ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft to select Grady Emerson, the 18-year-old shortstop from Fort Worth Christian School in Texas who was ranked as the top prospect in this year’s class — and who says he plans to reach the majors by age 20.
“It was just such an emotional time,” Emerson said from Marty B’s restaurant in Bartonville, Texas, where he watched the selection alongside his mother, Deanna, and father, Brandon. “I’m very thankful for this opportunity, and I’m really happy that the Rays believe in me.”
The pick is the Rays’ highest since the franchise held back-to-back No. 1 overall selections in 2007 (David Price) and 2008 (Tim Beckham). Emerson went between the White Sox, who took UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky first overall, and the Twins, who selected Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey third.
Emerson set an aggressive timeline for his arrival in St. Petersburg. “My goal is to be in the Majors by 20 years old, so maybe a year and a half, two years,” he said. “I want to prove that I can develop. I really trust in this Rays organization to develop me and to put everything they’ve got into me, just like I’m gonna do for them.”
Rays amateur scouting director Chuck Ricci, whose staff was led by area scout Chris Hom in evaluating Emerson, tempered the enthusiasm with measured praise. “I think he’ll be up here when he’s ready. A player of this caliber, you never want to limit, but you never want to put expectations on, either,” Ricci said. “I think if Grady Emerson is Grady Emerson, that’s all we can ask. He doesn’t try to have to be somebody he’s not. We’re pretty happy with who he is.”
Ricci pointed to Emerson’s bat as the separator. “We really liked Grady’s hit tool,” he said. “That kind of separated him from the majority of guys in this Draft, I think.” During his senior year at Fort Worth Christian, the 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter posted a .532/.648/1.013 slash line with seven home runs and 21 steals. He was named the 2026 Gatorade Player of the Year for Texas and the National Gatorade Player of the Year, and in May became only the second high school player since 1948 to be nominated as a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award — joining Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr.
Emerson transferred to Fort Worth Christian from Argyle High School and came under the coaching of former Major League outfielder Rusty Greer, who also mentored Witt. Emerson said he considers Witt, who played high school ball in nearby Colleyville, a personal influence. “Even though he might not realize it, he’s been a huge influence on me,” Emerson said, noting he received a congratulatory text from Witt on Saturday. “Getting to watch him, getting to see how he goes about his business, it’s kind of set the standard for me, especially with Rusty being my coach.”
The selection marks the fifth time in six years the Rays have used their top first-round pick on a high school hitter, following Carson Williams (2021), Xavier Isaac (2022), Theo Gillen (2024) and Daniel Pierce (2025). Emerson, whom MLB Pipeline considers a lock to remain at shortstop in the majors, said he intends to make an impact on both sides of the ball. “My dream is to be like a Bobby Witt Jr., win a Platinum Glove and Gold Glove and all that stuff,” he said. “Overall, I think I’m just a hard-working player who’s going to impact the game on both sides of the baseball.”
Day 2 of the draft continues Sunday with Rounds 5 through 20, running from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET.