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May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron (1) throws to first but a fielding muff allowed the Tennessee batter to arrive safely in the second round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met. Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pirates Taking Alabama SS in 2026 Mock Draft

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 7:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have nine more months until the 2026 MLB Draft, but one mock draft has them taking a top talent out of the SEC.

MLB.com released their "Way-too-early" 2026 MLB mock draft, where they predicted the first 10 picks, including the Pirates, who finished with the fifth worst record in the MLB in 2025.

The mock draft doesn't feature the lottery, which takes place during the December winter meetings. It does exclude the Colorado Rockies, who had the worst MLB record, 43-119, the Washington Nationals, who had the third worst record at 66-96, and the Los Angeles Angels, who had the sixth worst record at 76-96.

The Rockies received a lottery pick the previous two drafts and can't have one for this draft and both the Nationals and Angels pay revenue sharing dollars, disqualifying them from consecutive lottery picks.

This puts the Pirates at third overall and MLB.com projected them taking Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron.

Lebron hails from Miramar, Fla., a suburb north of Miami, and played for Archbishop McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches, Fla. as a junior and senior, after spending his first two years at Pembroke Pines Charter.

He excelled as a senior in 2023, hitting .412, with 10 doubles, four triples, 18 stolen bases and 29 runs scored. He placed on the 2023 All-Broward County First Team and led Archbishop McCarthy to the 5A District Championship.

Perfect Game rated Lebron as the 173rd recruit and the 41st shortstop in the Class of 2023, as well as the 23rd recruit in Florida and the eighth best shortstop in the state.

Lebron also originally committed to Rice before his senior season, but a strong showing at the annual wood bat Perfect Game tournament in Jupiter, Fla., gave Alabama a good look at him and he eventually flipped his commitment.

He had a stellar freshman season with the Crimson Tide in 2024, slashing .338/.429/.546 for an OPS of .975 in 57 games, with 73 hits in 216 at-bats, nine doubles, 12 home runs, 37 RBIs, 20 walks to 53 strikeouts and 50 runs scored.

Lebron earned First Team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC honors, plus made the SEC All-Defensive Team. Perfect Game USA, D1Baseball.com and NCBWA named Lebron to their Freshman All-American First Team.

He then had another great season as a sophomore in 2025, slashing .316/.421/.636 for an OPS of 1.058 in 59 games, with 73 hits in 231 at-bats, 18 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs, 72 RBIs, 17 stolen bases on 18 attempts, 60 runs scored and 35 walks to 68 strikeouts.

Lebron led the Crimson Tide with doubles, home runs, RBIs, total bases (147), runs scored and stolen bases, while his 72 RBIs ranked second-most in the SEC.

He was a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award, given to the best amateur baseball player, and the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the best collegiate baseball player.

Lebron also earned Second Team All-SEC honors and made the SEC All-Defensive Team. ABCA/Rawlings named Lebron as a Second Team All-American and both NBCWA and Perfect Game USA named Lebron as a Third Team All-American.

Jim Callis of MLB.com ranked Lebron as the second best college prospect in the 2026 draft class, praising him for his defense, speed and power.

"I remember running around Spring Training in early March and running into a couple of scouting directors. They were raving about Justin Lebron," Callis wrote.

"If we were doing a '26 mock last March, Justin Lebron would've been the No. 1 guy. He wasn't as successful in SEC play, though he still wound up with an .857 OPS, 18 homers, 17 steals. I don't think he's as polished a hitter as Roch Cholowsky, but he is quicker and has similar power and defensive skills."

The Pirates have gone with three high school players and two infielders with their first round pick in the MLB Draft.

This includes Termarr Johnson with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Benjamin Mays High School in Atlanta, Ga., Konnor Griffin with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft from Jackson Preparatory School in Jackson, Miss. and right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Corona High School in Corona, Calif.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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