The Reds are on the clock a little later than usual this summer, and the name Baseball America is tying to them at No. 18 is a familiar kind of draft bet for Cincinnati: upside, tools and plenty of projection.
In Carlos Collazo’s latest mock draft, the Reds land Trevor Condon, a high school outfielder from Etowah High School in Woodstock, Georgia. Collazo said Condon’s stock could be moving up quickly.
"Condon’s market starts to heat up a few picks in front of this spot," Baseball America's Carlos Collazo wrote. "He shouldn’t last too much longer if the Reds choose to not take him. This could be another potential landing spot for big-tools athletes like Justin Lebron or Sawyer Strosnider, and I’ve heard Cincinnati linked to a ton of the best lefthanders in the class, as well, both high school and college."
Collazo also pointed to another arm he believes could fit the Reds’ board.
"I haven’t heard Mason Edwards specifically tied to Cincinnati, but he seems to be moving up boards. I’ve heard some Andrew Abbott comps with Edwards in recent days, and if the Reds share that view, the pick could make a ton of sense."
Cincinnati’s first-round track record over the past few drafts shows how wide open things can be. Last year, the Reds took high school shortstop Steele Hall, who is putting together a huge season with the ACL Reds.
In 2024, they used the second overall pick on Wake Forest right-hander Chase Burns, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. A year earlier, they grabbed Rhett Lowder at No. 7 out of Wake Forest; Lowder missed all of last season with injuries but has spent most of this year in the rotation.
The Reds also had a competitive balance pick in 2023 and chose Ty Floyd, who has dealt with injuries since being drafted out of LSU after Tommy Johnson surgery.
Go back to 2022 and the pattern still holds. Cincinnati selected Cam Collier out of Chipola College in Marianna, Florida, and he remains in Double-A Chattanooga while struggling offensively this season.
Their other 2022 competitive balance pick came after Nick Castellanos declined the qualifying offer, and that selection turned into Sal Stewart. Stewart got called up at the end of last season and has become a fixture in Cincinnati’s lineup this year.
The through line for the Reds is pretty clear: take the best player, then trust the development path.
“Still really focused on the best player available and someone we can develop on their own timeline," Reds Director of Scouting Joe Katuska told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon before the 2025 MLB Draft.
With the draft only a couple of weeks away, the guesswork is just getting started. And for Cincinnati, that usually means the board can still swing in just about any direction.
In Other News...
Reds Cannot Afford To Get This Chase Petty Decision Wrong
With Eugenio Suarez out and Elly De La Cruz dealing with ankle concern, the Reds are already navigating the kind of injury pileup that can quickly tighten a roster. In the middle of that, Chase Petty has given Cincinnati a useful look in relief, showing enough promise to matter in the present while also reminding the club why he remains more than just a short-term bullpen arm.
The larger question is whether the Reds should keep treating Petty like a help-now reliever or use this stretch to pull him back into a starters path before the deadline reshapes the rotation. Hunter Greenes return could change how Cincinnati handles the innings ahead, especially if the front office decides to move pieces such as Brady Singer or Nick Lodolo, and Pettys next decision may say as much about the clubs long-term planning as any trade it makes this month. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Are Back In The Same Center Field Dilemma Again
The Reds are right back in search mode in center field, and TJ Friedls return from Triple-A gives them the most familiar option to sort through the mess. Friedl was recalled after being optioned in early June, a reset that followed an 18-game stint in Louisville, while Blake Dunn landed on the injured list with an elbow strain and opened up another hole in the lineup mix.
For now, Friedl looks like the leading candidate to handle center, with Dane Myers, Noelvi Marte, JJ Bleday and Matt McLain all in the picture as the staff keeps shuffling pieces around. Dunns injury also nudged Elly De La Cruz into the leadoff spot, which only adds another layer to the clubs latest lineup puzzle as it tries to stabilize the middle of the diamond. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Fans Had Every Reason To Fear This Gavin Lux Trade
When the Reds sent Mike Sirota to the Dodgers for Gavin Lux, the move was sold as a chance to get an established big leaguer while dealing from a prospect stash. It also immediately carried the kind of downside Cincinnati fans know too well with player-for-player swaps, because the club was betting on Lux stabilizing the infield and adding some needed offense while giving up a young talent with plenty of upside.
Instead, the trade has quickly tilted the wrong way for Cincinnatis side of it. Lux did not give the Reds the lift they needed, and his time in the field and at the plate never really delivered the payoff the front office was chasing before he was later flipped again for Brock Burke. Meanwhile, the loss of Sirota keeps looking more painful, which is why this deal keeps coming up as a cautionary tale every time the Reds are reminded how thin the margin can be on deadline-style roster moves. [Read more 🡒]