Draft Prospect Series: Emerson Hancock

The Blue Jays would likely view it as an exciting surprise if Emerson Hancock (RHP) fell to them with the fifth overall pick. The Georgia native; who has pitched three seasons for his in-state University of Georgia Bulldogs, is at the top of most pre-draft rankings due to the high-upside and versatility of the skills that he possesses.

According to MLB.com’s scouting grade scale; he grades at the top of the draft class, both amongst prep and college players. The right-handed Hancock’s highest graded skill is his fastball, which is routinely clocked in the mid-to-upper 90 miles per hour range and tops out at 100 mph. His slider and changeup are both above average and he also offers a curveball as a second breaking pitch. While he is definitely considered a hard-throwing starter, he also has above average command of his pitches, reflected in the fact that he has lowered his BB/9 in each season while working his way to the forefront of the Bulldog’s rotation.

Hancock held the sixth best earned run average amongst all college pitchers in 2019, and among pitchers in the SEC his 1.99 ERA placed third. He also finished in the top 10 on in-conference leader boards in batting average against, wins, hits allowed, and walks allowed. His 97 strikeouts in 2019 ranked only thirteenth in his conference, which is due to missing time in the final month with a minor arm injury. His strikeout total still averaged out to 9.7 K/9 on the year.

In the shortened 2020 season, he only started in four games, so his 3.75 ERA should not be of concern. On a strong note in this small sample size, he posted his highest K/9 and his best BB/9, indicating that 2020 would have likely been a dominant year.

Should the four teams with selections prior to the Blue Jays pass on Emerson Hancock, he could represent a valuable addition to the quickly-improving wave of Jays pitching prospects, as Nate Pearson, Simeon Woods-Richardson and Alek Manoah represent three of the organization’s top five prospects. If Hancock is drafted by Toronto, it would be the second consecutive year that the Jays selected a pitcher in the first round after Alek Manoah was selected in 2019.