Mariners Get Their Man With Emerson Hancock

Image credit: Georgia righthander Emerson Hancock (Courtesy of Georgia)

The Mariners already have a system bursting with arms, including Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Justin Dunn and Justus Sheffield. And their player development staff has put together a program that takes already talented pitchers and finds clever ways to optimize and enhance their natural gifts.

After the opening night of the 2020 draft, they have another talented arm at their disposal. Following a wild first five picks, Seattle used the sixth selection to take Georgia righthander Emerson Hancock, whom Baseball America ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect in the draft and the second-best pitcher on the board.

“We believe in the track record he had in the SEC,” Mariners scouting director Scott Hunter said on a call with the media after the pick. “6-foot-4, 215 pounds. True power arm with the ability and a body that’s physically built to last for innings and pitch at the top of a rotation.

“We’re really excited going into a season like this that we even had a shot at Emerson. Since midway through last year toward the end of the season, he was considered to be in contention for the first pick in this year’s draft.”

Hancock posted eye-popping numbers as a sophomore at Georgia, including a 1.99 ERA and an 0.84 WHIP and allowed one run or fewer in nine of his 14 starts. He shows a potentially plus command already, and had walked just 1.13 hitters per nine innings this season before the coronavirus outbreak halted the season.

He throws a 93-97 mph fastball, though there are questions about the pitch’s effectiveness, particularly when it comes to getting swings and misses. He backs up the fastball with a potentially plus slider in the low 80s, a steady changeup with plenty of tumble and a curveball as his fourth pitch.

“I like to attack hitters. I like to go right after them,” Hancock said. “I don’t like to walk people. I try to be efficient with my pitches. I want to get long into the games. And really, for me, my key focus is just to go right after people. I like to try to get into deep counts. If I get ahead of people, I like to try to put them away.”

Once he signs, the Mariners will hand Hancock over to a player-development department that has found ways to maximize pitchers’ potential over the past few seasons.

“Breaking down Emerson Hancock, (we looked at) not only his pure stuff, but how can we get him better,” Hunter said. “… When we met with him, he said ‘When I got to campus, I was able to touch 93 mph but I knew I had to get bigger and stronger. I worked my butt off every summer and played summer baseball,’ and he wound up growing into his body.

“This is a kid, as with Logan (Gilbert) and George Kirby, it’s really not a filled-out body yet. He’s strong in his lower half, but upper body-wise, there’s still room to grow.”