Emerson Christian Hancock (born May 31, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at Georgia, and was selected sixth overall by the Mariners in the 2020 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023.
| Emerson Hancock | |
|---|---|
 Hancock with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2019 | |
| Seattle Mariners – No. 62 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: May 31, 1999 Thomasville, Georgia, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 9, 2023, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 4–4 |
| Earned run average | 4.71 |
| Strikeouts | 45 |
| Teams | |
| |
Amateur career
editHancock attended Cairo High School in Cairo, Georgia. As a senior, he went 11–1 with 0.75 earned run average (ERA) and 125 strikeouts over 65 innings. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 38th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft[1] but did not sign with the team
After high school, Hancock played college baseball for the University of Georgia Bulldogs for three years.[2] As a freshman at Georgia in 2018, Hancock started 15 games, going 6–4 with a 5.10 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 77 2⁄3 innings.[3][4][5] As a sophomore in 2019, he went 8–3 in 14 starts with a 1.99 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 90+1⁄3 innings. He was named a second-team All-American by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball.com, and Perfect Game.[6] After the season, he was invited to play for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team,[7] but he was not selected for the team's roster.[8] He went 2–0 in four starts in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professional career
editHancock was selected sixth overall by the Seattle Mariners in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[9] He signed with the Mariners for a bonus of $5.7 million.[10]
Hancock made his professional debut in 2021 with the Everett AquaSox of the High-A West.[11] Hancock played in the All-Star Futures Game.[12] He was promoted to the Arkansas Travelers of the Double-A Central in August.[13] In 12 starts with the two teams, he went 3–1 with a 2.62 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 44+2⁄3 innings.[14] He missed time during the season due to a shoulder injury.[15] In 2023, Hancock returned to Arkansas, making 20 starts and posting an 11–5 record and 4.32 ERA with 107 strikeouts across 98 innings pitched.[16]
On August 9, 2023, the Mariners selected Hancock's contract and promoted him to the major leagues.[17] He made his MLB debut that night starting against the San Diego Padres. He pitched 5 innings, giving up 2 hits, 1 earned run, and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts.[18] On August 20, Hancock was removed from a start against the Houston Astros with a right shoulder strain.[19] He was placed on the injured list the next day.[20] On August 22, Hancock was transferred to the 60–day injured list, ending his season. In 3 starts for Seattle in 2023, he had a 4.50 ERA with 6 strikeouts in 12 innings of work.[21]
References
edit- ^ Staff report (June 15, 2017). "Diamondbacks take Cairo's Hancock in 38th round". Thomasville Times-Enterprise.
- ^ david.almeda@gaflnews.com, David Almeda (November 16, 2016). "Cairo's Puckett, Hancock formally commit to FSU, UGA". Thomasville Times-Enterprise.
- ^ True ace: Emerson Hancock flashes dominance as Georgia baseball sweeps UMass Lowell
- ^ Healy, Joe. "Emerson Hancock Emerges As Georgia's Ace". www.baseballamerica.com.
- ^ Mixon, Joshua (February 23, 2019). "Hancock again dominant in Dogs victory". Athens Banner-Herald.
- ^ "Emerson Hancock - University of Georgia Athletics". University of Georgia Athletics. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "Georgia pitchers Hancock and Wilcox Earn USA Baseball Team Invitations". Albany Herald. June 8, 2019.
- ^ Cavadi, Wayne (July 19, 2019). "Team USA Baseball roster: Collegiate National Team players, conferences". NCAA.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "Mariners stick to power-pitching plan, take right-hander Emerson Hancock with sixth pick in MLB draft". The Seattle Times. June 10, 2020.
- ^ "Mariners sign draft picks Emerson Hancock, Zach DeLoach and Taylor Dollard". June 25, 2020.
- ^ Brock, Corey. "Captain's Log: Loaded High-A Everett stocked with top prospects".
- ^ "Futures Game rosters are STACKED". MLB.com.
- ^ "So long, Everett: AquaSox pitchers Hancock, Kirby promoted". August 10, 2021.
- ^ "Healthy Hancock recaps Mariners' HP camp". MLB.com.
- ^ "Mariners shut down No. 4 prospect for 2021". MLB.com.
- ^ "Emerson Hancock - Stats - Pitching". fangraphs.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Kramer, Daniel (August 9, 2023). "Mariners top pitching prospect Hancock called up, to debut tonight". MLB.com.
- ^ "San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners Box Score: August 9, 2023". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "Mariners' Emerson Hancock: Exits start with shoulder strain". cbssports.com. August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Mariners' Emerson Hancock: Lands on injured list". cbssports.com. August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Mariners' Emerson Hancock: Transferred to 60-day IL". cbssports.com. August 22, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Georgia Bulldogs bio