buckeyemania11 said:

Some were projecting this guy to Cleveland. I was happy to avoid him. The fact that He only hit .229 in SEC conference play this year and had a very high whiff rate at pitches in the zone makes it hard to figure out what teams see in him. Speed is worthless if you can't get on base can't steal 1st

Click to expand...

Thump said:

He’s no Zach Cozart.

Click to expand...

buckeyemania11 said:

Some were projecting this guy to Cleveland. I was happy to avoid him. The fact that He only hit .229 in SEC conference play this year and had a very high whiff rate at pitches in the zone makes it hard to figure out what teams see in him. Speed is worthless if you can't get on base can't steal 1st

Click to expand...

Jaxbuck said:

From reds minor league.com

The Cincinnati Reds have selected shortstop Justin Lebron out of the University of Alabama with the 18th overall pick in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft.

Justin Lebron Scouting Report​

Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 190 lbs.

Bats: Right| Throws: Right | Position: Shortstop

Highest Ranking: 8 (ESPN)

The player with arguably the highest upside in the entire draft, Justin Lebron has some explosive tools to work with. He has plus raw power, plus speed, and he has plus defensive tools. But there are concerns about his ability to hit. And that showed up in college, too.

IN the 2026 season Justin Lebron hit just .277 and had 27 walks with 56 strikeouts. His numbers were much worse than that once he got into SEC play where he hit just .230 in conference play. The low average in college and his downright poor strikeout-to-walk ratio leaves many evaluators with serious concerns about what you can expect to see him to against professional pitchers.

If everything goes right you could see a lower average, but still productive offensive player who hits for plenty of power and steals a lot of bases (he had 42 steals in 43 tries this season for Alabama). That would be coupled with quality defense at shortstop. Overall that’s an incredibly valuable player.

Justin Lebron Stats​

Given the Reds track record of developing hitters, a guy that struck out twice as often as he walked all through college is...curious.

Click to expand...

Jaxbuck said:

First round pick is Justin Lebron, SS from Alabama.

See if this sounds familiar-dripping with physical tools, 70 power tool....hits .230 this year in college. He struggles with high velo and anything that spins.

Cool. I'm excited. We need more guys like that in the organization.

maybe later rounds we can get some more pitchers that throw real hard but have no control.

Click to expand...

Justin Lebron Scouting Report​

Justin Lebron Stats​

ScriptOhio said:

Ohio State to Play in Outdoor Doubleheader with Cincinnati, Dayton and Xavier

For the first time ever, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Dayton and Xavier will gather on one court — without a roof.

www.elevenwarriors.com

Ohio State to Play in Outdoor Doubleheader with Cincinnati, Dayton and Xavier​

For the first time ever, four of Ohio’s high-major basketball programs will gather on one court — without a roof.

On Oct. 7 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, home of the Cincinnati Open, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Dayton and Xavier will play outdoor exhibition contests as part of the CareSource Invitational, an event to raise awareness and funds for mental health and suicide prevention.

“I think this is great. This is great for the basketball community in Ohio. And it’s been a long time coming,” Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler said on Thursday. “I’ve been vocal about this since I first got the job and wanted something like this to happen. There are so many moving parts. There are so many moving parts to make something like this happen. It takes a lot of people. And I’m just excited. Everyone got together to make it happen.”

The CareSource Invitational will feature Ohio State vs. Cincinnati with Dayton vs. Xavier as the tennis complex transforms into an outdoor basketball court.

In case of inclement weather, the games will be moved to UD Arena in Dayton, but Diebler’s hoping for nothing but sunshine on a fall Wednesday.

“Getting all four teams together and doing it in a venue like that, it’s exciting. You might as well try something different," Diebler said with a grin. “It’s going to be really early in the preseason. So it’ll be a great time for everybody to get some minutes and just see where you’re at relative to someone else. … I’m excited that it’s outdoors. I’ve never been a part of a live game outside like that.”

Diebler said it’ll be a fun reminder for coaches and players of their time growing up playing basketball in the driveway, at a park or on the school playground.

“We used to play outside all the time growing up. I know it won’t be the same surface as what I played on growing up, but I’m excited about it. You’ll have different things, right? Wind, all that stuff. But who cares? It’s going to be fun to play outside.”

It’ll also be nice to support a great cause, Diebler said.

Click to expand...