Texas shortstop Grady Emerson honored with 2026 Gatorade HS baseball Player of The Year Award

Grady Emerson's parents played a trick on him in the best way. 

Brandon and Deanna Emerson left the house a little late for what they told their son was a photo shoot for a state baseball award.  

"I hate being late," Emerson told The Sporting News. "I can't stand it. I thought we were going to be late. I walk up to the field and didn't see anybody and all of a sudden I get close enough to the dugout where I see a bunch of people that I just froze."

Emerson – a senior shortstop at Fort Worth Christian School – earned the 2025-26 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award Wednesday. Emerson, a Texas commit, is in the conversation as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft, which runs July 11-13 in Philadelphia. Fort Worth Christian coach Rusty Greer – who played with the Texas Rangers from 1994-2002 – presented Emerson with the award.

Grady Emerson is Gatorade HS National Baseball Player of the Year

"I got kind of bombarded and I was smiling the whole time and enjoyed obviously," Emerson said. "It means everything. Just being able to add my name to that list and to see the guys that have been on it. There are a lot of big leaguers and guys who are having a ton of success in the game. Just knowing that I'm on that right path and I'm doing the right things to get where they are – I think it's a really cool accomplishment and I'm very, very proud of it."

Emerson – who hits left-handed and throws right-handed – put together a dominant season for the Cardinals. He hit .508 with eight home runs and 56 RBIs in 40 games. He also had 61 runs and 34 stolen bases with a .993 fielding percentage. Fort Worth Christian reached the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Division II state championship game this season. 

Emerson said that experience with his high-school teammates was part of a season where he improved well beyond the eye-popping statistics. 

"I think it was from a maturing standpoint – mentally for sure," he said. "This year, I found ways to kind of control myself, focus on the positives and really focus on the team environment.

"My goal this year was to win a state championship," he said. "We got to the last game and sadly we didn't win it, but just the fact that we took this group who – we had like five, six new kids and everybody else knew each other – being able to build that chemistry from Day 1 and accomplishing some unbelievable things that we've done with this program. That was the coolest part for me. … I was super proud of this team." 

Emerson joins an impressive list of past winners. Gary Sheffield won the first Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year in 1985-86. Three-time MVP Alex Rodriguez (1992-93) and Cy Young winner Zack Greinke (2002-03) are also on the list. Emerson is the eighth winner from Texas; a list that includes three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw (2005-06) and two-time All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. (2018-19). 

Emerson said being honored by Gatorade was yet another humbling experience.  

"We actually just re-stocked our fridge with so much Gatorade," Emerson said. "It made my mom laugh. She said, 'You better get to drinking.' Don't worry I will." 

Past Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year Winners 

A look at the past Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year winners: