Cincinnati Reds Select High School Pitcher With Second Round Pick in MLB Draft

The Cincinnati Reds selected high school pitcher Aaron Watson from Trinity Christian Academy with their second-round draft pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.

The right-handed pitcher is committed to the University of Florida and was ranked as the No. 45 prospect in the draft.

"Because of his feel for pitching, the 6-foot-5 Watson has a pretty high floor and it's not difficult to imagine a higher ceiling as he adds strength to that frame," MLB.com wrote. "He's typically in the low-90s with his fastball, but has been up to 95 mph with more consistent velocity to come. He throws his heater with good sink, getting a lot of ground-ball outs, and complements it with a pair of very effective secondary offerings which flash above-average. He made the switch from curve to slider and can miss bats with his 78-82 mph breaker. He has feel for his mid-80s split changeup, though he doesn't throw it often."

The Reds selected high school shortstop Steele Hall with their first-round selection.

You can see the Reds post below:

With the 51st pick in the 2025 #MLBDraft, the Cincinnati Reds select RHP Aaron Watson.

Welcome to Reds Country, Aaron‼️ pic.twitter.com/B1wmLpRhPB
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 14, 2025

#Reds 2-51: Aaron Watson, RHP, Trinity Christian Academy (FL) -- high projection/floor prep arm, good ability to locate o/s and low 90s FB, great frame/mechanics and starter traits to see high floor rotation future, plenty to work w/ in dev to tap into upside
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) July 14, 2025