

They just couldn’t hit. They were so, so bad at hitting.

Such a bad hitting team.

A nightmare.

Their biggest offseason acquisition was Edgar Renteria, who won back a terrible line (.635 OPS in 510 PA) by grabbing the World Series for the Giants the following year. They also added Juan Uribe, which worked out great in part because Renteria struggled so much. The biggest trade deadline acquisitions where Freddy Sanchez and… Ryan Garko. Sanchez would, of course, pay off in 2010.

Their 657 runs scored is 106th of the 143 completed Giants seasons. So, not the worst, but among the worst. The 2011 team was actually worse at scoring runs (570), but most fans chalk that up to losing Buster Posey in May.

But this year’s team was proof of concept for 2010. Even after the gut punch of Ryan Spilborghs’ walk-off grand slam in August at Coors Field, the team was still in the playoff hunt come September. No Buster Posey yet, but Pablo Sandoval got some MVP votes and Uribe and Andres Torres emerged as great depth pieces.

So, all the 2026 Giants would have to do to compare to this team is get two MVP-level pitching performances from the rotation and be backed up by a stellar bullpen — oh, and at least one amazing performance from a hitter. In the past 10 years, only one Giant has matched or exceeded Pablo Sandoval’s 146 wRC+ performance from 2009: Mike Yastrzemski, who hit 58% better than the league average (158 wRC+) in… 2020. Rafael Devers has never had a season that good.

2000 (97-65 NL West champs)

Okay, this one ought to be pretty obvious. The Giants got off to a bad start because they struggled with the move from Candlestick to Pacific Bell Park. But at the end of the day, they had Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, and Ellis Burks and just enough pitching to muddle through until they ran into the Marlins’ postseason buzzsaw. Any comparisons with this team would be inadequate and unfair to both eras. There is no Barry Bonds for so many reasons. The pitching and fielding environment is not comparable.

The other two times this century where the Giants got off to such a bad start it worked out about as bad as you would’ve expected. 2019’s 77-85 was the planned demolition of Farhan Zaidi’s first season, and it was only from the genius use </s> of sound sabermetrics principles that the team won those 77 games. The 2007 team was the first year of Bochyball and a year of transition for the franchise as Barry Bonds would play his final games.

Do these Giants have any of the talent and management reflected in the instances where the team was able to shrug off a bad start? Just looking at the situation, it seems pretty obvious that the most analogous situation is 2015. That definitely ignores that there was a Hall of Famer in the lineup, though. With all due respect to the current Giants, I don’t think that’s the case right now.

Comparing eras is never based in wisdom, but neither is fandom. We have to hope that things turn around for the team. We have to hope that the “small sample size” thing holds true in this case and that the Giants become competitive this season and go on a sustained run. They’re certainly not competitive now, and the only evidence to suggest that conditions might change is history.

It’s only 10 games, people! That’s just 6.2% of the season! The San Francisco Giants’ 3-7 start, then, shouldn’t be cause for a complete fandom meltdown. Seriously! Okay… honestly. Okay… maybe. Look, it’s not great. It’s reflective of all the downside risks that were apparent when the team was cobbled together in the offseason. But let’s take a look at the other times the franchise has started a season 3-7 and see if we can find solace in history.

The 2026 Giants are the 21st team in franchise history to start a season 3-7 or worse. The worse starts were the 1916 squad’s 1-9 and in 1983, 1950 & 1951 when those teams started 2-8. Let’s take a look at The 3-7 club:

Is it accurate to say the Giants are off to their worst start ever? The Giants have had 21 seasons of 3 or fewer wins in their first 10 games out of 144 seasons, so it depends on how you feel about 21 out of 144 (14.5%) being reflective of rarity. I think it is. It’s as bad as their sole 100-loss season. It’s worse than the execrable 2017 team, which started the season 4-6. With a rookie manager and questionable bullpen to go with a brutal schedule to start the year, sometimes it’s fine to just go with the obvious.

Does that mean a turnaround is impossible? Not necessarily.

Now, I’m just looking at this from the pitching side for the moment just to get this post up and running. As you can see, this isn’t the worst of the worst starts in team history. Their 4.65 ERA certainly isn’t all that great. Not seen on this chart are the 90 strikeouts through 89 IP — that’s the third-most strikeouts a Giants pitching staff has had through the team’s first 10 games in franchise history. Only the 2022 (95) and 2023 (91) teams have had more. Those squads got off to 7-3 and 4-6 starts, respectively. That 98-loss 2017 team struck out 87 through those first 10 games.

That 90 strikeout total is in a three-way tie with Texas and Miami for 10th in MLB. So, there are some positives. It’s when you get to the hitting side that the situation feels inescapably dire.

That’s right. The Giants’ 26 runs through their first 10 games of a season is a top 10-worst total in franchise history, tied with that 100-loss 1985 team, but also the 2015 team, which we’ll be talking about momentarily. Only four times have the Giants scored so few runs to start a season and wound up with a winning record, and two of those times were before prior to World War I and World War II.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that we don’t have to focus on the lineup’s fecklessness to find some tangible hope. Yes, it’s only 10 games. There’s a long way to go, and in recent memory (as in the 21st century), these Giants teams proved that. Let’s quickly go through them to see if we can find examples that make us feel better about the 2026 team.

2015 (84-78, 2nd in NL West)

Fresh off their third title in five seasons, the champs stumbled out of the gate to a 9-13 April with a -28 run differential (66 scored / 94 allowed). It was largely a run it back squad save two notable exceptions: outfielder Nori Aoki and Casey McGehee, one of the worst acquisitions in team history. The Giants had traded for the 2014 NL Comeback Player of the Year in the offseason to replace Pablo Sandoval, and he proceeded to ground into 8 double plays in April. According to Baseball Reference, he was a -1.684 Win Probably Added. Which means he cost the team probably two wins in one month. It prompted former FanGraphs writer and baseball exec Dave Cameron to propose he be moved to the leadoff hitter just to limit his damage.

After their 9-13 start, though, they went 21-9 in May but then hovered around .500 the rest of the season (54-56). Remarkably, after April, the team had a +97 run differential (630-533). They ended the season with the fifth-most runs in the NL and were the second best defense, too. Their Pythagorean record of 89-73 should point to how this team should’ve continued the dynasty in a more meaningful way than the 2016 team that wound up slamming that window of contention shut.

Matt Duffy emerged, Brandon Belt and Joe Panik hit like All-Stars, and Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford gave MVP-worthy performances. That helped makeup for what was a sort of ramshackle pitching staff. Madison Bumgarner was an ace-ace (he even hit 5 home runs), but outside of Chris Heston’s no hitter, it was replacement-level pitching from Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Hudson, Tim Lincecum, and Yusmeiro Petit and the end of the line for Matt Cain. The bullpen was pretty stellar, though, with the third-best ERA in the NL (3.33).

If the 2026 Giants got to 84-78, they’d be in a great position for a Wild Card spot. All they need is a couple of MVP-type performances and a couple of All-Star caliber performances from the lineup, absent stellar pitching.

2009 (88-74, 3rd in NL West)

All you need to know about this season is that it marked the end of the only time the current Giants ownership group allowed a rebuild to happen. From 2005-2008, the Giants were trying to ride out the end of Barry Bonds’ marquee status while figuring out how to retool for their ballpark. Brian Sabean saw the Padres’ pitching and defense style as the key to unlocking success since replacing Barry Bonds in the aggregate is impossible.

The 2009 team was a pitching force. The two-headed monster of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain picked up where it had left off. The bullpen was fantastic, too, with Jeremy Affeldt in particular a real standout.

They just couldn’t hit. They were so, so bad at hitting.

Such a bad hitting team.

A nightmare.

Their biggest offseason acquisition was Edgar Renteria, who won back a terrible line (.635 OPS in 510 PA) by grabbing the World Series for the Giants the following year. They also added Juan Uribe, which worked out great in part because Renteria struggled so much. The biggest trade deadline acquisitions where Freddy Sanchez and… Ryan Garko. Sanchez would, of course, pay off in 2010.

Their 657 runs scored is 106th of the 143 completed Giants seasons. So, not the worst, but among the worst. The 2011 team was actually worse at scoring runs (570), but most fans chalk that up to losing Buster Posey in May.

But this year’s team was proof of concept for 2010. Even after the gut punch of Ryan Spilborghs’ walk-off grand slam in August at Coors Field, the team was still in the playoff hunt come September. No Buster Posey yet, but Pablo Sandoval got some MVP votes and Uribe and Andres Torres emerged as great depth pieces.

So, all the 2026 Giants would have to do to compare to this team is get two MVP-level pitching performances from the rotation and be backed up by a stellar bullpen — oh, and at least one amazing performance from a hitter. In the past 10 years, only one Giant has matched or exceeded Pablo Sandoval’s 146 wRC+ performance from 2009: Mike Yastrzemski, who hit 58% better than the league average (158 wRC+) in… 2020. Rafael Devers has never had a season that good.

2000 (97-65 NL West champs)

Okay, this one ought to be pretty obvious. The Giants got off to a bad start because they struggled with the move from Candlestick to Pacific Bell Park. But at the end of the day, they had Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, and Ellis Burks and just enough pitching to muddle through until they ran into the Marlins’ postseason buzzsaw. Any comparisons with this team would be inadequate and unfair to both eras. There is no Barry Bonds for so many reasons. The pitching and fielding environment is not comparable.

The other two times this century where the Giants got off to such a bad start it worked out about as bad as you would’ve expected. 2019’s 77-85 was the planned demolition of Farhan Zaidi’s first season, and it was only from the genius use </s> of sound sabermetrics principles that the team won those 77 games. The 2007 team was the first year of Bochyball and a year of transition for the franchise as Barry Bonds would play his final games.

Do these Giants have any of the talent and management reflected in the instances where the team was able to shrug off a bad start? Just looking at the situation, it seems pretty obvious that the most analogous situation is 2015. That definitely ignores that there was a Hall of Famer in the lineup, though. With all due respect to the current Giants, I don’t think that’s the case right now.

Comparing eras is never based in wisdom, but neither is fandom. We have to hope that things turn around for the team. We have to hope that the “small sample size” thing holds true in this case and that the Giants become competitive this season and go on a sustained run. They’re certainly not competitive now, and the only evidence to suggest that conditions might change is history.

When Mariners prospect Colt Emerson signed his (then) record-breaking extension before ever appearing in an MLB game, much of the conversation focused on the risk the Mariners were taking, allocating such a long-term, significant chunk of payroll to a player who has yet to take a big-league at-bat.

Considerably less attention was paid to the risk Emerson was taking on – an easy thing to do when minting generational wealth before one of is of legal drinking age. But if the financial risk is somewhat less impactful for Emerson (what is a slight contract valuation difference between friends, especially some of those friends are inveterate proles from whom $10M/year is as outlandish a figure as $20M/year), the cultural risk is significant. José Ramírez bet on the perpetually-pesky Guardians and has received years of playoff appearances; Mike Trout signed up to be an Angel for life in 2019, only to miss the playoffs for the past decade, see his fellow generational superstar leave for the “cross-town” “rival,” and for internal organizational failures to be documented in excruciating detail in the press.

It’s a heady decision to make as a player deep in a major-league career, but even more so for young players signing the peak years of their 20s away to an organization, like the high-dollar long-term deals signed by Corbin Carroll with the D-Backs, Roman Anthony with the Red Sox, or Ronald Acuña with the Braves. The organization might choose a player, but the player has to choose that organization back.

That’s a trust that touches every level of the organization: from trusting the team’s commitment to winning baseball as shown in things like investing in good development and allocating organizational resources to the on-field product; to trusting the team to share your values about how to treat people and the surrounding environment. Luckily for the Mariners, they have a current track record with signing young players to extensions – Julio Rodríguez, followed by Cal Raleigh – that allows them to demonstrate firsthand what it means on and off the field to be a long-term Seattle Mariner. Raleigh, especially, has emerged as a team leader whose voice helps shape organizational decisions. It’s an appraisal Raleigh has earned, first with his daily dedication to the team’s operations, but also a right he’s granted as a stakeholder in the team’s future when he signed his extension.

It’s not hard to see Emerson, who possesses Raleigh’s same drive and a similarly keen mind, following in those footsteps. Emerson has spoken glowingly of Raleigh as a player and a person, as someone whose minor-league career he has sought to emulate.

“You just go around and look at the clubhouse, look at the guys in the clubhouse, and they’re role models,” said Emerson ahead of a game in Tacoma on Saturday. “Cal Raleigh, I mean, he shows up to the field at spring training at 5:30 in the morning, every morning. That’s the example that he sets, and that’s the example I follow and want to set, too.”

Emerson’s work ethic did stand out this spring, as he found himself shoulder-to-shoulder with seasoned veterans like Rob Refsnyder, Brendan Donovan, and Josh Naylor, all of whom were happy to have the rookie in their midst, eagerly absorbing their wisdom – listening more than he spoke, but not without contributing his own thoughts. The image of Emerson enmeshed among players several years his senior wasn’t a surprising one to Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto.

“I think Colt is universally respected for how he goes about his business; for who he is as a person; the respect he has for his teammates; the way he prepares and his thoughtfulness,” said Dipoto in a meeting with the media after the contract was announced. “You can’t not appreciate that. And I know his teammates do. He got rave reviews from the veteran players in the spring.”

For Emerson, as is typical, he deflects the praise, makes it bigger than himself.

“There’s a lot of hard workers in the clubhouse,” he said. “Lot of hard workers in the minor leagues. And, that’s just a testament to the Mariners and how they pick guys. Everybody’s got the same goal. Everybody works really hard, and it’s cool to be able to do that. I don’t know too many organizations that have that type of culture.”

“The culture here is just so incredible.“

Emerson paused for a moment, the normally whip-quick shortstop at a rare loss for words.

”I can’t even describe it.” 

Emerson is young, but he’s not without experience in high-pressure environments. As a prep prospect, he played on the showcase circuit, and for Team USA. Shortly after Emerson was drafted, Scott Hunter, Mariners Director of Scouting, said the thing that stood out the most about Colt was a question not asked of Emerson himself but a boilerplate question asked of other prospects the Mariners were considering: which player from this process would you most want to be teammates with?

The answer, overwhelmingly: Colt Emerson.

Watching Emerson this spring, his leadership was obvious: certainly in high-profile moments, like watching him command the infield from the shortstop position; but in quieter moments, as well. How he took time to greet every person at the complex, from teammates to media members to custodial staff, by name if he knew it. How he held the curtain at the batting cages open for the next hitter to go through. A stray empty water bottle picked up and deposited in a nearby trashcan. The kind of leadership that’s still there when no one is looking.

The Mariners have had an opportunity to log these small moments of leadership by Emerson for years. They might not know exactly how Emerson performs on the field, but they absolutely know the person they are getting. That, along with the treasure trove of proprietary data to which they’re privy, might have given them the advantage in a deal that carries some degree of risk for both sides.

If anything, it’s Emerson who is taking a leap of faith, choosing to believe in the organization that has drafted him, developed him, and offered him stability – something that means a lot to the process-driven, routine-oriented infielder, who says he’s grateful for the opportunity to be able to focus on his singular goal when he’s on the field.

“For me, going out on the field every single day, I’m trying to do what the team needs to win. I like to say I’m a winning ball player every time I show up to the field,” says Emerson, invoking a favorite phrase. “So, given the security of being in the same city for the next eight years, just allows me to stay the same guy. I mean, I’m never planning to change as a person, so I’m just happy to go out there and be a winning ballplayer for the team and do whatever they need me to do.” 

It’s that stability and clarity of purpose that seems to matter to Emerson, even more so than the money – “I’m not a very materialistic person,” he said, noting that everything has “come so quickly” that he hasn’t had an opportunity to process it. Signing on with the Mariners at this stage in his career allows him to do the thing he most wants to do: focus on “being a winning ballplayer” without any outside distractions.

In a way, it’s something Emerson has been angling towards his whole career. Quick, deep cut Mariners trivia quiz: when the All-Star Game was in Seattle in 2023, who announced the Mariners’ first-round pick?

If you remember the adorable nine-year-old cancer survivor Tiago Viernes, good for you. Colt Emerson remembers Tiago, who is inextricably tied to the moment he knew he wanted to be a Seattle Mariner for a long time.

“When I got drafted in ‘23 and the All-Star game was in Seattle, and Tiago called my name, I knew it was special from that moment,” said Emerson.

“And from that moment on, I was just like: this is going to be my spot. You know? Or, I hoped so. And it ended up being [so], and that’s all part of God’s plan.“

“I’m just so thankful and grateful just for the opportunity, really.”

When Mariners prospect Colt Emerson signed his (then) record-breaking extension before ever appearing in an MLB game, much of the conversation focused on the risk the Mariners were taking, allocating such a long-term, significant chunk of payroll to a player who has yet to take a big-league at-bat.

Considerably less attention was paid to the risk Emerson was taking on – an easy thing to do when minting generational wealth before one of is of legal drinking age. But if the financial risk is somewhat less impactful for Emerson (what is a slight contract valuation difference between friends, especially some of those friends are inveterate proles from whom $10M/year is as outlandish a figure as $20M/year), the cultural risk is significant. José Ramírez bet on the perpetually-pesky Guardians and has received years of playoff appearances; Mike Trout signed up to be an Angel for life in 2019, only to miss the playoffs for the past decade, see his fellow generational superstar leave for the “cross-town” “rival,” and for internal organizational failures to be documented in excruciating detail in the press.

It’s a heady decision to make as a player deep in a major-league career, but even more so for young players signing the peak years of their 20s away to an organization, like the high-dollar long-term deals signed by Corbin Carroll with the D-Backs, Roman Anthony with the Red Sox, or Ronald Acuña with the Braves. The organization might choose a player, but the player has to choose that organization back.

That’s a trust that touches every level of the organization: from trusting the team’s commitment to winning baseball as shown in things like investing in good development and allocating organizational resources to the on-field product; to trusting the team to share your values about how to treat people and the surrounding environment. Luckily for the Mariners, they have a current track record with signing young players to extensions – Julio Rodríguez, followed by Cal Raleigh – that allows them to demonstrate firsthand what it means on and off the field to be a long-term Seattle Mariner. Raleigh, especially, has emerged as a team leader whose voice helps shape organizational decisions. It’s an appraisal Raleigh has earned, first with his daily dedication to the team’s operations, but also a right he’s granted as a stakeholder in the team’s future when he signed his extension.

It’s not hard to see Emerson, who possesses Raleigh’s same drive and a similarly keen mind, following in those footsteps. Emerson has spoken glowingly of Raleigh as a player and a person, as someone whose minor-league career he has sought to emulate.

“You just go around and look at the clubhouse, look at the guys in the clubhouse, and they’re role models,” said Emerson ahead of a game in Tacoma on Saturday. “Cal Raleigh, I mean, he shows up to the field at spring training at 5:30 in the morning, every morning. That’s the example that he sets, and that’s the example I follow and want to set, too.”

Emerson’s work ethic did stand out this spring, as he found himself shoulder-to-shoulder with seasoned veterans like Rob Refsnyder, Brendan Donovan, and Josh Naylor, all of whom were happy to have the rookie in their midst, eagerly absorbing their wisdom – listening more than he spoke, but not without contributing his own thoughts. The image of Emerson enmeshed among players several years his senior wasn’t a surprising one to Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto.

“I think Colt is universally respected for how he goes about his business; for who he is as a person; the respect he has for his teammates; the way he prepares and his thoughtfulness,” said Dipoto in a meeting with the media after the contract was announced. “You can’t not appreciate that. And I know his teammates do. He got rave reviews from the veteran players in the spring.”

For Emerson, as is typical, he deflects the praise, makes it bigger than himself.

“There’s a lot of hard workers in the clubhouse,” he said. “Lot of hard workers in the minor leagues. And, that’s just a testament to the Mariners and how they pick guys. Everybody’s got the same goal. Everybody works really hard, and it’s cool to be able to do that. I don’t know too many organizations that have that type of culture.”

“The culture here is just so incredible.“

Emerson paused for a moment, the normally whip-quick shortstop at a rare loss for words.

”I can’t even describe it.” 

Emerson is young, but he’s not without experience in high-pressure environments. As a prep prospect, he played on the showcase circuit, and for Team USA. Shortly after Emerson was drafted, Scott Hunter, Mariners Director of Scouting, said the thing that stood out the most about Colt was a question not asked of Emerson himself but a boilerplate question asked of other prospects the Mariners were considering: which player from this process would you most want to be teammates with?

The answer, overwhelmingly: Colt Emerson.

Watching Emerson this spring, his leadership was obvious: certainly in high-profile moments, like watching him command the infield from the shortstop position; but in quieter moments, as well. How he took time to greet every person at the complex, from teammates to media members to custodial staff, by name if he knew it. How he held the curtain at the batting cages open for the next hitter to go through. A stray empty water bottle picked up and deposited in a nearby trashcan. The kind of leadership that’s still there when no one is looking.

The Mariners have had an opportunity to log these small moments of leadership by Emerson for years. They might not know exactly how Emerson performs on the field, but they absolutely know the person they are getting. That, along with the treasure trove of proprietary data to which they’re privy, might have given them the advantage in a deal that carries some degree of risk for both sides.

If anything, it’s Emerson who is taking a leap of faith, choosing to believe in the organization that has drafted him, developed him, and offered him stability – something that means a lot to the process-driven, routine-oriented infielder, who says he’s grateful for the opportunity to be able to focus on his singular goal when he’s on the field.

“For me, going out on the field every single day, I’m trying to do what the team needs to win. I like to say I’m a winning ball player every time I show up to the field,” says Emerson, invoking a favorite phrase. “So, given the security of being in the same city for the next eight years, just allows me to stay the same guy. I mean, I’m never planning to change as a person, so I’m just happy to go out there and be a winning ballplayer for the team and do whatever they need me to do.” 

It’s that stability and clarity of purpose that seems to matter to Emerson, even more so than the money – “I’m not a very materialistic person,” he said, noting that everything has “come so quickly” that he hasn’t had an opportunity to process it. Signing on with the Mariners at this stage in his career allows him to do the thing he most wants to do: focus on “being a winning ballplayer” without any outside distractions.

In a way, it’s something Emerson has been angling towards his whole career. Quick, deep cut Mariners trivia quiz: when the All-Star Game was in Seattle in 2023, who announced the Mariners’ first-round pick?

If you remember the adorable nine-year-old cancer survivor Tiago Viernes, good for you. Colt Emerson remembers Tiago, who is inextricably tied to the moment he knew he wanted to be a Seattle Mariner for a long time.

“When I got drafted in ‘23 and the All-Star game was in Seattle, and Tiago called my name, I knew it was special from that moment,” said Emerson.

“And from that moment on, I was just like: this is going to be my spot. You know? Or, I hoped so. And it ended up being [so], and that’s all part of God’s plan.“

“I’m just so thankful and grateful just for the opportunity, really.”