Colt Emerson is unexpectedly channeling MLB's elites in rapid rise with Mariners

We'll admit we were concerned it was too soon when Colt Emerson was called up in the middle of last month, even though the Mariners' hand was effectively forced due to Brendan Donovan's second trip this season to the Injured List. Since then however, it seems like every day there's something new to be amazed by, from the young sensation.

Case in point being the following stat courtesy of the great Brad Adam, which resulted in a double take:

Now add Emerson's 16th game played on Wednesday and, along with Juan Soto, he's slugging like Fernando Tatis Jr., Rafael Devers and Carlos Correa. Also on the list are three Hall of Famers in Andruw Jones, Orlando Cepeda and Frank Robinson along with Miguel Cabrera, who'll be in Cooperstown soon enough. In a word: Woah!

To be clear, we're not making some proclamation that Emerson is destined to have a similar kind of career to any of these legends. (At least not just yet.) In addition, his current slugging percentage is likely unsustainable, but it sure as heck is still a good sign. As SoDo Mojo's Zachary Rymer wrote last week, while small sample sizes must always be treated with suspicion, the Mariners can and should be excited by what the 20-year-old is doing.

Colt Emerson keeps pushing the boundaries of what a rookie should be doing in the majors

Seriously, Emerson is just impressive all around, including being capable of spectacular catches like the one he made to clinch the Mariners' eight straight win on Tuesday night. Additionally, he needed just 29 at-bats to complete the Major League cycle, one short of the all-time record set by Cliff Heathcote all the way back in 1918.

For all the struggles and bad luck the Mariners franchise has endured over five decades, they've still been fortunate to snag some tremendous young, superstar-level talent. We're thinking players like Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodríguez and Julio Rodríguez. Well, see how Emerson compares to the trio through his first 16 games in Seattle:

Okay, okay, apologies -- maybe we should calm things down a bit, but Emerson's impact is undeniable. Heck, he's looking better in some respects that the Pirates' Konnor Griffin, who was lauded as the No. 1 prospect in baseball. Certainly, he seems like a good bet to challenge for AL Rookie of the Year honors come the end of this season.

One last thing to note, is what the 2023 22nd overall draft pick has meant to the Mariners, despite Jerry Dipoto originally being in no hurry to promote him from Triple-A Tacoma. More specifically, a Mariners team which has struggled for consistency this season is 11-5 with him in the lineup. Make of that what you will, but it's no coincidence as far as we're concerned.

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