Los Angeles – Pittsburgh, meet your potential future beast on the mound.
Again.
With the No.6 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Pirates selected Seth Hernandez, a right-hander from Corona High School who many scouts believed was the top overall pitcher in the class.
Hernandez, 19, didn’t pitch in front of crowds until his junior year — he was homeschooled until then. But once he joined head coach Andy Wise’s powerhouse program in Corona, he made up for lost time.
As a junior, he went 9-0 with a 0.62 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 56 innings. His senior year was even more dominant: 105 strikeouts in just over 53 innings, only seven walks, and a 0.39 ERA.
The accolades matched the numbers. He was named MVP of the National High School Invitational after throwing a complete-game shutout in the title game in 2024. Then 2025 High School Gatorade National Player of the Year.
“He wasn’t just one of the best pitchers in the country, but one of the best baseball players,” Wise said. “I call him the best I’ve ever been around.”
Hernandez also hit .352 with eight home runs as a junior, but Pittsburgh is betting on his future in the rotation.
It’s a team in turmoil. Pittsburgh, 39-58 at the All-Star break, sits 18.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs atop the division. Their roster sports just one notable name who made the all-star game, Paul Skenes. He’s widely regarded as the best pitcher in baseball and now serves as the leader of the path Hernandez will walk in the Steel City.
Hernandez could one day bring more star power and become a cornerstone in Pittsburgh’s push back toward league relevancy.
His Corona Teammate, shortstop Billy Carlson, is expected to be selected shortly in the first round.
Billy Carlson selected by White Sox
Corona High School has now sent its top two prospects to the MLB in the top 10.
First, Hernandez went sixth to the Pirates, then the Chicago White Sox selected Panther shortstop Billy Carlson with the 10th pick.
The 19-year-old Tennessee commit soared up draft boards over his past two high school seasons, on the back of his consistent play at the plate.
His senior year, while Hernandez was shutting down offenses on the plate, Carlson was hitting .365 with a .517 on-base percentage, six home runs, and a .647 slugging clip.
Carlson was Corona, born and bred, having started on the freshman team for Wise’s program. His work ethic and drive spearhead his ascension to a first-round MLB pick.
“(Carlson) was a freshman who spent some time on the freshman team here,” Wise said. “It’s not like he walked in and demanded anything. He worked hard and believed in what we were doing, and his development went through the roof, and he’s turned himself into what he is today.”
Carlson is one of four prospects from Corona ranked in the top 250 of MiLB’s pre-draft rankings, along with Hernandez, third baseman Brady Ebel (No. 64, and right-handed pitcher/outfielder Ethin Bingaman (No. 150).
The school has produced four picks in school history: outfielder Mike Darr (2nd round, 1994), right-hander Joe Kelly (3rd round, 2009), infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor (10th round, 2016), and right-hander Tristan Beck (4th round, 2018).
Carlson has become the second in just the first round of potentially four alone in 2025 for the Southern California powerhouse.
The White Sox at 32-65 are struggling in last place of the AL Central and also had zero all-star selections for the 2025 All-Star Game.
Carlson was described on the ESPN broadcast as a “slightly toned down version” of Royals all-star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who is lauded as one of the best in the league. High praise and a hopeful translation for the White Sox organization, desperate for star power and better fortunes.