Cincinnati Reds select Oregon OF Mason Neville in 2025 MLB Draft

After two years at Oregon, Mason Neville is officially heading to the next level. He was selected in the 2025 MLB Draft.

The Cincinnati Reds selected Neville in the 4th round of the draft. He started his college career at Arkansas before arriving at Oregon in 2024 and developed into a highly regarded prospect.

Neville was a unanimous All-American this past season in Eugene, becoming the third player in Ducks history to achieve such an honor. He finished the year with a .290 batting average while leading the nation with 26 home runs, and he also had a 1.153 OPS.

It was another step forward for Neville, who started 36 out of 56 games for Oregon in 2024. He hit .268 during that time while launching 16 home runs and adding 43 RBI as a sophomore. Now, he’s officially heading to The Show.

Neville is a Las Vegas native and played high school baseball at Henderson (NV) Basic. The Cincinnati Reds selected him in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft before he headed to Arkansas, and he improved his draft stock throughout his college career.

What MLB Draft experts are saying about Mason Neville

Mason Neville’s ability to not only hit for power, but also hit to the gaps make him stand out as a prospect, according to MLB.com. In high school, he drew comparisons to Cody Bellinger, and the sense is he could be a solid center fielder during his big-league career.

“Neville has long intrigued scouts with his overall athleticism and offensive potential from the left side of the plate, reminding some from his high school days of a young Cody Bellinger,” MLB.com’s scouting report reads. “The raw power is very real, and a year after hitting 16 homers with a 33.5 percent strikeout rate, Neville has jumped up boards by greatly cutting down his swing-and-miss, allowing him to get to that pop even more consistently for the 26 homers that tied for the NCAA Division I home run title. He can drive the ball gap-to-gap with plenty of pull power. He punishes fastballs and still struggles against softer stuff, but scouts are much more bullish overall that the bat will play at the next level.

“The fact that offensive profile comes in a player who looks like he can stick in center field makes Neville even more exciting. A year after playing all three spots, he’s manned center exclusively this year, using his above-average speed and good reads — not to mention a strong arm — to look like a future up-the-middle player who could go in the top few rounds.”