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Baseball: Emerson Hancock made his Major League debut as a starter
Hancock, a 6-4, 213-pound native of Cairo, Ga., was pitching extremely well for their Double-A affiliate in Arkansas when he received the promotion. He was ranked as the number one pitching prospect, and number four overall prospect in the Mariners organization, according to MLB.com.
In his last 10 starts for the Travelers, the right-hander posted a 2.97 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 57.2 innings. This season, he has compiled an 11-5 record with a 4.32 ERA in 20 starts. In 98 innings, he registered 107 strikeouts and only 38 walks. In 53 career minor league starts, he is 21-10 with a 3.77 ERA. In 2022, he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game in Los Angeles. He pitched a scoreless inning and struck out the side. This year, he’s been named Texas League Pitcher of the Month (June) and Mariners Minor League Pitcher of the Month (June).
A sport management major, Hancock is one of only four student-athletes in the history of the University of Georgia to earn First Team Academic All-America honors and be a first-round draft pick in his sport. The others were fellow Cairo native Bill Stanfill (football, 1968 Academic All-American, Miami Dolphins, 11th overall pick in 1969), Alec Kessler (basketball, 1988-90 Academic All-American, Miami Heat, 12th pick in 1990) and Matt Stinchcomb (1997-98 Academic All-American, Oakland Raiders, 18th pick in 1999).
During his Bulldog career, Hancock went 16-7 with a 3.47 ERA in 33 appearances, all starts and was an All-American and Academic All-American. He tallied 206 strikeouts and 55 walks in 192 innings. The Bulldogs were ranked as high as No. 2 in 2020 when the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. He became the 11th Bulldog to be selected in the first round and the highest draft pick since 1987 when Derek Lilliquist went sixth overall to Atlanta. A shoulder issue in 2021 and then a lat issue in 2022 were the only things that slowed Hancock’s rise to the Majors.
Hancock is the 40th former Bulldog to reach the Major League level. Currently, there are two other Georgia greats in the Majors in Kyle Farmer (INF, Minnesota Twins) and Alex Wood (LHP, San Francisco Giants).
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