TUSCALOOSA, AL — University of Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron made Crimson Tide baseball history Saturday when the Cincinatti Reds picked him with the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft.
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MLB.com's Draft Tracker says Lebron's approximate pick value is $4.7 million.
Lebron's selection also represents one of the highest draft picks ever for an Alabama baseball player and the second-highest in program history.
Only outfielder Joe Vitiello, who was selected seventh overall by the Kansas City Royals in the 1991 MLB Draft, was drafted higher in Crimson Tide history.
Long regarded as one of the nation's premier prospects, Lebron capped a stellar three-year career in Tuscaloosa by helping lead Alabama to the 2026 College World Series.
Over 177 career games in an Alabama uniform, the native of Miramar, Florida, hit .307 with 46 home runs, 157 RBIs, 169 runs scored and 66 doubles while stealing 66 bases.
As a junior in 2026, Lebron batted .277 with 16 home runs, 48 RBIs, 58 runs scored and 42 stolen bases while starting all 61 games at shortstop. He recorded a .386 on-base percentage and a .534 slugging percentage, once again serving as one of the leaders of the Crimson Tide lineup.
Lebron entered the draft following a decorated college career that included Second Team All-America honors from ABCA/Rawlings, Third Team All-America recognition from both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Perfect Game USA, First Team ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region honors, Second Team All-SEC recognition, SEC All-Defensive Team honors and selection to the SEC Community Service Team in 2025.
He was also a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, the Jax College Baseball Classic Tournament MVP and a two-time Preseason First Team All-SEC selection.
Lebron burst onto the national scene as a freshman in 2024 before putting together one of the best sophomore seasons in Alabama history in 2025, batting .316 with 18 home runs and a program-record 72 RBIs by a sophomore shortstop.
He followed that by leading Alabama back to Omaha for the first time since 1999 as a junior while solidifying himself as one of the top prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Lebron now joins an exclusive group of Alabama players selected in the first round of the MLB Draft, joining Vitiello, No. 7 overall (1991); Ben Hess, No. 26 overall (2024); Taylor Tankersley, No. 27 overall (2004); Jeremy Brown, No. 35 overall (2002); Riley Quick, No. 36 overall (2025); and Tommy Hunter, No. 54 overall (2007).
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