Cincinnati Reds sign 1st round pick Steele Hall

The deal is done!

Steele Hall has checked a lot of boxes in a hurry.

The former class of 2026 shortstop out of Hewitt-Trussville High School (AL) reclassified to graduate a year early, and that he did. On top of his high school graduation, he picked up both a scholarship to play ball for the University of Tennessee as well as Mr. Baseball honors for the state of Alabama – all prior to becoming a 1st round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Now, he can add ‘bank account with an extra comma’ to that list.

The Reds made Hall’s signing official on Friday afternoon prior to the start of their series in New York against the Mets, with MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reporting that it was a deal worth $5.75 million.

That would put it significantly below slot value of $6.513 million, meaning the Reds will have almost a million dollars left over to throw at some of their other highly touted draft picks.

Congrats to the Reds and Steele, who officially becomes a professional after signing said deal.