"Next year starts now," said Cincinnati Reds Director of Amateur Scouting Joe Katuska.
As Cincinnati Reds Director of Amateur Scouting Joe Katuska walked out of the frame of the Zoom call with local reporters, he uttered an irrefutable baseball truth as the reporters dropped off the call: "Next year starts now," and then the Zoom cut out.
Scouting never stops in MLB. Some baseball fans tune in around draft time, especially as MLB attempts to market its draft as a marquee TV event. But by the following morning, there's a new draft to prepare for. Already, keyboards across the country are probably clacking as prospect rankings are assembled for the 2026 Draft.
Before we shift our collective attention away from the draft that concluded Monday, July 14, to the MLB All-Star Game, the resumption of the regular season on Friday, July 18, and the future waves of talent, let's take stock of what the Cincinnati Reds just added to their organization.
Here's who the Reds selected (by round and overall pick)
- No. 9 overall − SS Steele Hall (Hewitt-Trussville High School; Alabama)
- 51st overall - RHP Aaron Wayson (Trinity Christian Academy; Florida)
- 83rd - RHP Mason Morris (Ole Miss)
- 114th - OF Mason Neville (Oregon)
- 145th - OF Eli Pitts (North Atlanta High School; Atlanta)
- 174th - RHP Braden Osbolt (Kennesaw State)
- 204th - RHP Justin Henschel (FGCU)
- 234th - LHP Kyle McCoy (Maryland)
- 264th - OF Kien Vu (Arizona State)
- 294th - 1B Ty Doucette (Rutgers)
- 324th - RHP Jake Brink (College of Charleston)
- 354th - RHP Carson Latimer (Sacramento State)
- 384th - RHP Brady Afthim (UCONN)
- 414th - RHP Bryce Archie (USF)
- 444th - RHP Andrew Shaffner (NC State)
- 474th - RHP Maison Martinez (Florida State)
- 504th - C Dylan King (UCF)
- 534th - SS Ethan Moore (Oak Park and River Forest High School; Illinois)
- 564th - RHP Myles Upchurch (St. Albans High School; Washington, D.C.)
- 594th - C Leamsi Montanez (Leadership Christian Academy, Puerto Rico)
How did the Reds do in the 2025 MLB Draft?
C'mon, you know that question can't be answered today. It could be years before some of these players get serious looks to join the Reds' big-league roster. Even the Reds' first-round pick, Steele Hall, is just 17 years old. He's almost certainly not done maturing physically. These are elite athletes and talented baseball players, but they'll likely be proving themselves up and down the Reds' farm system in the coming years.
But to the extent that a draft can be evaluated, the Reds feel good about the players they selected relative to the current profile of their farm system and others expected to join it soon.
“Pretty good day but that was a long one," Katuska said. "I think we’re always looking to capture that upside in the draft, knowing where we’re positioned as a team and in our marketplace. We have to find that value in the upside in the draft or international market and then develop it because we can’t go get those guys at the big-league level and that we understand are the best players in the game. So trying to grab some of the upside here in the draft and get them to the big leagues where they can make an impact for us is always key.”
The makeup of the Reds' 2025 draft class
- The Reds selected six high school players and 14 college players.
- Six of the Reds' draft picks were ranked among the top 250 draft prospects, according to MLB.com (Steele Hall, No. 12; Mason Neville, No. 35; Aaron Watson, No. 45; Ethan Moore, No. 100; Mason Morris, No. 117; Myles Upchurch, No. 167; Kyle McCoy, No. 197).
- Positionally, the Reds selected: 12 pitchers, two catchers, two shortstops, one first baseman, three outfielders.
- From the 14 college players Cincinnati selected, these conferences were represented in the draft class: Big Ten (three), ACC (two), Big XII (two), SEC (one), Big East (one), American (one), Conference USA (one), Atlantic Sun (one), CAA (one), Big Sky (one).
Did the Reds catch any big breaks in the 2025 MLB Draft?
Cincinnati got some good breaks during the draft. Katuska mentioned Kien Vu of Arizona State, drafted in the ninth round at No. 264 overall, was a player Reds' scouts didn't expect to be available at that point in the draft. Vu had a 1.059 OPS this past season, which was down from 2024 but his career OPS for the Sun Devils was still 1.062.
"We like that bat and we like the athlete. We think he can play all three outfield spots," Katuska said. "The entire outfield for Arizona State got drafted this year. (Brandon) Compton, (Isaiah) Jackson and Vu. We liked all three of those guys. We thought there was tremendous value. We thought that Kien would go off the board faster than he ended up going off. We're pretty excited. He's definitely a guy I'd highlight there. And yeah, even in a so-called down year, he still performed and we think there's some untapped upside there and he's a guy we're excited about getting.
The Reds don't expect to sign all of their draft picks
This isn't unusual. Two ranked prospects fell to the Reds in the latter stages of the draft, and there was a reason for that. Myles Upchurch is expected to proceed with a college career at Alabama. USA Today Network reporter Mike Wilson of the Knoxville News Sentinel reported Ethan Morris would also go the college route and play for Tennessee.
The Reds anticipated these circumstances.
"There are a couple that are late that I wouldn't anticipate we have an opportunity to sign right now," Katuska said. "You know, Ethan Moore, Myles Upchurch are kind of those guys... where we recognize the talent and who they are as people, and kind of wanted to show them a little respect in the process that they got their names selected and that we like them."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'We like everyone that we took.' Recapping the Reds' 2025 MLB Draft
Category: Baseball
