“It definitely freed up my body and really made me work a little bit less, some would say,” Hall said, “Just letting my body do whatever it wants to but also be under control. It just really freed up my tool and just made my swing feel easier but it had more pop to it. Definitely the contact (ability) grew too during that.”
What’s exciting for the Reds is that Hall has shown so much development so quickly at such a young age. Reds amateur scouting director Joe Katuska said that if Hall hadn’t reclassified, he could have been the top pick in next year’s draft.
“We thought he was in play in front of our pick,” Katuska said. “Like I said leading up to this process it was a little bit jumbled from what we thought industry consensus was in front. I wouldn’t say we’re surprised that he got there (to the ninth pick), but we knew that there was a chance he didn’t get there.”
Hall, from Alabama, celebrated the draft at a party in his hometown of Trussville. He credited his mother for helping play a big role in his athletic development, ensuring that he kept up the diet that played a key role in his big 2025 season.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
As they celebrated on Sunday night, they both were emotional.
“There were a lot of emotions, definitely, going on,” Hall said. “My mom was crying when we got the call, so she had to, like, pretty much go blank faced and sit back out where we were watching it all. She was definitely excited but also a little bit sad that I’m leaving. I think they’re just really excited to have everything a little bit settled down and just that I’m, like, finalized somewhere a little bit. My dad, he was crying a little bit, too. I think it was just a rush of emotions and, yeah, we’re just happy. Happy to be a Cincinnati Red.”
In drafting Hall, the Reds stuck to their philosophy of drafting athletic up the middle players (catcher, shortstop, center field and starting pitcher).
Even before the Reds drafted Hall, shortstop was the strength of their farm system. He now joins a group of prospects that includes Edwin Arroyo, Sammy Stafura and Tyson Lewis. Of course, Elly De La Cruz is manning the position very well in the big leagues.
Shortstops often carry a lot of upside, and the Reds see plenty of room for Hall to grow.
“It’s the athleticism and the all-around ability as a player,” Katuska said. “He’s really young for this class and we saw significant gains from the last year but he’s a top of the scale runner. We think he’s a shortstop, he has power, he can hit, he can really throw. It’s a five-tool package that we think we’ve got there. We’re very excited about him.”
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