No. 2 pick Emerson ready to join Rays: 'I've been dying to get there'

ST. PETERSBURG -- It’s been a crazy couple weeks for Grady Emerson.

Two weeks ago, he was sitting inside Marty B’s restaurant in Bartonville, Texas, when he heard his name called by the Rays as the No. 2 overall pick in the MLB Draft. He got a FaceTime call that weekend from franchise icon Evan Longoria, congratulating him on joining the organization.

Two days later, he was on a flight bound for New York, where he was recognized at the 2026 ESPY Awards as Gatorade’s top high school male athlete of the year. He officially signed a record-breaking $9.75 million deal with the Rays on Wednesday and quickly went to work at Tampa Bay’s Spring Training facility in Port Charlotte, Fla.

On Saturday, the 18-year-old Emerson got to soak it all in a bit as he visited Tropicana Field with his family before and during the Rays’ game against the Guardians.

“It's been a lot, I'll say that, but I've enjoyed every moment of it,” Emerson said in the Rays’ dugout Saturday afternoon. “Getting to the complex for a couple days, starting that journey and meeting everybody, it's been everything I could have imagined. I'm super blessed.”

The Rays made Emerson feel right at home at Tropicana Field, inviting him along with his parents, Brandon and Deanna, and 12-year-old brother Maddox. They met managing partner Patrick Zalupski, chief executive officer Ken Babby, manager Kevin Cash and many players and coaches during batting practice, and Emerson -- wearing a No. 2 Rays jersey with his name on it -- threw out a ceremonial first pitch to outfielder Jonny DeLuca.

At one point, Cash summoned Emerson from the dugout to watch the powerful Junior Caminero take BP right by the cage. Caminero delivered a pleasant surprise for Emerson’s brother, as he signed the No. 13 Caminero shirt and Devil Rays cap that Maddox was wearing before taking pictures with him.

“Excited for us. Excited for him [and] all the guys that worked so hard that we were able to get a guy that we really think is going to be a good player,” Cash said.

A talented shortstop from Texas who was ranked atop MLB Pipeline’s list of the top players in this year’s Draft class, Emerson has made it no secret he’s eager to get back to the Trop in a hurry. He said the night he was drafted that his goal was to debut at 20 years old -- in other words, during the 2028 season.

Asked what it will take to make that dream a reality, Emerson focused more on his mental approach than anything specific with his elite hitting ability or highly-regarded defensive work.

“Obviously, baseball is a kids’ game, and I'm very blessed to play that at a very high level now,” he said. “So it’s just being able to trust the process, know that there's going to be failures and rely on the people around me to help get there.”

The Rays obviously aren’t going to set a timeline for Emerson’s arrival in the Majors, much less one that’s so aggressive for an 18-year-old fresh out of high school. As amateur scouting director Chuck Ricci put it after Day 1 of the Draft, “I think he’ll be up here when he’s ready.”

But Emerson said he doesn’t see the point in shying away from setting high expectations.

“I think that's what you should do if you're a high-level player and you want a lot out of yourself. I think the expectations are there,” he said. “Now, obviously, sometimes things don't work out the way you wanted to, but at the end of the day, it's just setting those expectations high, chasing them day in and day out, making sure you're doing everything you can.”

For now, Emerson will continue working out and practicing at the Rays’ complex, getting to know the teammates he hopes to play alongside for years to come.

He might get a chance to play a bit down the stretch for Single-A Charleston. The Rays provided a similar late-season cameo in 2024 to Theo Gillen, a fellow first-round pick from the Texas high school ranks who is now Tampa Bay’s top-ranked prospect.

Considering how quickly he wants to get here, Emerson is ready to play as soon as possible.

“I've been dying to get there. I haven't played since May, and I'm like, 'Man, I've been itching,’” Emerson said, smiling. “They're doing a good job keeping me slow, making sure I'm taking the right steps and not trying to rush into things. But yeah, I've been itching to get out there.”