After being selected No. 2 overall in the MLB draft, Rays draft pick Grady Emerson was awarded the Gatorade Best Player of the Year, distinguishing him as the top high school male athlete for the 2025-2026 season.
The award was established in 1985 and honors the top athletes across eight high school sports for men and women, culminating in an overall athlete of the year award for men and women. Emerson was given his award by former GBPOY Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, who won the award in 2016.
Emerson now joins alumni like former Tigers No. 3 overall selection Max Clark (2023), Bobby Whit Jr. (2019), and MacKenzie Gore (2017). Other BPOY winners include NBA stars Cooper Flagg (2024), Karl-Anthony Towns (2014), Dwight Howard (2004), and LeBron James (2003), as well as NFL quarterbacks Kyler Murray (2015) and Matt Barkley (2008).
Through a press release, Emerson stated, “Being awarded Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year is something I’ve only dreamed about. The athletes who have come before me are the best of all time, so it’s crazy to now be a part of this legacy. Thank you to Gatorade for the recognition and for creating this once-in-a-lifetime experience to celebrate all the hard work it took for us to get here.”
The Gatorade Best Players of the Year announcement follows a sponsored multi-day experience in New York City, honoring twelve men and women Gatorade National Players of the Year across sports, and includes meeting their favorite professional athletes, billboards in Times Square, attending educational and celebratory events, and walking the ESPY Awards red carpet ahead of the BPOY announcement.
Gatorade’s award process factors in academic and charitable endeavors into the decision making process. Emerson has volunteered at The North Texas Food Bank and Mission Arlington, and donated his time by organizing and leading youth baseball training sessions and defensive coaching camps. In association with his parents’ company, Always Family Senior Home Care, he also delivers home care services throughout the holiday season. Gatorade’s press release also praised Emerson’s A-average in the classroom.
