I don’t do a lot of prospecting, but I like this kid. The black finite legacy isn’t as strong for baseball as it is for NBA/NFL cards. This is the first card I’ve sent for grading to PSA directly from EBay. I bought it about 6 months ago and paid $49.99 for grading. Still isn’t back. And I missed the pop when he got called up and hit a HR in his MLB debut. Still waiting….hope he turns into a gamer! He has the tools!

Although he’s flown a bit under the radar compared to some of this year’s other high-profile rookies, Colt Emerson made his debut for the Seattle Mariners yesterday. I’m looking forward to seeing him in person tomorrow night.

What makes it even more interesting is that it’ll come against the Chicago White Sox and Jarred Kelenic - who, not that long ago, was also supposed to be The Next Big Thing for the Mariners. (Kelenic also happens to be the reason I never go all-in on collecting non-Kansas City Royals rookies.)

Oh - and apparently some other rookie named Munetaka Murakami is in the lineup too...

I don’t really ever prospect. Especially in baseball. But I like this guy and got a decent deal, so we will see what happens with this black finite 1/1.

• Age: 20

• Position: SS / 3B (some think eventual 3B or 2B)

• Draft: 22nd overall, 2023

• System Rank: Mariners #1 prospect; Top 5–20 prospect nationally

Colt Emerson - Autograph Refractor /99