Minor League Baseball

Cincinnati Reds Draft Pick Ethan Moore Picks College Over Pros, Heads to Tennessee

Shortstop Ethan Moore, who came into the MLB Draft as the No. 100 overall prospect on the board, will suit up for the Tennessee Volunteers instead of signing with the Cincinnati Reds.
Sam Connon|
Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oak Park & River Forest High School shortstop Ethan Moore during the Perfect Game National Showcase high school baseball game at Chase Field.
Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oak Park & River Forest High School shortstop Ethan Moore during the Perfect Game National Showcase high school baseball game at Chase Field. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds took a flier on a prep infielder with their 18th round pick on Monday, only for that flier to turn to dust before the night was through.

Cincinnati selected shortstop Ethan Moore with the 534th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Within a few hours, the Oak Park and River Forest High School (Ill.) product told USA Today that would be following through on his commitment to the Tennessee Volunteers and play ball in the SEC next season.

MLB Pipeline had Moore ranked as the No. 100 overall prospect in the draft, which was good for No. 39 among high schoolers, No. 30 among shortstops and No. 20 among high school shortstops.

The very fact that Moore fell to the No. 534 signified that Moore was pretty dead set on taking the college route. There were 68 shortstops drafted ahead of the 18-year-old, 29 of whom came out of the high school ranks.

Moore was previously committed to Louisville before flipping last November and signing a National Letter of Intent with Tennessee. Shortstops Steele Hall and Billy Carlson also signed with the Volunteers, but they were drafted No. 9 and No. 10 overall by the Reds and Chicago White Sox, respectively.

Tennessee's starting shortstop, Gavin Kilen, also went to the San Francisco Giants at No. 13 overall.

Moore, who measures in at 6 feet and 190 pounds, will be eligible to go pro again when the 2028 MLB Draft rolls around.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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