Alabama SS Lebron taking talents to Reds with No. 18 pick

Justin Lebron, a shortstop out of Alabama, was drafted 18th overall by the Reds in the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday.

He became the highest-drafted Alabama player since Ben Hess went to the Yankees at No. 26 overall in 2024.

Ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 9 Draft prospect, Lebron was once seen as perhaps the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s Draft. Torrid freshman and sophomore seasons helped him reach that status, crushing 30 home runs with 109 RBIs in 116 games while also hitting well over .300.

And though a down 2026 by his lofty standards cooled some of the buzz around Lebron, his upside remains immense. Lebron slashed .277/.386/.534 this season with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs. He struggled more in SEC play, hitting .229 with five long balls, but he cut his strikeout total in half compared to 2025 in just two fewer games.

Notably, Lebron -- 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds -- turned into one of college baseball’s best base stealers, taking a massive leap to 42 stolen bases after swiping 24 total bags his first two years. He was only caught stealing twice in his career.

The 21-year-old’s 60-grade power catches eyes from the right side of the plate, while all of his tools except hitting (45) project to be plus. Some evaluators believe he could be even better defensively, despite an uncharacteristic 19 errors this spring.

He has a tendency to chase out of the strike zone, especially on breaking balls, but added weight and bat speed during college to fill out his frame and further improve his power.

A Florida native, Lebron was on Draft radars out of high school in 2023, but he was not going to be selected early enough to sway him from his Alabama commitment. With the Crimson Tide, he became a Day 1 starter at short and turned into a two-time second-team All-American, a two-time All-SEC selection and a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist. Lebron was a key cog in Alabama making the 2026 College World Series, the program’s first since 1999.