Mac Lyons | January 22, 2024

Austin Emener’s first season of professional baseball came with a learning curve. The left-hander out of Macon, Georgia, started the season as part of the impressive starting rotation and an arm-barn of the Fresno Grizzlies that rivaled any organization at the Single-A level. By late June, through twelve games as a starter, Emener had a 1-4 record with a 4.20 ERA and a K% of 26.3 through 60 IP. However, his promising season was cut short by injury, prompting him to receive a full UCL reconstruction and an internal brace in late July. The injury, along with the jump to professional baseball, is just one of many adjustments Emener finds himself facing, instilling the pitching prospect with a revitalized perspective on how he approaches the game. 

As a 16th-round draft pick, Emener is no stranger to adversity. His baseball journey saw him spend his time at Northern Alabama for two seasons before transferring to East Tennessee State. Throughout college, Emener’s role on the mound was never truly defined.

At Northern Alabama, Emener had stints as a long-relief pitcher and closer, but his biggest strides came when the lefty decided to make a change and join longtime mentor, pitching coach Jaime Pinzino, at ETSU. “He believed in me,” Emener said during his Banter Session. “He saw what I could be. He told me back then, ‘you will be a professional pitcher,’ even when I was a junior and I was throwing 85 [MPH]. I didn’t see it then, but he did.” Emener credits Pinzino with reinforcing his confidence both on and off the mound as his draft stock began to rise and the pressure to perform grew. The values the coaching staff at ETSU taught Emener are the same beliefs that the 22-year-old carries with him every day: embrace the grind. His growth both mentally and physically were just another reason for the Rockies to take a chance on the left-hander. 

The mental toughness Emener forged during his time in college translated when he made the jump from college baseball to professional baseball, where his role on the mound, his arsenal of pitches, and his arm, evolved, but not without setbacks. Emener valued his changeup and fastball early in his career, prompting him to slowly incorporate a sweeper and curveball into his already dangerous arsenal. But again, Emener’s injury derailed the majority of his plans, where he is currently slated to return to the mound in September. The months of rehab have been a grind, but this is nothing new to Emener. Before the injury, Emener was adjusting the balance of his game as he took on a starting role. 

“Early on I was struggling a little bit mentally. As a reliever, you come in and it’s high-intensity and you can just let it rip every single time, but as a starter I couldn’t balance that very well at the beginning of the season. I would either be too passive or too aggressive and it would end up biting me. I learned to keep that level-head, find that balance. It’s pitch-to-pitch and high intensity, but you can still assess it.” 

A new role. A season-ending injury. A pitcher’s first season in professional baseball. These are all factors that would deter any highly-touted prospect, yet Emener’s confidence remains undeterred. Since being drafted, Emener has worked directly with Colt Olson, the Rockies Mental Skills Coordinator, and built upon his pre-established confidence. “I learned to not be so hard on myself, to not try and be perfect because there is no perfection in this sport, that’s the beauty of it. It’s more about failure than anything.”

It’s clear that Emener is not letting his injury derail any of his plans, even though he will be sidelined for the majority of the 2025 minor-league season. With an unmatched confidence and dedication to grinding out the good days and the bad, Emener’s journey is on the right path. 

Follow Austin and his juner on his Instagram here.

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