Editor’s note: The Tampa Bay Rays selected Grady Emerson with the No. 2 pick of the MLB draft on July 11. The Athletic has coverage of the draft.SOUTHLAKE, Texas — Rusty Greer experienced the circus around young baseball stars once before, with a highly touted player who, one year after making his MLB debut, went on to become a perennial MVP candidate before he turned 25. If there was one thing he wanted his pupil, Grady Emerson, to do before his senior season at a suburban Dallas/Fort Worth high school this year, it was talk to the guy who navigated the same waters not that long ago.So, the former Texas Rangers outfielder-turned-high-school-coach called in a favor to one of his son’s teammates from high school: Bobby Witt Jr.Emerson, like Witt around this time seven years ago, is expected to become the top prep player selected in the upcoming amateur baseball draft. Some top prospect evaluators think he could go as high as No. 2, behind UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky. In his most recent mock draft for The Athletic, Keith Law predicted the San Francisco Giants would take him with the fourth pick.Either way, Emerson will have a huge payday. Even the No. 4 pick this year was assigned a slot value of over $8.9 million, more than $1 million above what Witt received as the No. 2 pick in 2019.Expecting the hoopla surrounding Emerson to be as frenzied, if not more so, Greer arranged a lunch with Witt, whose father played with him in the majors 30 years earlier. The point was for Emerson, also a shortstop, to pick the Kansas City Royals superstar’s brain about the distractions headed his way.Six months later, Greer is thrilled with how Emerson handled the attention during a spectacular season that culminated in Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year honors. Not only did Emerson bat .508 with eight home runs, 56 RBIs and 61 runs for Texas Division II runner-up Fort Worth Christian, but he also joined Witt as the only high schoolers to be named Golden Spikes Award semifinalists in the last 20 years.“That’s a tribute to where he is from a maturity standpoint,” Greer said. “You can’t help but be proud to coach a kid like that and watch him go. It’s really more rewarding because you understand he’s going to get to realize the dream he’s been after for years and years and years.”Greer believes the 18-year-old star is in this position because of his elite aptitude and internal drive to improve.He foresaw Emerson separating himself from the competition as a 9-year-old at Greer’s summer “hardcore camps,” where he quickly applied new concepts faster than other laser-focused peers.By 13, Emerson was traveling to Georgia for elite travel ball tournaments. The summer before his freshman year of high school, Emerson committed to play college baseball at Texas Christian University.As he continued to establish himself in the upper echelon of his draft class, 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.Emerson sees top competition as simply another way to sharpen his craft. He finds himself at ease around older players.“All I see is an opportunity to learn more about the game,” Emerson said. “When you’re 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.“I’m 18 years old. I don’t know everything. There’s still a lot I need to learn.”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 “yes sir, no sir” mentality and the necessary “horsepower” to commit to baseball as a career. They only spent one lunch together six months ago, but even Witt immediately recognized Emerson’s drive and humility.“With where his head is at, he’ll be in a good spot,” Witt said.