What is Fort Worth Christian star Grady Emerson’s mentality ahead of MLB draft?
Fort Worth Christian standout baseball star Grady Emerson is projected to be selected early in the MLB draft, which will start at noon Saturday.
With a signing bonus that could surpass $9 million hanging in the balance, there’s a lot on the line for an 18-year-old kid fresh out of high school. MLB draft analysts are divided on whether he’ll be taken first by the Chicago White Sox or second by the Tampa Bay Rays.
“I’m just trusting in God’s plan, you know?” Emerson told the Star-Telegram in June after being named Gatorade National Player of the Year. “At the end of the day, God has a plan. I’ve had a very great season, obviously. I’m just trusting in what teams want and what teams see.”
If he doesn’t end up where he wants in the draft, Emerson acknowledged that he could head to Austin, Texas, to play for the Longhorns. All major projections predict him to be taken within the first two picks, but he said he’ll try to enter the draft with a clear mind and, regardless of the outcome, accept whatever plan God presents.
“Texas is obviously a great option,” Emerson said. “With coach [Jim] Schlossnagle and coach [Troy] Tulowitzki.”
Emerson, who lives in Argyle, Texas, was originally committed to the TCU Horned Frogs and flipped his commitment to Texas in November 2024. Ahead of his senior season, he transferred from Argyle to Fort Worth Christian.
Emerson continued to hit .532, leading the Cardinals to the TAPPS Division II state championship game.
With his high school career behind him and the draft approaching, Emerson said he is simply trying to stay in shape and mentioned he is working on speed, agility and strength at Zero Limits Performance, a baseball development gym in Southlake.
He is also working on his swing with Brandon Sherrard, his hitting coach, who has worked with MLB standouts such as two-time MLB All-Star Trevor Story.
Beyond the game, there is also a fair amount of pressure and outside noise to navigate. Emerson, however, has several mentors he can lean on as he handles the draft chaos.
Fort Worth Christian head coach Rusty Greer, a nine-year MLB veteran, has helped him with the mental side of professional baseball, and connected him to someone who has shared a similar path: Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
The Greer-Witt bond goes back to 1995, when Bobby Witt Sr. and Greer were teammates on the Texas Rangers, and it continued through generations. Greer said Bobby Witt Jr. is one of his son’s best friends.
Witt Jr., who attended Colleyville Heritage High School, was drafted second overall by the Royals in 2019. On top of having a similar draft projection, Witt Jr. and Emerson are both shortstops who grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and were both named Gatorade National Player of the Year.
The Fort Worth-area phenoms are the only two high school players to be named semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award in the honor’s 48-year history. The Golden Spikes Award is given to the top amateur player in the nation.
Greer set up a lunch with Emerson and Witt Jr. in the fall.
“I just got to fire off questions at him,” Emerson said. “I was so thankful for that opportunity, having a guy like [Witt Jr.] who has been through [the draft] and is doing some amazing things in the game right now. He’s someone I also looked up to since I was about 9 years old.
“To sit down, hear his journey and hear what helped him throughout it was the biggest part for me. Being able to take that in my own game and my own life, I think, was a huge step for me in the right direction.”
In terms of play on the field, Emerson said on MLB Network that he tries to emulate Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager.
“I’ve always tried to do stuff the way [Seager] did it,” Emerson said. “Whether it was a left-handed swing, or the way he approaches just being a shortstop. … Watching his game, seeing the fluidity and everything he does, I just try to implement that into my game.
“I feel like the more I do that, the more I feel like a big leaguer.”
Emerson has already showcased his talents on the worldwide stage, becoming the first USA Baseball player to compete on multiple 15U and 18U national teams. It’s been a long journey for the young shortstop — one that has required many sacrifices.
“I can’t begin to count how many birthday parties he’s missed,” said Brandon Emerson, Grady’s father, in Season 2 of “The Prospect,” an original docuseries from GameChanger and MLB Network. “He’s just never really had the chance to do a lot of that, because he was so focused on baseball. I think it’s done a lot for his career, to get him prepared for whatever is next for him, but it certainly was not easy.”
In “The Prospect,” Grady Emerson acknowledged that he keeps up to date with the latest draft projections but tries not to let it shape his mentality or approach to the game.
“I don’t let [projections] get to me ever,” Grady Emerson said. “I really try to tune it out as much as I can.“
If he does hear his name called during the draft, Emerson said he knows what his reaction will be.
“I’m definitely going to have the biggest smile ever on my face,” Grady Emerson said.
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