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# It’s Time to Take Mariners’ Cole Young Seriously Among MLB’s Best Young Second Basemen
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/its-time-to-take-seattle-mariners-cole-young-best-young-second-basemen/
- Published: 2026-05-01T05:38:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:53:05.000Z
- Author: Nick Lee
- Tags: Analysis, Cole Young, Mariners

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="5735"\]

![  Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young (2) hits an RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/seattle-mariners-second-baseman-cole-young--282-29-hits-an-rbi-single-against-the-st--louis-cardinals-in-the-seventh-inning-at-busch-stadium--mandatory-credit-3a-joe-puetz-imagn-images-format-original.jpg)

Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young (2) hits an RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

There were a lot of different paths the Seattle Mariners could have taken this offseason when it came to second base.

Jorge Polanco hit .329 with a 1.015 in the final five weeks of the season last year, splitting time between second base and designated hitter, but that path closed when the New York Mets signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract this winter, ending his tenure in Seattle. Luis Arraez was also a popular free agent who could play second base, while buzz surrounded a potential blockbuster trade for Ketel Marte. The Mariners decided to not pursue external candidates for second base. When they traded for Brandon Donovan, it was for him to play third. 

This partially paved the way for the Mariners to give Cole Young a long runway as one of the franchise’s staple infielders.

Apparently, all Young needed was more time to settle into his Mariners uniform. Because now, he looks like one of the best young middle infielders in Major League Baseball.

Young is just one of 11 position players in their age 22 season or younger in 2026\. According to Baseball-Reference, only Tigers rookie sensation Kevin McGonigle has a higher wins above replacement (2.0) than Young (1.8) from that group to begin this year.

Seattle went through a slow start, stumbling out of the gate to a 10-15 record. They have since steadied the ship, finishing the month of April right at .500 at 16-16\. Throughout the ups and downs of April, one player remained steady. When Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, and Josh Naylor all got off to ice cold starts, it was Cole Young leading the way.

Young currently leads the team with 19 RBI, after he tallied an RBI six games in a row. He was a big reason why the Mariners came back to defeat the Twins in their final game of the series in Minnesota, coming through with a two-run single in the ninth inning.

His clutch moment in Minnesota was not an outlier. In “high leverage” moments this season (36 plate appearances), he is batting a stellar .333 with a 1.111 OPS. Two of his three home runs have come in high leverage spots. In several games this season, he seemed to be the only one bringing the juice for the lineup, despite always hitting in the lower third of it. 

Among all second basemen in baseball, only two have more RBI than Young. He ranks sixth in hits, ninth in batting average, and 10th in OPS and wRC+. He’s easily playing like a top 10 second baseman in Major League Baseball this season.

Defensively, he is somewhere between serviceable and elite. He ranks in the 67th percentile for outs above average (OAA), StatCast’s range factor, though his total fielding run value (FRV) is a much more pedestrian 54th percentile. On the other hand, leads all second basemen with eight defensive runs saved (DRS), second only to Pete Crow-Armstrong among everyone in MLB. They both point in the same rough direction (positive rather than negative), and compared to the defensive struggles peppering the rest of the Mariners’ field, it’s night and day to watch Young.

Young accomplished all of this while entering this season with just 77 MLB games under his belt. It’s safe to say he’s quickly blossoming into one of the best young second basemen in baseball, a fantastic development for the Mariners as they aim to get back to the playoffs with eyes on the first World Series in team history.