Cincinnati Reds select SS Justin Lebron with 18th pick in 2026 MLB draft

PHILADELPHIA – The Cincinnati Reds selected an Alabama shortstop in the first round of the MLB draft for the second year in a row.

This time it was University of Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron with the 18th overall pick (a year after taking high school shortstop Steele Hall).

Lebron, 21, was ranked as the ninth-best overall prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline.

“I had to struggle at times a lot, and I think that builds character,” LeBron said in a video played on the draft stage in Philadelphia. “I think that builds character. I found a way.”

The Reds also had the No.18 overall pick in two previous drafts, selecting eventual 1990 All-Star pitcher and World Series champ Jack Armstrong, and infielder Cam Collier in 2022.

Collier, a corner infielder at Double-A Chattanooga is the sixth-ranked prospect in the Reds system, according to MLB Pipeline and was the 2023 Futures Game MVP.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds select SS Justin Lebron with 18th pick in 2026 MLB draft