PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS

Kale Emshoff woke up June 14 not knowing what to expect.

The Arkansas-Little Rock catcher was one of more than 1,000 players who would have been drafted in a normal year but was passed over in this year’s five-round draft. The March agreement between Major League Baseball and the players’ union that shortened the draft in response to the coronavirus pandemic also placed restrictions on nondrafted free agents. Undrafted players could not be contacted until three days after the draft, June 14, at 9 a.m. Eastern, and their signing bonuses would be capped at $20,000.

Emshoff, a redshirt junior, was ready to turn pro even with those restrictions.