his draft class<\/a>, invitations to prestigious events poured in. Over the past four years, he has traveled the globe playing on Team USA, culminating with Emerson being named to the All-World Team in 2025.<\/p>\nEmerson sees top competition as simply another way to sharpen his craft. He finds himself at ease around older players.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I see is an opportunity to learn more about the game,\u201d Emerson said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re sitting around with guys who are in a position you want to be in, you want to soak every moment up and learn everything you can.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 18 years old. I don\u2019t know everything. There\u2019s still a lot I need to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
His direct messages may be filled with people looking to collaborate, and scouts and agents may monitor his every step. Greer describes Emerson as having a \u201cyes sir, no sir\u201d mentality and the necessary \u201chorsepower\u201d to commit to baseball as a career. They only spent one lunch together six months ago, but even Witt immediately recognized Emerson\u2019s drive and humility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith where his head is at, he\u2019ll be in a good spot,\u201d Witt said.<\/p>\n
As he watched batting practice at Globe Life Field last month, Emerson seemed confident while mingling with Minnesota Twins players and coaches.<\/p>\n
He traded stories with Royce Lewis, the top pick of the 2017 draft, and Twins manager Derek Shelton. He even held court with bullpen coach LaTroy Hawkins.<\/p>\n
Excelling in amateur baseball\u2019s highest levels the past six years seems to have created preternatural ease.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting to play with the best in the world, it only makes you better,\u201d Emerson said. \u201cI have to accept that they could beat me. It really kicks in that competitive spirit and makes you say, \u2018I\u2019m going to go out there and compete. I\u2019m going to show them why I\u2019m part of this elite group.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Emerson has always thrived in front of first-class talent.<\/p>\n
He played for an AAU basketball team coached by Indiana Pacers legend Jermaine O\u2019Neal and was invited to Nike tournaments in Oregon and Louisville.<\/p>\n
Encouraged by his parents, Emerson tried other sports too. He played football and soccer, and even participated in triathlons and taekwondo.<\/p>\n
But baseball won out.<\/p>\n
And when he started traveling to play in high-level competitions at 13, his parents saw signs that he had the potential to climb the ladder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t know what to expect,\u201d said Deanna, Emerson\u2019s mother. \u201cWe\u2019d heard all of these other names and these teams, and he held his own. Then he seemed to stand out from a talent perspective. It was like, \u2018Maybe he can do this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The milestones his father, Brandon, points to as proof came when Emerson was invited to play for the 15U and 18U Team USA squads earlier than expected.<\/p>\n
But Brandon, who served as his son\u2019s hitting coach until last year, was most impressed by one performance during Emerson\u2019s sophomore year. He outshone teammates two years his senior at a tournament in Arizona, winning the team MVP.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he\u2019d be nervous,\u201d Brandon said. \u201cHe had a really good first game, and after the game he came over to me and (advisor) Sam Samardzija and said, \u2018I\u2019m not getting out the rest of this tournament.\u2019 He hardly did after that. He was on the barrel the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/081024IJJS-18UNT-00443-e-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Grady Emerson batted .346 with a .949 OPS while playing every inning at third base for Team USA last summer, his second year on the 18U squad. (Courtesy of USA Baseball)<\/p>\n
Performances like those in environments that can be both intimidating and grueling suggest he hasn\u2019t just been padding his high school stats against mediocre pitchers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt holds a lot of weight because you get to see him against that caliber,\u201d said one Texas-based baseball scout. \u201cThere\u2019s a presence to him. His tools may not jump out, but they\u2019re all a tick above average, and everything plays up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s always had a swing, and you believe he\u2019s going to hit. He does a little bit of everything and those players are hard to find.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Emersons recognized finding new professional voices could help their son reach another level.<\/p>\n
Brandon, who taught himself to coach his son\u2019s hitting by becoming a self-professed \u201cYouTube junkie,\u201d wanted to find a coach under whom his son could both thrive and be comfortable.<\/p>\n
The search brought them to Brandon Sherrard, who also works with Boston Red Sox infielder Trevor Story. Both the hitter and the coach describe themselves as \u201cfeel\u201d guys rather than having an analytical approach, and Emerson calls their relationship \u201cgold\u201d in part because of the help he\u2019s gotten on the mental side.<\/p>\n
The next step Emerson\u2019s parents took was to transfer him to Fort Worth Christian for his senior year, knowing Greer and fellow MLB alum Curtis Wilkerson would offer him guidance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey took a lot of pressure off me,\u201d Emerson said. \u201c(Greer) kept emphasizing throughout the year: \u2018You already proved you can play. Just go have fun and enjoy your senior year.\u2019 The biggest thing was really continuing to learn how to have fun in the game, not overthink things and be something I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emerson is not the next Bobby Witt Jr.<\/p>\n
But he is equally \u201cultra famous\u201d in the Dallas area, according to a scout granted anonymity for his candor. The scout watched Emerson throughout his high school career and is familiar with the noise Witt got at Colleyville Heritage High some 20 minutes from Fort Worth Christian.<\/p>\n
Though he rarely posts, Emerson has a substantial social media following, including an inbox full of direct messages from people hoping to collaborate. He was good enough at age 13 to verbally commit to college, though he later reopened his commitment and switched to the University of Texas. Even fans at MLB games know him; Emerson signed several baseballs during the day he was at Globe Life Field.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still weird,\u201d Deanna said. \u201cThis is just our kid. \u2026 I\u2019m amazed at all that people recognize him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the draft noise around Emerson had already been rising, Greer thought meeting Witt would be a benefit to the teenager. His son Mason played with Witt on the Colleyville Heritage team that went 39-3 and won the state championship in its division.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a front row seat to Bobby\u2019s 2019 season with all that went on and all the distractions and all the eyes and everything that goes along with that,\u201d Greer said. \u201cI wanted Grady to hear from Bobby what to expect and how he handled it and how he grew from it and what he would have done different.\u201d<\/p>\n
When told of the plan, Emerson thought there was no way Witt would make time for him, but his coach, who played with Witt\u2019s father on the Rangers from 1995-98, ensured he would.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-264487-1-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Rusty Greer, pictured in 1998, played with Bobby Witt Sr. on the Texas Rangers. A couple of decades later, their sons were in each other\u2019s wedding parties. (Stephen Dunn \/ Allsport)<\/p>\n
In December, Witt, Greer, Emerson and his father met for barbecue at Soulman\u2019s, a local favorite. Emerson, though naturally comfortable around his peers, admits to being \u201ca little starstruck\u201d when Witt sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of my role models, and I get to sit down and talk to him,\u201d he said. \u201cI was a little starstruck.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon didn\u2019t notice his son\u2019s nerves. He was in awe of how easily the two found common ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so interesting how, with the fraternity of baseball players that have been through the same experiences, how easy it is for them to relate,\u201d Brandon said. \u201cSomehow those guys are on the same path. Even though one is years ahead of the other, they shared so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emerson loved discovering his idol is a \u201cnormal dude.\u201d He felt at ease discussing being in the spotlight.<\/p>\n
Witt gave Emerson advice that has become even more relevant in the months since: Enjoy the attention because it\u2019s a byproduct of all the hard work \u2014 but not too much.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing about the things he went through, it felt like I was talking to myself, which was really refreshing,\u201d Emerson said. \u201cHe said, \u2018At the end of the day you\u2019ve got to focus on who\u2019s important in your life. You can\u2019t get wrapped up in it. You can\u2019t start cutting people off because you think you\u2019re big time. You\u2019ve got to focus on your family and your friends and everybody who\u2019s helped you get to where you want to be.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThat really simplified it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two spent more time, though, discussing Emerson\u2019s long-term future. Witt spoke of his own early struggles in pro ball. He mentioned his so-so batting line, .262\/.317\/.354 in 37 games played, in the Arizona rookie league after being drafted by the Royals with the No. 2 pick. Then the pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor-league season, and Witt spent the entire summer facing professional pitchers in baseball facilities without the benefit of doing so in official games.<\/p>\n
What he hoped Emerson took away from the conversation was that failure is inevitable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say it\u2019s more about him learning to be a big leaguer at this age,\u201d Witt said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we talked about and what was the next step. He\u2019s a great player, and there\u2019s a lot of great players, but it\u2019s that mentality of how can you get to that next level?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emerson knows he doesn\u2019t have a clue about what failure will look like in the pros. But just as he\u2019s done his entire life, he\u2019s prepared to lean on teammates and coaches when tough times come around.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ready for it all,\u201d Emerson said. \u201cThis is what I love doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SOUTHLAKE, Texas \u2014 Rusty Greer experienced the circus around young baseball stars once before, with a highly touted…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":772117,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,5256,5261,2364,591,5160,5157,85,1190,2367],"class_list":["post-772116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-mlb","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-sports","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-texas-rangers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=772116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/772117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=772116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=772116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=772116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}