When the Cincinnati Reds selected Mason Neville in the 18th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft, Neville knew he could be better. He bet on himself and took an offer from Arkansas.

“I just knew I had a good opportunity to go to college and develop that way,” Neville said following Wednesday’s game in which he walked three times and scored twice. “Everybody has their own path.”

But after seeing limited playing time as a freshman, Neville continued on his own path and wound up at Oregon, where he got more playing time in his sophomore year. He hit .269 with a 1.033 OPS and mashed 16 home runs while splitting his time between all three outfield spots. 

But this year, he’s been otherworldly as a junior. He’s running away with the NCAA home run title and has raised his batting average sixty points. He’s found a home in center field and has started there all but two of the Ducks’ games this year, playing stellar defense. He’s one of the front-runners for the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year.

Moving even beyond that, Neville has been featured on Golden Spikes watch lists throughout the season. The Golden Spikes Award is presented annually to the best amateur player in the country, so to say Neville should be a first-round pick sounds like a given.

“I don’t know if it’s realistic to keep guys like that who propel themselves into the first round, which is what he’s earning by being a possible Golden Spike Award type of guy,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said when asked about potentially retaining Neville for his senior year. “He’s potentially looking at a seven-figure signing bonus.”

But as the regular season nears its end, it’s time to start talking about the potential for Neville to exceed preseason expectations of his draft placement. In the past ten years, among players to have led the NCAA in home runs and hit over .300, just one player has been taken outside the top two rounds. That player is Jake Adams, who was shaky at best in the minor leagues after coming out of nowhere in the 2017 season for Iowa. In the end, Adams’ unproven track record and subsequent breakout justified his tenth-round selection.

So it’s worth wondering whether or not Neville’s track record of being a consistent hitter with a great eye will pay off. Neville is the No. 62 draft prospect according to MLB.com, which does technically put him in the second round, but at the very end of it. 

It’s certainly not an insult to be selected at the end of the second round, however. James Wood was selected with the 62nd pick in 2021 and was traded as the centerpiece for Juan Soto the following year. Today, he’s one of the brightest young stars in the game.

But Neville deserves more than the 62nd pick. Whether or not he wins the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year, he is a front-runner for a major Power Five award and will almost certainly get named to the All-Conference first team.

Furthermore, some of the projected first-round picks are nowhere near the level Neville’s been at this year. Take Caden Bodine, the No. 37 draft prospect. He’s hitting a very good .328 with 35 walks compared to just 14 strikeouts, which is certainly worthy of a high draft pick. But compare Bodine’s stats to Neville’s, who has more runs, home runs, runs batted in, walks, total bases, and stolen bases, it’s fair to wonder whether the two should be switched.

Even if current No. 20 draft prospect and fellow outfielder Ike Irish is taken a look at, Neville beats him in the eye test. Neville has more runs, hits, doubles, home runs, runs batted in, walks, and total bases while playing a more demanding position in center field compared to Irish’s right field.

So the numbers show it. Neville plays on an Oregon team ranked higher than Bodine’s Coastal Carolina and Irish’s Auburn. Such a contribution to winning baseball should be rewarded.

Neville is hitting .322 on the year with an NCAA-leading 24 home runs to go along with eight stolen bases and 49 walks.

Neville and the No. 5 Oregon Ducks take on the Washington Huskies to kick off the year’s final home series on Friday at 6:05 p.m.

The MLB draft will be held on July 13-15, live from Atlanta, Ga., on MLB Network and ESPN.