Last season, the Seattle Mariners’ pitching staff was rivaled only by that of the Atlanta Braves, both sporting the lowest ERA in the game at 3.49. This season, the Mariners rank 11th with a 3.64 ERA.
A large part of this rather surprising ranking can be chalked up to the injuries of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryce Miller. The Mariners’ dependence on a few underperforming arms have been detrimental to the team and continue to threaten their first-place record.
Emerson Hancock, who was supposed to be the solution, has been a massive part of the problem. Hancock was the Mariners’ no. 3 prospect in 2021, spending the next two seasons at no. 4 and peaking at no. 31 on MLB pipeline’s top 100 prospects list. He was prized for boasting four genuine plus pitches.
Hancock is no stranger to success in the Minors, but has struggled at the big-league level. In his debut year of 2023, Hancock got a brief taste of MLB action, giving up six runs in 12 innings over three starts. Unfortunately, shoulder issues would derail his progress mid-season.
Hancock would return in 2024 to less than stellar results. He finished the season with a 4.75 ERA over the course of 12 starts, for the most part, pitching to contact as he has never been able to accumulate a staggering strikeout total. Now, Hancock’s struggles are growing into a much bigger problem.
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Emerson Hancock continues to disappoint in the Mariners’ rotation
After giving up 6 runs in 0.2 innings during his first game this season, Hancock was promptly sent down. He would return mid-April to the same struggles that plagued him prior to his demotion.
On the season, Hancock owns a 5.95 ERA over the course of eight outings, the worst ERA of any Mariners’ pitcher with more than two starts. An ERA of this magnitude can be easily explained by his .325 opponent batting average (53 hits in 39.1 innings) and team-worst eight home runs. Over his professional career, Hancock has displayed a tendency to bury himself in trouble, often finding himself in jams he created. This combined with his inability to miss bats has been a recipe for catastrophe.
Despite his problems, Hancock has occasionally flashed the brilliance that made him a touted prospect just two years ago, though consistency has not been his friend. If he can learn to miss bats, avoid jams and manage his arsenal effectively, he might still be the dominant arm he was once projected to be.