The weakest part of Mariners' projected roster is as clear as day

The infield was the primary focus for the Mariners this offseason. Other than J.P. Crawford, the franchise has struggled to lock down a recognizable infield name. Jorge Polanco and Josh Naylor were arguably the first newcomers to find success in a long time, and while the latter was Seattle's biggest splash of the winter, the former ultimately departed for the Mets, creating another vacancy in the middle infield.

Fortunately, they managed to pivot to Brendan Donovan in the final days leading up to Spring Training and he seems poised to give the lineup a meaningful boost, assuming everything goes according to plan. However, even great teams have their flaws and based on Opening Day projections, the Mariners' greatest weakness is a familiar one.

Early roster projections indicate that second base is still surrounded by uncertainty for Seattle

Now that the window to acquire new talent has all but closed, the first round of Opening Day roster projections have been published, including for the Mariners. Much of it is as expected with right field and designated hitter having a couple of options, but MLB.com's Daniel Kramer has Donovan at third base with Cole Young at second base. To further complicate the matter, prospect Colt Emerson wasn't included but was mentioned.

"This spot is written in pencil, but sources familiar with the club’s thinking have indicated that Young is the favorite to retain the role he held for much of last year before scuffling down the stretch. And he’d have to really struggle in Spring Training for that to change. That said, Young might be the second-most discussed player in camp, given that he’s on a similar career trajectory and plays a position that could also be suited for Seattle's most intriguing player in camp -- No. 1 prospect Colt Emerson, who will be given the chance to play his way onto the team."

Daniel Kramer

Young's rookie season didn't quite live up to expectations. At the plate, he demonstrated strong swing decisions but struggled immensely when it came to quality of contact, limiting him to a 78 OPS+. Defensively, his fielding range was in the fourth percentile of qualified players, indicating another major area for improvement. Despite entering the league as a top prospect, he has a lot to prove to demonstrate that he deserves his roster spot. Luckily, he's just 22 years old, which gives him time to make the necessary adjustments.

Emerson is just 20 years old but comes with so much upside that Seattle would be remiss if they didn't at least strongly consider him for a big league roster spot, depending on his performance in Spring Training. The team is anticipating that he'll do great things and as the No. 9 prospect in baseball, they're not the only ones. Still, there's no reason to rush his development and if he needs a few more months of minor league work, then it'd be equally unwise to push him to debut too early.

An optimist would note that even if they don't have the second base talent right now, the Mariners have quite a few top middle infield prospects in their system. In addition to Colt Emerson, the organization could rely on Michael Arroyo or Felnin Celesten in coming years. An even bigger optimist would argue that we simply haven't seen enough of Young to make a decision on whether he's right for the team.

Spring Training will carry several key storylines for Seattle, but one of them is the battle for the starting job at second base. Will one of the organization's top prospects lead the way or will someone cover third base while Donovan slides over to his natural position? Luckily, the Mariners will have a whole month in sunny Peoria to make up their minds.