Pirates Hunt Upside, Draft Top High School RHP Seth Hernandez

Danny Demilio   |  

Jul 13, 2025

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The Pittsburgh Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez from Corona High School in California with the sixth pick of the 2025 MLB Draft.

Hernandez, who turned 19 last month, went 9-1 with a stellar 0.39 ERA during his senior season. In 53.1 innings, the right-hander struck out 105 batters and only walked seven. He was named the 2025 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year. 

Scouts have raved about Hernandez’s pitch mix, which is led by a power fastball that already sits in the mid-90s and touches 100 mph at times. In addition to his fastball, Hernandez has a plus 12-to-6 curveball, a plus changeup and at least an above-average slider, giving him four legitimate offerings.

Hernandez is 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds and is considered to be quite polished for a prep pitcher.

Though Hernandez has plenty of upside, there is also a considerable amount of risk. High school pitchers are widely considered the riskiest demographic in the draft, but general manager Ben Cherington said his strategy would be to take the best player available. Pittsburgh Baseball Now had Hernandez as the second-best prospect available in this year’s draft.

The slot value attached to the sixth pick is $7,558,600, and the Pirates have a total bonus pool of $14,088,400, so there must be confidence they will be able to pry Hernandez away from his commitment to Vanderbilt.

Pittsburgh has three more selections to make on day one of the draft. The Pirates will be on the clock for picks 50, 73 and 82. 

Top six picks:

1. Washington Nationals: Eli Willits, SS, Oklahoma (H.S.)
2. Los Angeles Angels: RHP Tyler Bremner, RHP UC Santa Barbara
3. Seattle Mariners: LHP Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
4. Colorado Rockies: SS Ethan Holliday, SS, Oklahoma (H.S.)
5. St. Louis Cardinals: LHP Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
6. Pittsburgh Pirates: RHP Seth Hernandez, RHP, California (H.S.)