PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates took a shot on one of the top high school pitchers in their draft class and he’s proven that he has the intangibles for a future at the MLB level.
The Pirates took Seth Hernandez out of Corona High School in Corona, Calif.,45 miles east of Los Angeles, making him the sixth overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
Hernandez didn’t pitch for the Pirates in the minor leagues in 2025, but did pitch down at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., where he should start next season with the Florida Complex League (FCL) Pirates.
He has finally gotten some game experience outside the high school level, pitching in the Dominican Republic for the Pirates academy in the country, located in the municipality of El Toro.
Hernandez showed off three pitches, including his fastball twice, and two breaking balls, which appear as his changeup and his curveball.
His fastball hit release speeds of both 100 mph and 99 mph in both videos, a big reason why scouts had him so high in their mock drafts, as most pitchers don’t hit those speeds at just 19 years old.
Hernadez also showed some great movement on his breaking balls, showing a ton of vertical break and a high spin rate, getting both hitters to swing on pitches low in the zone.