HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point Rockers left-handed pitcher Kent Emanuel has had his contract selected by the Cincinnati Reds. Emanuel is expected to report to the Reds’ Class AAA franchise at Louisville where he will be joined by three other former Rocker pitchers in lefties Ben Wereski and Brandon Leibrandt and righty Cam Cotter.
Emanuel, 34, was 4-0 with a 2.30 ERA in nine starts for the Rockers. He went 3-0 in July and earned Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month honors. In his 47 innings on the year, Emanuel has held opponents to 38 hits and just nine walks while striking out 53. Opposing batters mustered just a .217 batting average against him. In his two seasons at High Point, Emanuel went 10-1 with a 2.91 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 105 innings.
Emanual played at the University of North Carolina and was the ACC Pitcher of the Year in 2013 after leading the Tar Heels to the College World Series. He was 11-5 in his final season in Chapel Hill and was a first team All-ACC selection in both 2012 and ’13. In 2024 with the Miami Marlins, Emanuel made 12 MLB appearances with 12 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. The Woodstock, Ga. native was a finalist for both the Golden Spikes and Dick Howser Awards in 2013.
Emanuel’s signing by the Reds marks the 11th transfer of a Rockers player to an MLB affiliate or international league this season and the 60th since the team was founded in 2019. Eight former Rockers have gone on to play in the Majors with pitchers Ryan Weiss, Brandon Leibrandt and Huascar Brazoban pitching this season.
