High School

Pittsburgh Pirates select California high schooler Seth Hernandez No. 6 overall in 2025 MLB Draft

Corona High’s standout pitcher Seth Hernandez was picked by Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday night.

Tarek Fattal

Seth Hernandez of Corona High was named the 2025 Gatorade National Player of the Year.
Seth Hernandez of Corona High was named the 2025 Gatorade National Player of the Year. / Joe Greer, Gatorade

Corona High’s Seth Hernandez is finally a big leaguer.

Projected to be a top MLB Draft pick for the last two years, Hernandez’ name was called Wednesday night at the 2025 MLB Draft in Atlanta when he was selected No. 6 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hernandez will join fellow Californians Paul Skenes (El Toro High) and Jared Jones (La Mirada High).

Hernandez is the two-time High School On SI Player of the Year in Southern California and is expected to be one of three Corona High players drafted Wednesday night along with Billy Carlson and Brady Ebel.

Hernandez has drawn buzz since he was a junior in high school after being homeschooled his freshman and sophomore year. As a junior, Hernandez led Corona to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title and a 2024 National Championship after hitting .352 with 37 hits, 34 RBI and eight homers. Hernandez had an OPS of 1.080 including a slugging percentage of .666.

Corona High baseball pitcher Seth Hernandez
Corona High senior pitcher Seth Hernandez pitches against Santa Margarita at the Boris Classic on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. / Greg Stein

One of his best games in 2024 was against Etiwanda, going 2 for 3 with two homers and six RBI. The Panthers won 11-0. From the bump, Hernandez was even more dominant, going 9-0 in 10 starts with an ERA of just 0.62. He fanned 73 batters in 56 innings and allowed just 27 hits.

The Panthers finished 2024 with an overall record of 30-3.

In 2025, Hernandez went 9-1 with a 0.39 ERA in 11 appearances. He struck out a mind-boggling 105 batters in 53 1/3 innings and walked just seven. From the plate, he batted .300 with 30 hits, 30 RBIs, seven homers and 24 scored runs in 31 games.

SCOUT ON HERNANDEZ

Hernandez stands 6-foot-4, roughly 200 pounds and turned 19 in June. He’s reached 100 miles per hour on his fastball. He also throws a curveball, changeup and slider.

Hernandez has drawn comparisons to Josh Beckett.

His fastball sits 96-98 MPH. His fastball has an above-average spin rate and explodes out of his hand. The changeup might be Hernandez’s best pitch and it’s one of the best offspeed pitches in this draft.

Hernandez has a true 12-6 breaking ball and a sharp slider, and both pitches possess spin rates near 2,700 RPMs. Hernandez has good control and fills up the strike zone but will need to fine-tune the command on his secondary pitches. At 6’4” and 190 pounds, Hernandez has the ideal pitching frame with room to fill it out with more muscle.

JUST A LITTLE MORE

The Los Angeles Angels had the No. 2 overall pick Wednesday night and had a chance to keep Hernandez home, so to speak. But decided to draft UC Santa Barbara right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner instead.

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Published
Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
TAREK FATTAL

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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