Promising Mariners rookie has a dark side that is getting hard to ignore

Seattle Mariners fans have found plenty to cheer about with Cole Young. The rookie second baseman, one of the most highly anticipated prospects in the organization, has quickly become a fixture in the lineup. And with good reason, second base has been a revolving door for Seattle in recent seasons, too often a black hole where offense went to die.

Now, at just 22 years old, Young is proving he belongs. After shaking off a slow start, he’s producing at the plate with a steady .744 OPS since his cold opening stretch, and his overall line sits at .239/.324/.351 with four home runs and 23 RBIs in 61 games. For a rookie finding his footing, those numbers carry real weight. 

But there’s a problem: the glove hasn’t followed.

Cole Young’s defense is quickly becoming a liability

By Outs Above Average, Young ranks among the worst defensive second basemen in the league at -7 OAA. Three of his four errors have been throwing miscues, but it’s not just the stat sheet. The defensive lapses are costing the Mariners in real-time.

The most glaring example came on August 20 against the Phillies, when Young muffed a playable groundball with the infield drawn in. The mistake cracked open the door, and reliever Taylor Saucedo’s outing unraveled from there. What could have been a momentum-saving stop instead turned into a crucial loss.

It’s not that Young lacks the tools. He’s got the range. His hands are serviceable. The problem appears to be that his internal clock and instincts in the field aren’t fully calibrated. He’s rushing throws, hesitating on transfers, and missing the subtle split-second decisions that separate solid defenders from liability.

Seattle’s defense as a whole has shown cracks. After posting a brutal -10 OAA in July, the Mariners have only slightly steadied in August at -2 OAA. Young’s growing pains are part of a larger issue. For a team that leans heavily on run prevention and pitching dominance, porous defense is a dangerous leak in the hull.

None of this is to say Young won’t figure it out. He’s adjusting to the speed of the game at the highest level, and carrying the weight of being one of the organization’s future cornerstone pieces. His bat is developing faster than many expected, which makes the defensive miscues stand out all the more.

Still, for all the excitement around his offensive promise, Mariners fans and coaches alike have to wrestle with the reality: Cole Young’s defense has become a problem. And if Seattle has serious October aspirations, they can’t afford for it to linger too long.