\tFeb 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners infielder Cole Young against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images\t<\/p>\n
Well, that was more spring baseball. <\/p>\n
The Mariners fourth Spring Training game on Monday was more of the same: weak at bats, sloppy play, and a bunch of names so unremarkable they didn\u2019t even bother printing them on the jerseys. I still enjoyed it, though. These games might be meaningless, but they are still baseball, still something to pass the time, still a chance to see your favorite players, however briefly. Only four more weeks until the real thing. We\u2019re getting there. <\/p>\n
The Mariners lost to the Dodgers 3-0. They collected just four hits and one walk. Here\u2019s what I thought was notable.<\/p>\n
Cole Young and Colt Emerson<\/strong><\/p>\n Mariners\u2019 brass got another chance to see Cole Young and Colt Emerson in direct competition for an infield spot. Young hit seventh in the lineup and played second base; Emerson hit eighth and played shortstop.\u00a0Neither\u2019s day at the plate was all that notable. Young struck out in both his plate appearances, both times against a lefty. Emerson drew a nice walk against a righty in his first at bat, then popped out against a lefty in his second.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both made nice plays in the field. With a runner on first, Emerson got a line drive right to him at short. He dropped it intentionally and tried to turn the double play. The umpires didn\u2019t buy it and called it a catch, but it was a nice display of awareness regardless. The game doesn\u2019t look too big for him so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n Young was especially impressive. In the third, he backed up first base on a ball that squirted out of Patrick Wisdom\u2019s glove, adjusted his momentum to get to the ball, and made a nice short throw to first. Later in the inning he made a strong throw across the infield while turning a double play. In the fifth, he ranged to his right and snagged a grounder with a dive, then popped up and fired to first. These are the specific plays that really sunk Young\u2019s value last year in the field\u2014going to his right and making quick, unconventional throws\u2014and its encouraging to see some improvement right out of the gate. This is the type of thing I can get excited about in Spring Training. <\/p>\n Logan Gilbert<\/strong><\/p>\n Logan Gilbert made his first start of Spring Training. Like all Mariners starting pitchers, I\u2019m interested in whether we might spy any arsenal tweaks, like new pitch types or shapes. FanGraphs\u2019 Michael Rosen noted Gilbert was throwing what looked like a redesigned cutter. The rest of his stuff looked pretty sharp, too. His velocity was up from last year at 96+ mph, and he picked up a few strikeouts. <\/p>\n