Reds end shocking draft slide with 4th-round steal of star outfielder

Mason Neville was supposed to be off the MLB Draft board on night one.

The Oregon outfielder was ranked the No. 35 prospect in the class by MLB.com.

In the end, the Cincinnati Reds picked him No. 114 on Monday. For all intents and purposes, it looks like a steal.

Here's how MLB.com describes Neville:

Neville was a well-regarded toolsy outfield prospect in the Las Vegas high school ranks as the 2022 Draft approached. The former two-way player was just outside the Top 100 of MLB Pipeline's Top 250 that summer, but headed to Arkansas rather than consider the Reds, who had taken him in Round 18. He transferred to Oregon for his sophomore season in 2024, playing all three outfield spots and showing off his raw power, and considerable swing-and-miss. He's taken some very good steps forward this spring, catapulting him back up onto the early-round Draft radar. 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.

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, enabling him to get to that pop even more consistently. 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.

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Given that Neville has already been productive at the college level, he should have a chance to move up the minor league ladder pretty quickly.

And if he can stick in centerfield with a power bat, all the better.

The Reds definitely were happy with the chance to get Neville in this spot.

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