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The pick is in for Alabama baseball's Justin Lebron and now, after hearing his name called in the 2026 MLB Draft, he is a Cincinnati Red.
Lebron, who spent three seasons in Tuscaloosa as the Crimson Tide's standout shortstop, went No. 18 overall in the first round of the MLB Draft on Saturday, July 11.
The slot value for the 18th pick is approximately $4.7 million, per MLB.com.
While pro scouts expressed swing-and-miss concerns regarding Lebron, the 21 year-old's quick rise speaks for his potential ceiling.
REQUIRED READING: How Alabama baseball's Justin Lebron used NIL money to change family's life
Lebron hit just one home run during his high school days in South Florida, where he graduated from Archbishop McCarthy, and went on to hit 46 during his time at Alabama. He's also an elite base-runner, having stolen 66 bases on 68 attempts in his career. Defensively, Lebron had some costly errors in 2026, but finished his career with a fielding percentage of about 95%.
In his final season under Crimson Tide coach Rob Vaughn, Lebron helped lead Alabama to its first College World Series since 1999.
After the elimination loss to Texas, Vaughn gave a brief, but emotional tribute to Lebron, better known to the team as "Bronny."
"I told Bronny at the end of this thing − phew, I told myself I wasn't going to do this," Vaughn said, looking up to keep the tears from pouring down. "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."
Now, Lebron has the chance to do the same for another squad at the next level.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama's Justin Lebron taken in first round of MLB Draft by Reds
Continue reading...
Lebron, who spent three seasons in Tuscaloosa as the Crimson Tide's standout shortstop, went No. 18 overall in the first round of the MLB Draft on Saturday, July 11.
The slot value for the 18th pick is approximately $4.7 million, per MLB.com.
While pro scouts expressed swing-and-miss concerns regarding Lebron, the 21 year-old's quick rise speaks for his potential ceiling.
REQUIRED READING: How Alabama baseball's Justin Lebron used NIL money to change family's life
Lebron hit just one home run during his high school days in South Florida, where he graduated from Archbishop McCarthy, and went on to hit 46 during his time at Alabama. He's also an elite base-runner, having stolen 66 bases on 68 attempts in his career. Defensively, Lebron had some costly errors in 2026, but finished his career with a fielding percentage of about 95%.
In his final season under Crimson Tide coach Rob Vaughn, Lebron helped lead Alabama to its first College World Series since 1999.
After the elimination loss to Texas, Vaughn gave a brief, but emotional tribute to Lebron, better known to the team as "Bronny."
"I told Bronny at the end of this thing − phew, I told myself I wasn't going to do this," Vaughn said, looking up to keep the tears from pouring down. "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."
Now, Lebron has the chance to do the same for another squad at the next level.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama's Justin Lebron taken in first round of MLB Draft by Reds
Continue reading...
