Justin Lebron Becomes Highest-Drafted Alabama Player in 35 Years

Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron has been selected No. 18 overall by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Lebron is the highest-drafted Crimson Tide player since Joe Vitiello, who was the seventh pick in 1991. The only all-time Alabama products ahead of Lebron and Vitiello are Randy Hunt (No. 2 in 1981) and Pete Roberts (No. 3 in 1986), both of whom went in the June Secondary Draft. Lebron also becomes UA's first top-20 pick since Vitiello.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-hander is the 11th player selected since Rob Vaughn became Alabama's head coach, joining T.J. McCants, Pierce George, Ian Petrutz, Greg Farone, Gage Miller, Ben Hess, Jonathan Stevens, Richie Bonomolo, Kade Snell and Riley Quick. Like Lebron, Hess (26th overall in 2024) and Quick (39th in 2025) were also first-round picks.

The 21-year-old ended his junior year by taking the Crimson Tide back to the College World Series for the first time since 1999. The electric shortstop's elite athleticism was on display throughout the 2026 season, as he stole 42 bases and was only caught stealing once all year. He led the team with 16 home runs and was third with 48 RBIs, while making numerous eye-popping plays in the field.

The Miramar, Florida, native led the Crimson Tide to three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, contributing to a conference record that improved in each season he played, culminating with a fourth-place finish in the SEC this past season.

"I told Bronny at the end of this thing — phew, I told myself I wasn't going to do this — that guy making a decision to stay when nobody else in college baseball would have is what's changed the trajectory of Alabama baseball, both for the short term and the long term," Vaughn said after Alabama was eliminated from the CWS. "So his family, his brother, man, I gave his brother the biggest hug afterwards. What a special kid."

The shortstop batted .313, hit 45 home runs, and tallied 158 RBIs with 69 stolen bases over three seasons as he developed into one of the most dangerous players in the Southeastern Conference. His efforts earned him numerous individual accolades, including the All-SEC Freshman Team and First Team All-SEC in 2024, ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-American in 2025, and ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region Second Team in 2026, among other awards.

"Baseball day-to-day is hard, so you never really know what you're going to get," Lebron said after being eliminated from the CWS. "But I'm saying me off the field, I hope that people remember me as someone who was super generous and just really loved to help others and was super hard working, things like that, because that's what I am."

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