Justin Lebron Chosen 18th Overall by Cincinnati Reds in 2026 MLB Draft
7/11/2026 6:11:00 PM | Baseball
Lebron becomes the seventh first round MLB Draft selection in Crimson Tide program history
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama infielder Justin Lebron was chosen in the first round of the 2026 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Saturday, selected 18th overall by the Cincinnati Reds.
With his selection, Lebron becomes the seventh first-rounder in Alabama history. The Florida native also stands as the third-consecutive first round pick produced by the Crimson Tide, joining Riley Quick, who was chosen 36th overall by Minnesota Twins in 2025, and Ben Hess, who was chosen 26th overall by the New York Yankees in 2024. Lebron is Alabama's highest drafted position player since Joe Vitiello (OF) was selected seventh overall by the Kansas City Royals in 1991.
Justin Lebron (1st Round | 18th Overall | Cincinnati Reds)
Infielder, Junior
- An impactful talent that was the face of the Crimson Tide program during his three seasons in Tuscaloosa
- Started 177 career games at Alabama, posting a .309 (212-685) average with 40 doubles, one triple, 46 home runs, 157 RBI and a .984 OPS
- Added 82 career walks to go with 66 stolen bases in 68 attempts
- Finished 42 of 43 in stolen base tries in 2026 to rank fifth in the nation and lead all SEC players
- Was the only player in Division I to produce at least 16 home runs and 42-plus steals this past season
- His 42 steals in 2026 were tied for third-most in a single season in program history
- Lebron's 66 career steals are also third-most in a career in Alabama program history
- Departs Tuscaloosa as one of only eight players in program history with at least 46 career home runs
- Ended his college career as a seven-time All-American and a three-time ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region honoree
- Twice named an All-Southeastern Conference selection and SEC All-Defensive Team standout
- Named a Golden Spikes Semifinalist during his sophomore campaign
- Named to SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll (2024-25) and SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll (2023-24)
Alabama in the MLB Draft
- Justin Lebron is the seventh first-rounder in Alabama history, joining Joe Vitiello (7th), Ben Hess (26th), Taylor Tankersley (27th), Jeremy Brown (35th), Riley Quick (36th) and Tommy Hunter (54th)
- Lebron becomes the second-highest position player selected in the MLB Draft in program history
- The Florida native is the fifth player selected by the Reds out of Alabama, and the first since David Tidwell in 1997 (16th round)
- With Lebron's selection, the Crimson Tide's all-time draft pick total moved to 180 (169 players) since the event's inception in 1966
- Alabama has had at least one player drafted for 48 consecutive years dating back to 1979
- The Tide has had one-or-more players selected in 55 of the 61 MLB Drafts overall
- UA has seen 74 players selected in the last 16 years with one more day remaining in this year's draft
- Entering the final day of the MLB Draft, a total of 109 players have been taken out of The University of Alabama in the last 26 drafts dating back to 2000
The 2026 MLB First-Year Player Draft began on Saturday, July 11 and will continue through Sunday, July 12. The remainder of the two-day event will be featured on MLB.com. Fans can also following along with each pick at the site.
All players that have remaining eligibility are able to return to the University to continue their careers at Alabama if they elect to not sign a professional contract.
