Grady Emerson

Grady Parker Emerson

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Argyle (TX) High School, Fort Worth Christian School

• Born February 21, 2008

Biographical Information

Shortstop Grady Emerson was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the second overall pick of the 2026 amateur draft, out of a high school in Texas. He was considered the only serious rival of college SS Roch Cholowsky to go first overall, the main difference between the two being their respective age, making Cholowsky closer to the majors, while many scouts felt that Emerson was ahead of where Cholowsky had been as a high schooler (of course, Cholowsky had then put together an outstanding college resumé in three years at UCLA, so he had that going in his favor). That said, Emerson had every skill that scouts were looking for in a young player, including outstanding bat skills and the defensive ability to play shortstop in the pros. Emerson was the 2026 Gatorade Player of the Year, and in a very rare feat for a high school player, was a nominee for the Golden Spikes Award.

Emerson hit .214/.429/.429 for the US in the 2022 U-15 Baseball World Cup then played for the USA junior national team at the 2025 U-18 Baseball World Cup. He was 0 for 4 in their title game win over Japan but finished at .346/.526/.423 with 8 walks in 9 games, fielding .941 at the hot corner. He tied Joshua Botha for 5th in OBP, tied for 3rd in hits (9), tied for 3rd in walks (8) and tied for the most HBP (3). He was named to the tournament All-Star team at third base, as Aiden Ruiz was the starting shortstop for the U.S. When he was drafted, he stated that he wanted to be in the majors within two years, by the time he turned 20, which may have sounded like a bold statement, except that a very similar player in Konnor Griffin had managed to accomplish exactly that only a few months earlier. His high school coach was former major league outfielder Rusty Greer

Further Reading

• Adam Berry: "Up in 2 years? Rays take Emerson with No. 2 pick, and he's got bold goals", mlb.com, July 11, 2026. [1]