Cole Young’s first season at second base ended with a notable piece of recognition: on Wednesday, the Seattle Mariners infielder was named a finalist for the American League Gold Glove Award.
It’s a meaningful spot for Young, who took big strides at the position this year while appearing in 161 games. His development stood out on a Mariners club that finished 76-86 and missed the playoffs a year after reaching the American League Championship Series.
The winners will be announced on Nov. 1, and Young now has a chance to add his name to a long run of defensive standouts in franchise history.
The Mariners’ Gold Glove track record stretches back to 1977, with a familiar cast of names populating the list. Cal Raleigh and Dylan Moore were honored in 2024, while Evan White and J.P.
Crawford took home awards in 2020. Before that, Mike Leake won as a pitcher in 2019 and Kyle Seager was recognized at third base in 2014.
The award has also been a regular landing spot for some of the biggest stars in team history. Ichiro Suzuki collected Gold Gloves in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Ken Griffey Jr. earned 10 Gold Glove awards of his own, all coming with Seattle from 1990 through 1999. Harold Reynolds won three with the Mariners, and Mark Langston won two, with seven total in his career across Seattle, Montreal and Los Angeles.
Young is in a three-man race for this year’s award, with Chase Meidroth of the Chicago White Sox and Michael Massey of the Kansas City Royals also among the finalists. Massey has already won a Gold Glove in the minor leagues.
Young’s defense drew mixed numbers this season. DRS credited him with +16, while Outs Above Average had him at -5. Still, his name is on the finalist list, and that’s the part that matters now for Seattle as it waits for the Nov. 1 announcement.
While the postseason rolls on, the Mariners have another significant task underway behind the scenes: finding their next manager. Earlier this week, the club was linked to an interview with former Astros skipper Joe Espada, with one major question still hanging over that meeting.
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Mariners Just Lost One Safe Option In A Crucial Manager Search
The Mariners managerial search just got a little narrower. Philadelphia settled its own dugout situation by giving Don Mattingly a two-year contract after Alex Cora passed on the job again, removing one of the more accomplished veteran options from the board at a time when Seattle is trying to steady itself after a disappointing season.
For the Mariners, the search still appears to be in the early sorting phase, with Joe Espada among the names expected to draw consideration. Seattle would prefer some managerial experience, but it is not treating that as a requirement, which keeps the pool open even as familiar, established options start to disappear. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Cannot Afford To Miss On This Manager Hire
The Mariners are casting an unusually wide net in their search for a new manager, with an initial list reportedly reaching 40 candidates as they sort through a field that includes Joe Espada, Rocco Baldelli, Brandon Hyde and David Ross. For a club that has spent years trying to turn promise into sustained contention, this is one of the more important hires on the front-office calendar, and the range of names suggests Seattle is not rushing the process.
Hyde stands out because of the profile he built in Baltimore and during his time as a senior advisor with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he developed a reputation for handling young players and working comfortably with analytics. Those traits matter in Seattle, where the next manager will need to fit a roster that still has room to grow and a decision-making structure that places a premium on information. The Mariners can afford to be thorough here, but they cannot afford to get it wrong. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Espada Brings One Complicated Question To Mariners Search
Joe Espada is coming into the Mariners managerial search with a rsum that stands out in the division. He spent three years running the Astros, helped them to two division titles and now finds himself back on the market after Houston moved on from him. For Seattle, that makes him more than just another candidate in a crowded process. It makes him someone who knows the terrain the Mariners have been trying to climb for years.
What gives the interview added weight is the perspective Espada could bring on the Mariners themselves. Seattle is looking at a division rivals former manager and, in theory, getting a read on how another contender has operated from the inside. The lingering question is whether his exit in Houston says more about the person or the place he came from, and that uncertainty is part of what makes this search worth watching. [Read more 🡒]