The Tampa Bay Rays signed Grady Emerson for $9.75 million on Wednesday, establishing a new draft record for signing bonuses awarded to a high school player.The signing bonus received by Emerson, who was selected by Tampa Bay with the second overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft earlier this month, surpasses the previous record of $9 million received by Colorado’s Ethan Holliday a year ago. The figure, first reported by Jim Callis of MLB.com, was confirmed by a person with knowledge of the matter, who spoke anonymously so as to freely discuss it.Emerson earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors after hitting .532/.648/1.013 with seven home runs and 50 RBIs in his senior season at Fort Worth (Tex.) Christian. He also joined Bobby Witt Jr., whom he considers a mentor, as only the second high school player to ever be a semifinalist for the Rawlings Golden Spikes Award in the 20 years prep players were eligible.Which teams fared well during MLB Draft Day 1?Keith Law“A player of this caliber, you never want to limit, but you never want to put expectations on, either,” Rays scouting director Chuck Ricci told reporters earlier this month. “I think if Grady Emerson is Grady Emerson, that’s all we can ask. He doesn’t try to have to be somebody he’s not. We’re pretty happy with who he is.”