Latest news with #JoeKatuska
New York Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Reds sign first-round pick Steele Hall, one of the youngest players in Sunday's draft
NEW YORK — The Cincinnati Reds announced the signing of first-round pick Steele Hall on Friday. Hall, who will turn 18 on July 24, received a signing bonus of $5.75 million, about three-quarters of a million less than the slot value of the team's No. 9 pick, team sources confirmed. Hall was one of the youngest players in last Sunday's draft, reclassifying last fall and graduating early from Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) High School to enter the draft. Advertisement 'We're talking about a player that is a full year younger than the draft class on the whole,' said Joe Katuska, the Reds' amateur scouting director, following the pick. 'That projection moving forward is something that gives us comfort that the gains we've seen now are going to stick and that he's really going to be moving in the right direction as well.' Hall had committed to the University of Tennessee. The Volunteers' coaching staff was the first to suggest Hall reclassify. The Reds had a total pool of $11,836,800 to spend in this year's draft, the 15th-largest in Major League Baseball. The Reds' top pick (No. 2 overall) in 2024, right-hander Chase Burns, set a then-record with a $9.25 million signing bonus, which was less than the slot bonus by $540,000. Rhett Lowder, the team's top pick in 2023, signed for $5.7 million after the Reds took him with the seventh pick in that year's draft. Hall was the fourth high school shortstop off the board when the Reds took him ninth. The Washington Nationals took Oklahoma high school shortstop Eli Willits with the first pick and the Colorado Rockies took another high school shortstop from Oklahoma, Ethan Holliday, with the fourth pick. With the eighth pick, immediately in front of the Reds, the Toronto Blue Jays took Mississippi high school shortstop JoJo Parker. After the Reds took Hall, the Chicago White Sox continued the trend, taking shortstop Billy Carlson from Corona High School (Calif.) with the 10th pick. A total of 14 high school shortstops were taken among the 43 first-round picks, including seven of the first 14 picks. The Reds last took a high school position player with their first pick in 2022, when they selected third baseman Cam Collier with the 18th pick. Like Hall, Collier had reclassified to enter the draft a year early. Collier, 20, is currently at the Reds' Double-A affiliate, the Chattanooga Lookouts. He was the MVP of the Futures Game last season.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cincinnati Reds select HS shortstop Steele Hall with 9th overall pick in 2025 MLB draft
ATLANTA – The Cincinnati Reds selected Steele Hall, a high school shortstop from Alabama, with the ninth overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft Sunday night. The young, speedy Hall is the first high school hitter the Reds have taken in the first round since outfielder Austin Hendricks in 2020 (12th overall). The righty hitting Hall is one of the youngest players in the draft; he won't turn 18 until July 24 and reclassified to move up a year in draft eligibility. "It's the athleticism and the all-around ability as a player," Reds amateur scouting director Joe Katuska said. "He's really young for this class and we saw significant gains from the last year but he's a top-of-the-scale runner. We think he's a shortstop, he has power, he can hit, he can really throw. "It's a five-tool package that we think we've got there. We're very excited about him." Hall led the Hewitt-Trussville High School Huskies in every offensive category this season on the way to earning Mr. Baseball honors for the state of Alabama. It's the third consecutive year the Reds had a top-10 overall selection, having drafted right-hander Rhett Lowder at No. 7 in 2023 and right-hander Chase Burns at No. 2 in 2024, both pitchers coming out of Wake Forest University. Wherever final negotiations wind up, more than $6.5 million of the Reds' total bonus-pool allotment of $11.837 million this year is slotted for the No. 9 pick. It's the second time in the draft's 61-year history the Reds have drafted ninth overall. They selected left-hander C.J. Nitkowski at No. 9 out of St. John's University in 1994. Nitkowski pitched 10 seasons in the big leagues, most of it after the Reds traded him to Detroit Tigers the month after he debuted in 1995 in a three-player deal for David Wells. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds select SS Steele Hall with 9th pick in 2025 MLB draft
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Reds gamble on 17-year-old shortstop Steele Hall with first-round pick
The way the Cincinnati Reds' amateur scouting department saw it, Steele Hall could've ended up being the top pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, so they took him in 2025 instead. Hall, a shortstop out of Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.), was selected ninth by the Reds in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft on Sunday. Hall won't turn 18 until July 24, but last year while on a recruiting visit to the University of Tennessee, the Volunteers' staff suggested he could reclassify and go to college a year early. After putting on about 15 pounds of muscle, Hall will instead skip playing college baseball to start his professional career. Advertisement 'When we project these players, we're talking about what they are at the big-league level,' said Joe Katuska, the Reds' director of amateur scouting. 'Obviously, a younger kid, we're not surprised to see significant gains year after year with them, and that's what we saw over the course of the year every time we saw him.' The slot value for the No. 9 pick in this year's draft is $6,513,800. Hall is expected to sign for an amount slightly less than the value of the position. Thirteen high school shortstops were taken among 43 first-round picks, including seven of the first 14 and 11 of the first 24. A pair of Oklahoma high school shortstops were taken in the first four picks, with the Washington Nationals selecting Eli Willits with the first pick and Ethan Holliday falling to the Colorado Rockies at No. 4. Bryce Harper is the best-known case of a player reclassifying and being drafted early. In 2022, the Reds selected infielder Cam Collier 18th overall after Collier reclassified to be eligible for that year's draft. Cameron, still just 20, is currently in Double A, where he's hitting .293/.426/.354 after starting the season on the injured list following thumb surgery. Collier was the MVP of the 2024 Futures Game. Hall said he wasn't sure about following in the footsteps of Collier and Harper when the idea of reclassifying was first presented to him, but as more people brought it up, he and his family began to consider it. 'We did a pros and cons list to it, really. What are the benefits and what are the negatives to do or not do it?' Hall said Sunday night. 'Me and my parents gathered a ton of information, and we really didn't find any negatives to it. … So I said, 'Let's do it. Let's put all the cards in one deck and let's go. Let's roll.'' University of Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello was part of the draft broadcast team on MLB Network on Sunday. When the Reds took Hall, who signed with the Volunteers in November, Vitello said he was initially recruited for his defense. Since November, though, he's become a more complete player. Advertisement 'He started having a little more arm strength come along, the speed became a factor, then the hit tool,' Vitello said on the broadcast. Hall is maybe the fastest player in this draft, with Katuska describing him as a 'top of the scale runner.' 'We think he's a shortstop, he has power, he can hit, he can really throw,' Katuska said. 'It's a five-tool package that we think we've got there. We're very excited about him.' The 17-year-old also showed that he has a bit of confidence when asked if he thought he could beat current Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz in a footrace. 'I think so, yeah,' Hall said. 'I think I could.' That response probably didn't surprise the Reds. 'He likes to compete. Kind of mild-mannered off the field, but once you get him between the lines, he's fiery,' Katuska said. 'He likes to go. He's a guy that we think is going to fit in really well with the group that we have, and things that we've been prioritizing from a makeup standpoint, is that in between the white lines, he wants to show you how good he is.' Because of his speed, Hall's been compared to Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. 'I think it's hard to put those sort of expectations on a player, you're talking about a guy who signed a $300 million contract at the big-league level, but that was the comp that got brought up in our room with our group,' Katuska said. 'That type of player that is ultra-athletic, can run, can throw, can play defense and provides value with the bat, as well as a leadoff type of guy. That's how we saw Steele and what ultimately led us to be comfortable with the pick.' Hall said he's patterned his game after a different shortstop who cashed in as part of the 2023 free-agent class, Dansby Swanson of the Chicago Cubs. 'I always liked the way he fielded and his bat was there at the Braves,' Hall said. 'But I really liked the way he carried himself, too.' Advertisement Elsewhere in the draft, the Reds selected 6-foot-5 right-hander Aaron Watson of Trinity Christian Academy (Fla.) with their second pick, the 51st in the draft. Watson is committed to the University of Florida. Katuska said Watson, who has seen his fastball hit 96 mph, played on a team with three other SEC signees and played good competition in the Jacksonville area. 'We all know what sort of baseball they play at the high school level in Florida,' Katuska said. 'Especially some of the private schools around the Jacksonville area. We saw him dominate all year.' In the third round with the 83rd pick, the Reds selected right-hander Mason Morris from the University of Mississippi. Morris, who stands 6-4, was the top-rated high school shortstop in Mississippi before moving to the mound. Morris mostly pitched out of the bullpen for the Rebels. 'We think it's a starting pitching profile,' Katuska said. 'He has the size, athleticism, delivery and the pitch mix to do that. He was lengthened out significantly in the bullpen. He maintained his stuff and really got better over the course of the season. Fastball-cutter-slider-splitter mix from him. There's a lot of untapped upside.' The first three rounds of the draft were held Sunday. The event concludes Monday with rounds 4-20.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Cincinnati Reds MLB Draft preview: "There's no one that's off the board for us'
Joe Katuska, the Cincinnati Reds' director of scouting, believes the best MLB draft class he's seen was that of 2023. That's the class where the Louisiana State duo of pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews went one-two, of course, and were followed by outfielder Wyatt Langford and pitcher Rhett Lowder, among others. "That's probably the one that stacks up the strongest where we knew there were five players at the top of that draft that kind of separated themselves a little bit," Katuska said, "and it always makes it a little bit easier to slot the whole draft when you're dealing with a really strong group at the top." Stillwater's Ethan Holliday (left) during an April 18, 2025, game. Holliday is considered one of the top prospects in the 2025 MLB Draft and seems unlikely to fall to the Reds, who hold the No. 9 pick in the first round. No two draft classes are like-for-like, and with the 2025 MLB Draft fast approaching on Sunday, July 13, Katuska conceded that Reds talent evaluators have stretched themselves to evaluate a class that some pundits say has more question marks than that 2023 class. Advertisement Reds Colorado Rockies Chase Burns Why you shouldn't overlook the Reds' series against the MLB-worst Rockies Reds starting rotation Nick Lodolo Mr. Reliable: Nick Lodolo's newfound health makes him key to Cincinnati Reds playoff plans "I think because there's so much less certainty of the grouping near the top, we've had to scout a much wider range of players," Katuska said. "We're not shallow by any means on the looks at the players we're talking about at the top, but we did have to spread looks and manpower over a much wider group of players this year than we did in '23." The Reds are undaunted by any challenges presented by the current class that comes due for selection on Sunday and Monday. Cincinnati's draft war room contains a group of scouts with familiarity and trust in one another, and they have a running track record of success, too. Advertisement The Reds have held premium, first-round draft picks in recent years, and Katuska's group has made good with those selections. Think in terms of 2024 MLB All-Star Hunter Greene (draft class of 2017), 2021 NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India (2018 draft, later traded to acquire pitcher Brady Singer), 2025 workhorse pitcher Nick Lodolo (2019 draft), Matt McLain (2021 draft), and even highly-rated prospects at different stages now in their development in Cam Collier (2022 draft), Rhett Lowder (2023 draft) and Chase Burns (2024 draft). "I think people have seen the players we've drafted show up at the Major League level and provide the impact that we expected them to," Katuska said. "I think what puts a little wind in our sails is we've had a lot of continuity. It's the same voices that have developed a significant level of trust in each other. As evaluators, we're going to have differences of opinion in when and where and how good you saw a player, but we're able to have open and honest conversations in the room that lead us as a group toward selecting the best player at each spot." The Reds selected Chase Burns No. 2 overall in the 2024 draft out of Wake Forest, and he has already made his major league debut. Katuska and his group are approaching the upcoming draft, where the Reds hold the No. 9 pick in the first round, with the "best player available" mindset, and they've labored to ensure they get it right again. Advertisement That means that while the Reds have selected college players in the first round of recent drafts, and that has partly helped players like Lowder and Burns ascend to their respective MLB debuts faster, a high-school selection that would require a longer runway to MLB is entirely possible. Just be warned: The Reds will probably have different ideas about what "best available" means compared against who the pundits are talking about, as well as the names bandied about on the popular online draft boards. Stated simply: If you aren't in the Reds' draft war room, your hot take and draft rankings really do not matter. "We're not valuing the evaluations and the rankings that people not invested in our process internally have," Katuska said. "People talk about some of the strengths of this draft − some of the college left-handed pitching and the high school shortstop group are kind of at the forefront where people talk about where the strengths are. Advertisement "I don't think we're going to end up having the same ranking as you may see publicly in some places. But this is our internal ranking of who is the most talented guy and who is going to have the biggest impact for us. "It's about getting the best player available. We really stick to that... There's no one that's off the board for us. We spend a lot of time lining up who we think is the most talented with their ultimate projection for impact at the Major League level and try to get the best one at every pick available." What to know about the 2025 MLB Draft, when the Reds pick Note: Some teams have extra selections because of competitive balance and compensation picks that were awarded between the first five rounds by MLB. Advertisement Day one schedule: (Rounds 1-3): Sun., July 13, 6 p.m. ET (MLBN/ Reds hold picks Nos. 9, 51 (second round) and 81 (third round).Day two schedule: (Rounds 4-20): Mon., July 14, 11:30 a.m. ET ( Reds hold picks Nos. 114 (fourth round), 145 (fifth round). This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 2025 Reds MLB Draft preview: "There's no one that's off the board'
New York Times
23-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
C. Notes: Chase Burns' rapid rise to the majors fits a trend
When Chase Burns takes the mound in his big-league debut for the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday against the New York Yankees, he will be at least the sixth player from the 2024 draft to debut before the 2025 draft begins. Most famously, the Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes, the top pick in 2023, not only debuted in the big leagues the year after he was drafted, but also started the All-Star Game in 2024. Ten of the 39 first-rounders from 2023 have already debuted, one (the Los Angeles Angels' Nolan Schanuel) debuted the same year he was drafted and six debuted last season, including Skenes and the Reds' Rhett Lowder. Advertisement 'I think it is a little bit of a trend in the game recently where players have been moving through the minor leagues faster,' said Joe Katuska, the Reds' director of amateur scouting. 'But 11 months out from the draft, having four or five guys up already is, I'd say, more than you'd expect.' Nobody doubted Skenes would move quickly toward the big leagues, but he wasn't alone. At the time of the 2023 draft, there was a group of five players — Skenes and outfielders Dylan Crews, Max Clark, Wyatt Langford and Walker Jenkins — expected to go at the top of the draft. All three of the college players taken in the top five reached the big leagues last year, while the two high schoolers (Clark and Jenkins) are taking a more traditional route. Only one of the five top 14 picks who haven't made the majors (Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Tommy Troy) was a college player. Against that backdrop, the 2024 class appeared less talented and deep than the draft class the year prior. While Skenes was the easy pick at No. 1 in 2023, there wasn't much separation between the next four. Last year, the expectation for the Reds, picking second, was that they'd take Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana or Georgia's Charlie Condon, who dominated college baseball at the plate. Instead, the Reds took Burns, the right-hander from Wake Forest. That choice drew skepticism from many. Those who panned the pick may be having second thoughts. 'I think by the time we were actually making the picks, last year's class was better than we thought it was coming into the year,' Katuska said. Right-hander Ryan Johnson, whom the Angels took with the final pick of the second round (74th overall) last year, pitched on Opening Day this year before ever throwing a minor-league pitch. After 14 relief appearances in the big leagues, he started in High A in May. Advertisement Outfielder Cam Smith of Florida State, who went to the Chicago Cubs with the 14th pick and then to the Houston Astros in the Kyle Tucker deal, made the Astros' Opening Day roster. Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz, the fourth overall pick, debuted for the Oakland Athletics in April. Jac Caglianone, the Florida Gators slugger, went sixth overall to the Kansas City Royals and earned a promotion earlier this month. Christian Moore, the Angels' eighth overall pick out of Tennessee, followed on June 13. 'That top seven, we talked about all of them and we scouted all of them,' Katuska said. 'There was a narrative for a while that at pick two, you're just supposed to take whoever is left of Bazzana or Condon and we thought it was a wider group than that the whole time.' Some inside the organization favored Caglianone, some were extremely high on Kurtz and plenty liked Bazzana and Condon. In the end, the Reds went with Burns, a player who could've been a first-round pick out of high school but chose to attend the University of Tennessee instead. After two years with the Vols, Burns transferred to Wake Forest, known for its pitching development. Burns impressed not just with his stuff in spring training, but also with how he carried himself inside the big-league clubhouse. Just as they did with Lowder the year before, the Reds shut Burns down after the draft and he didn't make his professional debut until this year. Lowder showed him the Reds were good to their word that he could get to the big leagues quickly if he took care of business in the minors. Burns did more than that. He sailed through the Reds' minor leagues, making three starts at High A, eight in Double A and two in Triple A before getting the call-up. Over his 66 minor-league innings, he struck out 89 batters and walked only 13. Of those 13, four were during his first Triple-A start and two were the first batters he faced. Six more of the walks were in his first four outings, leaving three walks over his other eight starts. Advertisement 'How many times have I said we go after the best available player? That we build up the middle, starting pitching profiles — you guys are all sick of hearing me say it, but that's our process,' Katuska said. 'It's what we believe gives us the best chance to get the best players and put the best team on the field. We thought Chase was the best guy there with our pick.' And by Tuesday, he'll be a big leaguer. Matt McLain started at second base, batting second on Opening Day. That was no surprise, considering his performance as a rookie in 2023. After missing all of the 2024 season following shoulder surgery, the team saw McLain as a big reason for optimism leading into 2025. But after a year off, McLain started slowly. Entering the game against the Chicago White Sox on May 13, McLain was hitting .168/.297/.304. Leading up to that, all of his starts were either in the first or second spot in the lineup. Against the White Sox that day, Reds manager Terry Francona moved him to the eighth spot. He'd batted eighth or ninth in all but one of his starts since then. Until Sunday. McLain was back in the No. 2 spot for Sunday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals, and he rewarded his skipper with a first-inning solo homer to give the Reds an early lead in the eventual 4-1 victory. From May 13 to Saturday, he hit .254/.306/.386 in 34 games. In the first 17 of those games, he hit .203/.213/.305. In the 17 games from June 1 to Saturday, he hit .309/.397/.473. After Sunday's 1-for-4 performance, he's hitting .209/.301/.351. That's not what everyone expected, but it's a long way from the .159 batting average and .266 on-base percentage he put up through April. The Reds took two out of three games from the Minnesota Twins before losing two of three against the Cardinals. Sunday's 4-1 victory behind Andrew Abbott kept the team from being swept for the first time all season. The Reds are the last team in baseball that hasn't been swept this season. They went 3-3 for the week. Advertisement Tuesday could be the biggest day of the year aside from Opening Day, with top prospect Burns, last year's second pick in the draft, making his debut. Oh, and the Yankees are in town that day. With an off day on Thursday, the San Diego Padres visit for three games. The Reds will also honor the 50th anniversary of the 1975 World Series champions this weekend, with 23 members of the 1975 and 1976 World Series champions scheduled to be in attendance during the celebrations. That will include five of the six living members of the Great Eight: Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey, George Foster and Cesar Geronimo. Dave Concepción is unlikely to appear. • IF Jeimer Candelario (lumbar spine strain) finished his 20-game rehab assignment, and the Reds will likely activate him Monday. In 15 games with the Triple-A Louisville Bats, Candelario hit .211/.318/.333 with a home run and 10 RBIs. He went 0-for-9 in his last two games, but 6-for-14 in the four games before that. • OF Austin Hays (left foot contusion) has been doing pregame work and is expected to go on a rehab assignment this week. • 3B Noelvi Marte (left oblique strain) made two rehab appearances. • LHP Wade Miley (left flexor strain) joined the 15-day IL on Friday. There is no concrete timetable for his return yet, but it probably won't be soon. • RHP Hunter Greene (right groin strain) will likely return from Arizona this upcoming week. He has been throwing after getting a second opinion on his injury and receiving an epidural injection for his back. He's expected to return to the rotation around the All-Star break. • Triple-A Louisville (32-43): Left-hander Reiver Sanmartin had Tommy John surgery in 2022 and has come back as a reliever. Sanmartin has appeared in 22 games for the Bats and is 2-2 with a 3.34 ERA over 29 2/3 innings, including two scoreless on Sunday. Advertisement • Double-A Chattanooga (38-28): With Sunday's 8-2 victory over the Rocket City Trash Pandas, the Lookouts clinched the Southern League's North Division first-half title, giving the team a playoff spot this fall. IF Cam Collier, the team's 2022 first-round pick, had surgery on his thumb this spring, and after a stint in the AZL and with High-A Dayton, headed to Chattanooga last week. In his seven games with the Lookouts, he's hitting .462/ .533/.538 in 30 plate appearances. He had hits in six of his first seven games and multiple hits in five of those, including two in Sunday's victory. • High-A Dayton (22-46): The Dragons entered the bottom of the fifth inning Sunday against the Fort Wayne TinCaps down 10-2, but they scored twice in the fifth and eight in the sixth inning after the TinCaps got back a run in the top of the sixth. The Dragons went on to win 12-11, marking the largest comeback in franchise history. The Dragons sent 14 batters to the plate in the sixth and had seven hits. OF Anthony Stephan hit a score-tying three-run homer before the Dragons loaded the bases and 3B Peyton Stovall walked to drive in the go-ahead run. Folks, we've got a whole new ball game! Anthony Stephan helps the Dragons erase a 10-2 deficit with this game-tying bomb in the bottom of the 6th!! 💣💣💣#dragons25#feelthefire — Dayton Dragons (@DragonsBaseball) June 22, 2025 Stephan, a 13th-round pick out of the University of Virginia last year, is hitting .271/.385/.448 with two homers in 33 games with the Dragons. • Class-A Daytona (31-38): 2B Bernard Moon went 4-for-6 with a home run and two doubles in Sunday's 16-6 Tortugas victory. He also stole home on a double steal and drove in six runs. On the season, he's hitting .246/.316/.382 with three homers and seven steals. The 20-year-old went in the 16th round of the 2023 draft from Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., the alma mater of Reds great Brandon Phillips.
