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Tennessee signee Steele Hall drafted No. 9 overall by the Reds

On3 imageby: Eric Cain07/13/25_Cainer
Steele Hall. Credit: Steele Hall Instagram
Steele Hall. Credit: Steele Hall Instagram

Tennessee signee Steele Hall, a shortstop from Trussville, Ala., was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Hall was always considered a longshot to make it to campus as one of the top-rated draft prospects in the class.  

Hall was one of the top-rated players in the 2026 recruiting class. He instead chose to reclassify and sign with Tennessee on National Singing Day in November. At 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Hall is known for his athleticism, speed and defense. Perfect Game reports he has ‘tools across the board.’

Perfect Game sports Hall as the No. 17 overall prospect in the 2025 class and the No. 11 shortstop. MLB Pipeline ranked Hall as the No. 12 draft prospect while Baseball America slated him at No. 15 ahead of draft weekend. The slot value assigned to the No. 9 overall pick is $6,513,800.

Tennessee had great success with the 2024 signing class last summer, surviving several draft battles and getting plenty of talent to Knoxville. The Vols’ highest-rated signee Anson Seibert made it to campus. Fellow top-100 recruits (Perfect Game) Levi Clark, Tegan Kuhns, Jay Abernathy, Brayden Krenzel, Manny Marin and Jaxon Walker also turned down professional opportunities to come and play for Tennessee.

Tennessee left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle was selected No. 5 overall by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Scouting Report from MLB.com

Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 70 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55

“Hall’s decision to reclassify for the 2025 Draft last November keeps looking better and better. He has added 15-20 pounds of strength during his third year of high school while improving both offensively and defensively. He won’t turn 18 until 11 days after the Draft and should become the first Alabama prep middle infielder to go in the first round since Condredge Holloway went fourth overall in 1971.

A twitchy athlete, Hall has at least plus-plus speed and earns top-of-the-scale 80 grades from some evaluators. He’s a lock to stay at shortstop with good actions, range to both sides and the ability to make throws from a variety of angles. He’s at least a solid defender with arm strength to match, with some scouts projecting him as plus in both categories.

Hall’s quick right-handed swing looks better in batting practice — where he focuses on driving the ball from gap to gap — than it does in games, where it gets longer as he looks to lift and pull pitches for power. The Tennessee recruit is a bit of a free swinger who struggles to recognize secondary pitches. He still has room to add more strength and should become at least an average hitter with 15-homer pop, and perhaps more, if he can moderate his approach.”

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