- Full name Seth Hernandez
- Born 06/28/2006 in
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
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Drafted in the 1st round (6th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025 (signed for $7,250,000).
View Draft Report
School: Corona (Calif.) HS Drafted/Committed: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 19.1
BA Grade: 65/Extreme
Hernandez has been the top high school pitcher in the 2025 class for years. As he has progressed, it’s clear he’s one of the most talented prep arms in the last decade or so, with the sort of upside that puts his name in the same phylum as Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore and Jackson Jobe. Hernandez is a standout athlete with a 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame and throws with a clean delivery and three-quarters slot. If he weren’t a pitcher he would be a legitimate pro prospect as a hitter and shortstop. As a senior on a historically loaded Corona High team, Hernandez hit right in the middle of the lineup between Brady Ebel and Billy Carlson—both of whom have first-round potential. Hernandez’s ace-level pitching upside is enough for teams to view him as a pitcher only. He has a four-pitch arsenal that tops any in the class and starts with a plus fastball that sits in the mid 90s and has been up to 100 mph. In one outing at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational, Hernandez threw a 99-pitch complete game, throwing 93 mph or faster on every pitch and reaching back for 99 in his final frame. His low-80s changeup is his best secondary. It’s an easy 70-grade offering that earns Dylan Lesko comparisons and features tremendous velocity separation and tumbling life. Hernandez uses a circle-change grip and will alter his thumb placement on the ball depending on whether he wants to generate more life to get a chase below the zone or take a bit off and spot it in the zone. Hernandez also throws a low-to-mid-80s slider and an upper-70s spike curveball that both have above-average potential. He ties the arsenal together with above-average control that could become plus thanks to his clean delivery. Hernandez is a Vanderbilt commit but has a chance to become the first prep righty ever drafted first overall.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 70 | Control: 55.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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BA Grade/Risk: 65/High
Adjusted Grade: 50
Track Record: The Pirates’ pitching development program has excelled at maximizing recent athletic high school pitchers such as Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft. None entered pro ball with the pedigree or present skills of Hernandez, whom Pittsburgh drafted sixth in 2025 and signed for $7.25 million. Hernandez headlined a loaded Corona (Calif.) High team that also produced top 35 overall draft picks Billy Carlson and Brady Ebel.
Scouting Report: At 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Hernandez presents size, polish and present velocity rarely seen in a teenager. His mid-90s fastball touched triple digits during his senior spring, and he should regularly sit in the upper 90s one day as he adds more strength. Even with his velocity, some amateur evaluators questioned how consistently the pitch would miss bats in pro ball because of its shape. Hernandez complements it with a low-80s changeup and two distinct breaking balls. His double-plus changeup is the jewel of his secondaries. Hernandez throws it with a circle grip and shows advanced feel to use it to both miss bats and land for strikes. He also mixes a mid-to-upper-80s slider and a low-80s curveball, each flashing above-average potential with a bit more power since turning pro. The Pirates were particularly impressed by how he tightened his slider into more of a swing-and-miss pitch. Hernandez throws plenty of strikes, moves well on the mound with an advanced understanding of how to create power in his delivery and even drew some amateur interest as a legitimate two-way prospect.
The Future: While high school righthanders carry inherent risk, Hernandez has frontline potential and has drawn comparisons to Hunter Greene and Jackson Jobe. With his athleticism, deep repertoire and advanced strike-throwing, he has the ingredients to move quickly and is set to make his pro debut.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 70 | Control: 55.
Draft Prospects
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School: Corona (Calif.) HS Drafted/Committed: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 19.1
BA Grade: 65/Extreme
Hernandez has been the top high school pitcher in the 2025 class for years. As he has progressed, it’s clear he’s one of the most talented prep arms in the last decade or so, with the sort of upside that puts his name in the same phylum as Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore and Jackson Jobe. Hernandez is a standout athlete with a 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame and throws with a clean delivery and three-quarters slot. If he weren’t a pitcher he would be a legitimate pro prospect as a hitter and shortstop. As a senior on a historically loaded Corona High team, Hernandez hit right in the middle of the lineup between Brady Ebel and Billy Carlson—both of whom have first-round potential. Hernandez’s ace-level pitching upside is enough for teams to view him as a pitcher only. He has a four-pitch arsenal that tops any in the class and starts with a plus fastball that sits in the mid 90s and has been up to 100 mph. In one outing at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational, Hernandez threw a 99-pitch complete game, throwing 93 mph or faster on every pitch and reaching back for 99 in his final frame. His low-80s changeup is his best secondary. It’s an easy 70-grade offering that earns Dylan Lesko comparisons and features tremendous velocity separation and tumbling life. Hernandez uses a circle-change grip and will alter his thumb placement on the ball depending on whether he wants to generate more life to get a chase below the zone or take a bit off and spot it in the zone. Hernandez also throws a low-to-mid-80s slider and an upper-70s spike curveball that both have above-average potential. He ties the arsenal together with above-average control that could become plus thanks to his clean delivery. Hernandez is a Vanderbilt commit but has a chance to become the first prep righty ever drafted first overall.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 70 | Control: 55. -
School: Corona (Calif.) HS Committed: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 19.1
Hernandez has been the top high school pitcher in the 2025 class for years and has only further solidified his status as his draft gets closer. He pitches in the low-to-mid 90s and touches 98 mph with a fastball that has good extension and might still have another tick of velocity coming as he fills out his athletic 6-foot-4 frame. Hernandez has an outstanding changeup, one of the best offspeed pitches in the country. It’s a definite plus pitch with heavy sink, lots of fade and typically at least 12 mph off his fastball. Hernandez shows feel for a hard curveball that he can spin above 2,700 rpm and should give him another swing-and-miss offering and began throwing a harder slider more during the 2024 showcase circuit. He has a sound delivery and athleticism that helps him repeat his mechanics to throw strikes. Hernandez is a two-way player who has flashed good bat-to-ball skills and power too, but his upside is most exciting on the mound, with the size, stuff and pitchability to develop into a high-end starter.
