The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced that the club has selected right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez with the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2025 First-Year Player Draft.
Hernandez was rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in this year’s draft (No. 3 by MLB Pipeline) as a senior this past season at Corona (CA) High School.
“We are very excited to get the chance to work with Seth,” said Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington. “His athleticism, velocity, ability to shape pitches and competitiveness are standout traits for a starting pitcher. He will be fun to watch develop.”
Coming into the draft, Baseball America rated Hernandez with having the “Best Changeup” and the fourth-best “Fastball” among this year’s high school draft class.
The 19-year-old Hernandez took home 2024-25 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year honors (2024 Pirates first-round pick Konnor Griffin took home the award last year).
Hernandez struck out 105 batters while recording a 0.39 ERA (53.1ip/6r/3er) in his 11 appearances (11 starts) this past season for Corona High School. He also hit .319 with seven home runs and a 1.019 OPS as a senior.
Hernandez, who was the 2023-24 Gatorade California Baseball Player of the Year, recorded an 18-1 record in his career at Corona High School while also being a two-time Los Angeles Times Player of the Year.