Washington baseball: Emanuels selected by Oakland

The college baseball season didn’t last very long, but Washington baseball’s Stevie Emanuels impressed MLB scouts enough to earn a look from the Athletics

Washington baseball had only one player being drafted this year in the MLB’s new five-round draft format. Stevie Emanuels, a right-handed pitcher out of Interlake High School in Bellevue, Washington, was taken in the fifth round by the Oakland Athletics.

Most teams took players they felt were closest to being major league ready, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Emanuels rise through the system quickly. The A’s desperately need pitching help, and he has a chance to make a quick rise to the major leagues.

Emanuels, who was the top recruit in the state of Washington coming out of high school, was a reliever during his first two years on campus. The coaching staff was clearly very confident in him, as he earned 34 appearances out of the bullpen as a freshman. He ended up with a 4.37 ERA, but he quickly improved upon that as a sophomore. In 2019, he became a dominant reliever, appearing in 31 games and finishing the year with a 2.35 ERA.

This year, the Washington Huskies decided to make him into a starting pitcher. Though the Pac-12 conference schedule was canceled, Emanuels was dominant in four starts against non-conference opponents. He ended up finishing his season with a 3-1 record and an outstanding 0.79 ERA.

The Athletics can do whatever they want with Emanuels. He has starter potential, and will probably start off in the minor leagues in the rotation. He might begin his MLB career as a reliever, but Oakland needs a lot of help in their starting rotation, and Emanuels could slot in as a mid-tier starter after a few seasons at the major league level.

Congratulations to Stevie on beginning his professional career, and we wish him the best of luck!