The Seattle Mariners won their first Cactus League game on Wednesday, and their top prospect played a key role in it.
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Shortstop Cole Young, the Mariners’ top choice in the 2022 MLB Draft, smashed a double to the warning track in center field to plate the only two runs in the game, which Seattle won 2-0 over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday afternoon.
There are a few reasons the two-run double was impressive.
For one, the 20-year-old Young was receiving plate appearances in a big league spring training game for the just second time ever.
Then there’s the fact that the lefty-hitting Young ripped the deep fly off a lefty pitcher.
And finally, the pitcher he was facing was Tyler Gilbert, who has appeared in 28 MLB games over the past three seasons.
Watch Young’s big hit, accompanied by the Seattle Sports radio call from longtime voice of the Mariners Rick Rizzs, right here:
While the top Seattle prospect had the big highlight, it’s worth noting that the Mariners’ pitching was the star of the show on Monday. Luis Castillo threw the first two innings of a combined one-hit shutout that also featured contributions by Austin Voth, Heath Hembree, Ty Buttrey, Joey Krehbiel and Reid VanScoter.
Seattle Mariners prospect watch
Young, who also hit an RBI sacrifice fly on Saturday, is presently ranked as the Mariners’ top prospect and the No. 37 prospect in baseball overall by MLB Pipeline, and he certainly has the manager’s attention.
“I think this guy could be a quick mover through our system,” Servais stated last week, according to Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. “He is fundamentally extremely sound. “I love his swing.”
While we’re on the subject, here’s another Seattle Mariners prospect standout from the early stages of spring training. Harry Ford, who is ranked just one spot behind Young as the No. 38 prospect by MLB Pipeline, demonstrated his arm behind the plate on Sunday by throwing out a runner from his knees in a defeat to Cleveland.
The Mariners face the San Francisco Giants at 12:05 p.m. on Tuesday in Cactus League play. The game will be televised live on the Seattle Sports app and played on tape delay at 6:55 p.m. on Seattle Sports 710 AM, following the weekly Cactus League Report, which begins at 6 p.m.
