The 2026 edition of the MLB Draft begins this Saturday, July 11th, at 1:00 PM ET. Saturday will see teams make selections through the end of Round 4, while Sunday will conclude the draft with teams making picks 5 through 20 over the course of an 8-hour grind that will begin at 11:30 PM ET.
Because the Cincinnati Reds were slightly better than mediocre during the 2025 season instead of their typical ‘awful,’ they won’t make a selection until pick #18 in Round 1 this time around. So, it’s hard to truly
hammer down one particular player they are tied to since there are so many scenarios that could play out over the first 17 picks of the draft. Still, it’s evident that their scouts have been tied to a number of players who most front offices expect will be available around that portion of the draft, and we’ll run down which players have been linked to the Reds in mock drafts through Sunday, July 5th below.
MLB Pipeline: OF Trevor Condon (Etowah HS – Woodstock, GA)
Despite being an extremely talented Georgia high school product with the last name of ‘Condon,’ Trevor is not related to fellow Condon Charlie, whom the Reds were linked to a bit prior to the 2024 draft when they instead selected Chase Burns with the #2 pick. Trevor, to his credit, has carved out his own big of GA lore, and is ranked #13 overall by the MLB Pipeline crew at the moment.
Listed as an OF, Condon also has experience playing 2B, and the 5’11” 175 lb left-handed hitter is currently committed to baseball powerhouse Tennessee at the collegiate level. So, if the Reds were to jump to select him, he’d likely require the full (if not over-slot) bonus to sway him from that decision.
Player Highlights via Perfect Game
ESPN: OF Trevor Condon (Etowah HS – Woodstock, GA)
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has Condon on the Reds board, too. He even drops a Kevin McGonigle reference in his blurb, which is #nice.
Perfect Game: RHP Liam Peterson (University of Florida)
To highlight just how ‘all over the place’ this year’s draft is, Perfect Game has the Reds taking Florida righty Liam Peterson with the #18 pick. They have Trevor Condon going #40 overall. MLB Pipeline actually has Peterson going with pick #17 ahead of the Condon pick in their latest mock, though they rank Condon as the #13 player in their draft rankings and Peterson #20.
Science!
Peterson put up a somewhat pedestrian 4.59 ERA across 84.1 IP for the Gators this past season and a mediocre 5.03 ERA across 216.2 IP there in his career. However, he’s 6’5” and 220 lbs with a 60 grade fastball and 65 grade slider, his heater running ‘up to 99 with riding life and carry,’ according to Prospect Porch.
A projectable frame on a college arm with solid, but not extensive use to date? That sounds like something the Reds would be very much up to should Peterson still be around at pick 18.
Perfect Game Scouting Report & Highlights (from his senior year in HS)
The Athletic: RHP Liam Peterson (University of Florida)
Keith Law sees the Reds taking Peterson in his latest mock, too. That’s in part because he’s the best starter available on his board at this point of the draft, and also because he thinks ‘the Reds are a little more likely to take a pitcher than a hitter,’ which certainly tracks.
USA Today: RHP Liam Peterson (University of Florida)
Gabe Lacques has the Reds taking Peterson here, too. Like Law, he’s got Peterson as the pick here despite Condon being still on his board (with the San Diego Padres selecting him at pick #21).
D1 Baseball: SS Justin Lebron (University of Alabama)
Justin Lebron is a name connected with as high as pick #2 overall (Perfect Game), whereas MLB Pipeline has him ranked as the #9 prospect in this year’s draft class. The 6’2” 190 lb shortstop hits from the right side of the plate while playing plus defense at the game’s most important defensive position, and the Pipeline crew doled out 60-grades on each of his Power, Run, Arm, and Field tools.
Lebron swiped 42 bags last season for the Crimson Tide and went a pretty astonishing 69 for 71 on steals over the course of his college career. He was also originally committed to play ball for Rice and study Mechanical Engineering, which is cool as all hell.
He’s got to work on chasing breaking balls, but so much of the rest of his skill set is tough to replicate with anyone else in this draft. If he’s still there at #18, he’s who I’d be selecting.
Perfect Game Scouting Report & Highlights (from his senior year in HS)
