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Story of Seattle Mariners drafting Ben Williamson says a lot

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Story of Seattle Mariners drafting Ben Williamson says a lot


Ben Williamson has only been on the Seattle Mariners’ roster for three weeks, but it seems like a lot longer than that.

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That’s owed to how well Williamson has done so far in at the big league level, belying his full pro experience of 166 games – including in the minors – that just recently passed what covers a full MLB season.

The 24-year-old third baseman has fit right in with the Mariners, hitting .242 with a home run and three doubles in 16 games – and that’s only after a few hitless games over the last week drove his average down from .310 through his first 11 contests.

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Williamson is also a very capable third baseman defensively, to the point that it’s not rare to read his name and the words “Gold Glove potential” next to each other.

Mariners rookie Ben Williamson makes jaw-dropping catch

Maturity seems to an important element of Williamson’s personality, and his even-keel nature was on display right from the moment that the Mariners picked him in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Virginia’s College of William and Mary.

On an episode of The Wheelhouse podcast released on Saturday, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto detailed the humorous conversation that Mariners director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter had on a video call with Williamson to tell him he had been taken with one of the last picks on the first night of that draft.

Here’s a summation of how Dipoto said the conversation went, with Williamson speaking in a hushed tone while sitting in the dark while the Mariners’ draft room was abuzz following three first-round picks.

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Scott Hunter: “Ben, its Scott Hunter with the Seattle Mariners. Congratulations. Have you talked to your agent?”

Ben Williamson: “No.”

Hunter: “We just took you in the second round. Are you watching the draft?”

Williamson: “No.”

Hunter: “Are you sitting in the dark?”

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Williamson: “Yeah, yeah, I’m at my parents’ – they’re upstairs sleeping.”

Hunter: “You might want to go wake them up.”

Williamson: “No, they’ve got work in the morning.”

Well, they do say in sports to act live you’re been there before.

While the Mariners were the team to take Williamson with the 57th overall pick, his status as a college senior who could be signed “under slot” – less than the assigned bonus for their slot in the draft – apparently made him a popular name around the league.

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“We got a lot of angry texts after we popped him in the second round,” Dipoto said, “because there were a number of teams that that had their sights set on him in order to do creative things in the draft. … We actually had him in a pretty prominent place on our board, and hopefully time tells us that we had him in the right place, but we had some people in the room arguing that they thought he was a first-round talent on his own (who) just so happened to be a senior.”

At home among the big leaguers

Dipoto pointed to a few other things that speak to why Williamson was able to hit the ground running with the Mariners after getting called up with just 14 games at Triple-A under his belt.

“Since the day he stepped out on a field (after signing with the Mariners)… he has been one of the most consistent people that we’ve had in our organization,” Dipoto said. “He’s thoughtful, he puts in the work. If he’s not out on the field or in the cages, he’s in the weight room. He’s an awesome teammate.

“We saw it in spring training – he had a really good spring, and he just absorbed as much as he could.”

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What the Mariners saw from Williamson this spring included him running in a different kind of circle than most players with his level of experience tend to.

“Every minute that he could, he was always hovering around the veteran hitters, trying to pull whatever he could from them,” Dipoto continued. “And more often with guys who are in their first big league camp or they’re coming in (from the minors), they’ll pool up with the other guys who are in their circumstance. And Ben didn’t do that in the spring.

“He spent a lot of time around J.P. (Crawford), he spent a lot of time around the veteran hitters… And it gave him a level of comfort when he got his call up.”

Click here for the full episode of The Wheelhouse with Jerry Dipoto.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mariners receive another benefit for 2025 MLB Draft
• Three observations from Mariners’ eighth straight series win
• George Kirby takes important step towards return from injury
• Brash tosses scoreless frame in return from Tommy John surgery
• Why two MLB insiders are bullish on Seattle Mariners’ October hopes

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Seattle Weather: On and Off Showers Throughout the Week

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Seattle Weather: On and Off Showers Throughout the Week


On and off showers will continue overnight as lows cool into the upper 30s and low 40s.  Temperatures will be near freezing over the passes with more snow on the way. 

Forecast overnight lows around Western Washington.

Lingering rain overnight with lows in the upper 30s and low 40s.

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A convergence zone will settle into mountain passes around I-90 and US-2 ramping up snow totals in the area. Snow levels will be around 3000′ with up to 10″ possible. The Winter Weather Advisory will remain in effect until 11pm.  Be sure to monitor pass travel if driving through the mountains overnight. 

Cooler weather with snow is forecast over Stevens and White Passes

Snow could affect Stevens and White Passes through Sunday evening. (FOX 13 Seattle)

On and off showers will be around on Monday as the disturbance exists the area.  A weak ridge will build in, bringing a short break in the rain, but will return by Tuesday evening. 

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Skies dry a bit by Monday.

A weak ridge will give us a temporary break in the rain. 

Stray showers and cooler air in the wake of Sunday’s cold front will lead to a cooler 

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Forecast highs around Western Washington on Monday.

Another cool day around the region as highs only climb into the mid 50s in some spots.

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Emerson Elementary closure: Flooding from broken fountain

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Emerson Elementary closure: Flooding from broken fountain


A broken water fountain inside Emerson Elementary School in South Seattle has caused significant damage to the second floor of the building, and classes on Friday and Monday have been canceled.

The water fountain caused significant damage to the school’s classrooms, supplies, and materials on both floors of the school located at 9709 60th Ave. S. in South Seattle, Emerson Elementary announced.

In response to the damage, classes have been canceled, and Emerson will remain closed for an extended period while substantial repairs are made to allow students and staff to return to a safe and healthy school building.

“We understand this situation may cause concern or inconvenience. Please know the health and safety of our students and staff is always our top priority,” Wilson wrote. “We will continue to communicate any important changes and updates, including information about transportation options.”

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Sack lunches provided after Emerson Elementary closure

In a letter, Keyunda Wilson, the Principal of Emerson Elementary School, stated that in order to support student meal programs, the school district’s culinary service team will provide sack lunches on Friday and Monday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Sack lunches will be provided at two locations, including Emerson Elementary and the Lake Washington Apartments located at 9061 Seward Park Ave. S.

Additionally, Wilson noted the district is actively coordinating a transition for students to Old Van Asselt, located at 7201 Beacon Ave. S. in Seattle.

The timeline for the beginning of school at Old Van Asselt has yet to be determined, and updates will be shared as they become available.

Follow Jason Sutich on X. Send news tips here.

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Mayor Harrell Celebrates CARE Department Two-Year Anniversary and Permanent Responder Program  – Office of the Mayor

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Mayor Harrell Celebrates CARE Department Two-Year Anniversary and Permanent Responder Program  – Office of the Mayor


Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell celebrated the two-year anniversary of the creation of the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) department, combining Seattle’s 911 Center with the new Community Crisis Responder (CCR) team. Initially launched as a small team with limited hours and service area, CCRs steadily expanded in size and footprint and have been successfully and safely dispatched to over 6,700 incidents over the past two years as an alternative to a police response. This integrated model pairs call-taking and dispatch with unarmed behavioral health responders, giving Seattle a new way to respond to non-violent crisis calls while preserving police and fire resources for where they are needed most. 

“I’m proud to celebrate two years of the CARE Department and our Community Crisis Responder pilot program, which is now becoming a permanent part of Seattle’s public safety system. CARE represents the fulfillment of our vision for a comprehensive approach to public safety – a third branch working alongside police and fire to ensure every resident receives the right response at the right time,” said Mayor Harrell. “I want to thank Chief Barden and all the dedicated CARE employees for their exceptional work connecting people in crisis with compassionate care and vital services. I look forward to celebrating this department’s continued success for many years to come.” 

Under the new police contract announced by Mayor Harrell earlier this week, there are no longer any limits on how many CARE responders can be hired and they can be solo dispatched to low-acuity emergency calls. Mayor Harrell’s public safety sales tax plan would provide $9.5 million to double the number of CARE Community Crisis Responders (CCR) with 24 new positions in 2026, as well as supervisors, a new training manager, and additional equipment. The expansion will increase the number of CCRs on staff and extend service hours, ensuring more Seattle residents have access to compassionate, effective crisis response. The investment will also add 12 dispatcher and call taker positions to ensure the 911 Center, which has already fielded more than 581,000 calls and texts in 2025, is fully staffed.   

“Today we are significantly closer to achieving the vision of three co-equal departments of first responders, and a Seattle 911 equipped to send the best first response to a call. Philosophically, the police and fire departments represent physical safety and health provision; and the CARE department represents mental and emotional health provision,” said CARE Chief Amy Barden. “All three departments should and must be anchored in a philosophy of rehabilitation. I congratulate the pilot team of CARE responders and express my gratitude to the outstanding professionals in Seattle 911 who have made all this progress possible, who have converted a theory and a dream into reality.” 

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The Seattle CARE department represents a new paradigm in public safety, a third City department which works in partnership with police and fire and is focused on helping people in need of behavioral health care. Seattle’s unique approach to diversified emergency response is designed to connect people in crisis with help and free up police resources to answer the calls where they’re needed most. CARE’s model and practices were highlighted by the National League of Cities as a case study of the “Community Response Model” as part of their Reimagining Public Safety Initiative. 

Since launching in late 2023 as a limited pilot of six responders focused on Downtown and the Chinatown-International District, the CCR program has steadily expanded and demonstrated strong results. In 2024, the pilot expanded to additional neighborhoods and seven days a week with 10 additional responders. In early 2025, it added more CCRs and expanded citywide, responding to more than 5,000 incidents citywide. Today, CCRs operate citywide seven days a week to ensure reliable response times and the ability to surge resources to emerging needs in partnership with 9-1-1.  

CARE recently launched a digital dashboard, enabling the public to view data from 2024 to date, showing call volume by precinct, the busiest times of day for Community Crisis Responders and most frequent call types. 

What People Are Saying 

Charlotte Joseph, Deputy Chief CARE 

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“Seattle 9-1-1 is extremely grateful for the opportunity to work collaboratively with our public safety partners at SPD, SFD, and the Community Crisis Responders with the goal of providing the community with the best first response. The work done in 9-1-1 is essential to the public safety ecosystem. We remain dedicated to employee development, as we focus on enhancing skillsets and knowledge about the alternative response options and best practices within public safety.” 

Catriana Hernandez, CARE Crisis Response Manager 

“We are beyond excited to celebrate our two-year anniversary. It was no small feat in standing up a new program. This has only been made possible through our partnership with local government, public safety, and community services. They have tirelessly supported our emerging nationwide vision of a more holistic, adaptable, and data-driven approach to mental health emergencies” 



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