Once the White Sox finally made their expected decision to draft UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky first overall official Saturday afternoon, the Rays were quick to make their pick, taking Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson second.
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Emerson, 18, starred at Fort Worth (Texas) Christian High School, winning 2026 Gatorade national player of the year honors and was considered the Rays’ choice.
The lefty swinger hit .508 with eight homers in 2026 and went 34-for-35 in steals. He has a good baseball background and considers former big-leaguer Rusty Greer and Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. among his mentors.
“We are adding a player with a premium hit tool and an excellent amateur pedigree,” Rays amateur scouting director Chuck Ricci said. “Grady’s work ethic and makeup are a perfect fit with our already strong culture. Getting to know his family only solidified that he is our guy.
“I can’t thank area scout Chris Hom enough for his excellent work with Grady over the last 12 months. We are looking forward to seeing Grady in a Rays uniform.”
Baseball America said recently Emerson “could be a perennial All-Star player who hits .280 or better with 30-plus home runs per season in his peak years while providing rock-solid shortstop defense.”
Baseball America staff also said Emerson was considered the best pure hitter in the draft class but acknowledged projections on high schoolers are tricky, and his power and defense are not as strong as hit basic hit tool.
The Rays have an attraction to shortstops with multiple tools and high ceilings. They’ve taken one with their first pick in five of the last seven drafts (including Theo Gillen and Greg Jones, who were converted to outfielders).
This was the highest the Rays picked since having back-to-back No. 1 overall selections in 2007 (pitcher David Price, very good) and 2008 (shortstop Tim Beckham, not so good).
Overall, the Rays had picked in the top four nine times, with mixed results.
The most successful choices by the Rays were third baseman Evan Longoria, taken third in 2006; Price; and infielder/outfielder BJ Upton, second in 2002.
Not so good, for assorted reasons: outfielder Josh Hamilton, first in 1999; outfielder Delmon Young, first in 2003; pitcher Dewon Brazelton, third in 2001; pitcher Jeff Niemann, fourth in 2004; two-way player Brendan McKay, fourth in 2007; and Beckham, as the Rays left future All-Stars Buster Posey and Eric Hosmer on the board.
The Rays were pleased to be picking second this year as a product of Brett Phillips’ magic touch as their draft lottery representative. They had been slotted 10th by record and were in line to move up to seventh based on rules limiting teams from repeat appearances among the top spots.
In the Rays’ first lottery experience in the 2025 draft, they dropped from the 12th slot to the 14th pick.
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“Go lottery! I’m glad, thankful,” baseball operations president Erik Neander said last week. “Didn’t much care for the lottery two years ago, much bigger fan this year.
“You can look at our franchise’s history to speak to the importance of that pick. Having a draft this weekend and having a former top of the draft pick (Longoria) being inducted at the Rays Hall of Fame, and arguably the greatest Ray of all time, that is a very front and center reminder of what is possible when you’re picking in this territory.”
While much of the focus was on the No. 2 pick, and its $10,507,000 slot value, amateur scouting director Chuck Ricci pointed out repeatedly the importance of all 21 picks the Rays had over the two-day draft — including Nos. 33, 49, 85 and 113 also on Saturday — and the opportunity to add talent given an overall draft pool of $19,009,300.
Ricci on Friday also noted the length of prep work his staff does.
“I think a lot of people think you focus on the draft, like, immediately in front of the draft, but it’s actually about a 13-month process,” he said Friday.
“We’re really happy with our process. We had very good follows and reports from these players through the fall, through the summer, and all throughout the spring. Now it’s just the last couple weeks, we’ve just been trying to tie it together from an analytic perspective, from evaluation, from a medical, just trying to take every angle you possibly can when you’re evaluating these guys.”
The signing deadline is 5 p.m. on July 27 for most drafted players. There is an exception for those who want to play junior college ball, as they can sign until a week before next year’s draft but for a maximum of $225,000.
Cholowsky, 21, played three seasons at UCLA, twice winning Big Ten player of the year honors. He hit .320 with 21 homers in 206; .329 with 52 homers and a 1.071 OPS over three seasons.
He is a right-handed hitter with two-way skills and a lot of athleticism, having had an offer to play quarterback at Notre Dame out of high school.
Baseball America recently called Cholowsky “a potential franchise player with perennial all-star upside,” noting his pure hitting ability, ability to hit for power in games, shortstop defense and arm strength. Concerns are his limited wood bat experience and lack of speed.
Another option for the Rays was Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey.
Lackey, 21, emerged as a top draft prospect just over the last two seasons at Georgia Tech. The right-hander hit .397 with 20 homers, a 1.291 OPS, 15 steals and had more walks (50) than strikeouts (38) this season.
Though considered a strong defensive catcher, Lackey is known for his athleticism and showed it playing eight positions in a March game.
Baseball America said recently that Lackey “could be one of the best catchers” in the majors and that he profiles with “some similarities” to Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman. Concerns are his limited wood bat experience and handling the expectations of being such a high pick.
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