This high school pitcher could surprisingly be the Reds selection in Round 1 of the 2023 MLB Draft

The best young baseball talent will hear their names called tonight during the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft.

Most mock drafts assume that the Cincinnati Reds will be targeting a college pitcher during tonight's festivities. While LSU's Paul Skenes will surely be off the board, Tennessee's Chase Dollander and Wake Forest's Rhett Lowder may be available at No. 7.

There have been some whispers of late that perhaps one of the two high school outfielders, Max Clark and Walker Jenkins, could fall outside the Top 5. That may allow the Reds to walk away from Round 1 with one of the top prep bats in the draft.

The Reds could draft Noble Meyer in Round 1 of the 2023 MLB Draft.

But while landing either high school outfielder would be a dream scenario for the Cincinnati Reds, perhaps another high school player would pique their interest at No. 7 during Round 1 of tonight's MLB Draft.

While the trio of college hurlers get most of the publicity, high school pitcher Noble Meyer has been projected to go within the first 10 picks of the 2023 MLB Draft. The right-hander, who's currently committed to play for the University of Oregon, has a high-velocity fastball.

According to MLB Pipeline, the 18-year-old can touch triple digits and has an above-average slider to pair with both a changeup and two-seam fastball as well. At 6-foot-5, Meyer has an imposing presence on the mound and can easily project as a starting pitcher at the next level.

With so many young starters (Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Brandon Williamson, and Nick Lodolo) on the Cincinnati Reds roster, and several upper-level minor league arms (Christian Roa, Lyon Richardson, Connor Phillips, and Joe Boyle) knocking on the major league door, maybe the best way to keep the lower-level of the minors well stocked is to draft a prep pitcher like Meyer.

Drafting Noble Meyer should allow the Cincinnati Reds to offer the right-hander an under-slot deal at No. 7 and then go with an over-slot deal with their Competitive Balance pick later on Day 1 of the 2023 MLB Draft.