According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, the 17-year-old infielder agreed to a $5.75 million signing bonus—slightly below the $6.51 million slot value assigned to the No. 9 overall pick.
Pre-draft evaluations were mixed on Hall. Both Baseball America and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projected him as a mid-first-round talent, while Keith Law of The Athletic ranked him much lower at No. 36. Standing 5’11”, Hall is a right-handed batter known for his elite speed and is projected to remain at shortstop.
He’s viewed as more of a contact hitter than a power threat, with a notably aggressive approach at the plate. Law, however, raised concerns about how he handles breaking pitches.
Despite differing opinions among scouts, Hall’s youth and athletic upside made him a clear candidate to be selected early enough to forgo his college commitment to Tennessee.
His bonus aligns closely with the value of the 12th overall pick, giving the Reds some financial flexibility to potentially offer overslot deals to other draftees.
Cincinnati also selected two more high schoolers in the top 10 rounds—Aaron Watson (2nd round) and Eli Pitts (5th round)—who could benefit from the savings on Hall’s deal.
