3 options for the Mariners to protect their Starting Pitching depth

The best rotation in baseball is a luxury to have. So is depth at starting pitching. It’s highly likely the depth part is tested for Seattle this year. What happens when it is? Let’s look at the guys they can turn to currently in camp. Is that going to be enough?

Emerson Hancock, 1st round and 6th overall draft pick of 2020, is waiting to prove he’s worth the spot he was picked at. He likely opens the season as the ace of the Rainiers staff, though a familiar rest practice from last year might land him on the Opening Day roster. Easing your starters into the season by giving everybody an additional rest day running a 6 man rotation feels like a real option for Scott Servais.

It also gives a nod of belief to Hancock who would be breaking camp as a big leaguer for the first time. A few weeks into the season if Woo or Miller are feeling any pains from ramping up their workload they can take a beat. It’s entirely possible through proving he belongs and a combination of injury and performance that Emerson remains a Mariner all season long.

That still might largely play out even if he breaks spring camp with Tacoma. Either way, he’s the first line of defense for Servais to pencil in behind his very formidable starting five. There’s really no option 1B to his 1A as there is a significant drop off beyond the Mariners' number 11 ranked prospect. According to those rankings, there’s only one other starter, ranked number 21, projected to have a shot at this roster in 2024, and he's returning from an injury that essentially cost him 2023...

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