Cole Young Has the Mariners’ Confidence - Now He Needs to Earn Their Trust
The Seattle Mariners aren’t just hoping Cole Young figures it out - they’re betting on it. Even after trading for Brendan Donovan this offseason, the organization has made it clear: the second base job is Young’s to lose heading into spring training.
And according to the early signals, he’d have to really stumble to lose it.
That’s not to say there aren’t backup plans. Donovan brings versatility, Leo Rivas and Ryan Bliss are waiting in the wings, and top prospect Colt Emerson is lurking with upside. But the Mariners are giving Young every opportunity to seize the role, and that says a lot about how they view his long-term potential.
Still, there’s one very real hurdle standing between Young and an everyday role in Seattle: the fastball.
The Fastball Problem
Let’s not sugarcoat it - Young struggled mightily against four-seamers in 2025. In fact, no Mariners hitter had a tougher time with any pitch. His -8 Run Value against four-seam fastballs was the worst on the team, and by the end of the season, pitchers knew exactly how to attack him: high heat on the outer half of the plate.
And it worked.
After August, Young hit just .133 and slugged .167 against four-seamers. That’s not just a cold streak - that’s a flashing red light for a hitter trying to establish himself in the big leagues.
Pitchers smelled blood and adjusted. The fastball usage against Young spiked to 42.0%, the highest percentage of any pitch seen by a Mariners hitter.
No other pitch type even cracked 13% for him.
The scouting report was clear: challenge him with velocity in the zone. And unless something changes, why would pitchers do anything else?
Bat Speed, Barrel Issues, and the Path Forward
The concerning part isn’t just that Young missed fastballs. It’s how he missed them.
His whiff rate wasn’t great, but the bigger issue was his inability to square up the pitch. His spray chart tells the story - weak grounders to the right side, lazy fly balls to left.
Not much in between. Not much damage.
That’s where bat speed comes in. At 71.4 mph, his average bat speed was right around league average - not bad, but not the kind of number you expect from a 22-year-old with a smooth lefty swing.
Bat speed is supposed to be one of the advantages of youth, a tool that helps young hitters catch up to elite velocity. For Young, it wasn’t enough.
And that’s a problem. Because even though he showed solid plate discipline - his 23.5% chase rate was one of the better marks on the team - pitchers didn’t need to nibble. They could come right at him, and he didn’t make them pay.
The Talent is There - Now Comes the Test
It’s important to remember who Cole Young is. He was a top-100 prospect for a reason.
He’s got a polished approach, a smooth glove, and the kind of baseball IQ that made him a first-round pick. The Mariners didn’t call him up last year just to fill a hole - they saw him as a foundational piece.
That vision hasn’t changed. But the challenge is clear.
If Young can adjust - if he can start turning on those fastballs and doing damage - the Mariners might have something special on their hands. If not, the leash might be shorter than it seems. Seattle has options, and they’re not going to wait forever.
So this spring, keep an eye on No. 7 when the heat’s coming in. Because for all the confidence the Mariners have in Cole Young, trust has to be earned - and it starts with the fastball.