The Cincinnati Reds drafted a pair of stars from the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2026 MLB Draft. The Reds selected Justin Lebron in the first round with the 18th overall pick. Later in the draft, Cincinnati selected Brady Neal in the eighth round with the 242nd overall pick.
Lebron and Neal in 2026 with Alabama
Lebron and Neal were two of Alabama’s leading hitters on a team that went to the College World Series. In 2026, Lebron had a .277 batting average with 13 doubles, 16 home runs, and 48 RBIs. The shortstop led the Crimson Tide in home runs this season.
He was a top-five hitter for Alabama this season, based on batting average, alongside his teammates Neal, Bryce Fowler, and Eric Hines.
Lebron was the third collegiate shortstop selected in the 2026 MLB Draft. UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky and Kentucky’s Tyler Bell were the first two selected. Cholowsky was selected first overall by the Chicago White Sox, and Bell was selected 10th overall by the Colorado Rockies.
Neal was arguably the best player Alabama had in 2026. He had a .316 batting average with a .429 on-base percentage. The Crimson Tide catcher also had 15 doubles, 10 home runs, and 51 RBIs. He had the most RBIs on Alabama, along with Jason Torres.
Neal also had the second-highest batting average on the Crimson Tide behind Fowler.
Crimson Tide season results in 2026
In 2026, the Alabama Crimson Tide finished with a 42-21 overall record and an 18-12 record in Southeastern Conference (SEC) play. The Crimson Tide hosted and won a regional and a super regional at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa. They made it to the College World Series for the first time in the 21st century.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Alabama infielder Justin LeBron (1) during an NCAA baseball College World Series game against Oklahoma, Saturday, June 13, 2026 in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis)
