The 2025 MLB Draft began with quite the shocker. The Washington Nationals selected high school shortstop Eli Willits with the No. 1 overall pick, and then the Los Angeles Angels surprised everyone by selecting Tyler Bremner out of UC Santa Barbara. The Cincinnati Reds, on the other hand, followed their tried and true draft strategy by selecting Steele Hall with the ninth-overall pick in the draft.
Hall was viewed by most scouts as a borderline top-10 pick in the draft. The high school shortstop reclassified for the 2025 MLB Draft and was one of the youngest prospects available. The Reds’ selection at No. 9 comes with a slot value of $6.51 million, but it’s quite likely that Cincinnati will be able to agree to an under-slot deal and save some bonus pool money for some of their later-round selections.
The Reds had a Competitive Balance in this year’s draft, but Cincinnati included that pick as part of the Gavin Lux trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason. LA selected Arkansas outfielder Charles Davalan with pick No. 41.
High school shortstop Steele Hall highlights Reds’ 2025 MLB Draft picks
The Reds’ second-round pick also came from the high school ranks, as Cincinnati added right-handed prep prospect Aaron Watson to their farm system with the 51st-overall selection on Sunday night. Watson, at 6-foot-5, is a projectable starter with a fastball that touches 95 mph. Reds fans, however, will need to be patient with the 18-year-old as he works toward developing a third offering.
Round
Player
Position
1
Steele Hall
SS
2
Aaron Watson
RHP
3
Mason Morris
RHP
4
Mason Neville
OF
5
Eli Pitts
OF
6
Braden Osbolt
RHP
7
Justin Henschel
RHP
8
Kyle McCoy
LHP
9
Kien Vu
OF
10
Ty Doucette
1B
11
Jake Brink
RHP
12
Carson Latimer
RHP
13
Brady Afthim
RHP
14
Bryce Archie
RHP
15
Andrew Shaffner
RHP
16
Maison Martinez
RHP
17
Dylan King
C
18
Ethan Moore
SS
19
Myles Upchurch
RHP
20
Leamsi Monatnez
C
Cincinnati wrapped up Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft by selecting another right-handed pitching prospect. Mason Morris of Ole Miss is a reliever by trade, though some scouts believe the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder has the makings of a starter. Morris has a cut fastball that sits in the low 90s and pairs it with a heater that comes close to hitting triple digits on the radar gun.
Rounds 4-20 oftentimes don’t offer dynamic prospects, though current Reds players like Santiago Espinal, Jose Trevino, Emilio Pagán, and Scott Barlow were chosen in the sixth-round or later. While these late-round picks may not come with the same cache as their first-round counterparts, adding talent after Day 1 of the draft is key to an organization’s overall success.
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