First Call: Aaron Rodgers wants to 'finish it the right way' with Steelers; high school of Pirates' 1st-round pick sets record

Monday’s “First Call” features Aaron Rodgers’ comments about his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers so far. The Pirates’ first-round draft choice, Seth Hernandez, talks about the idea of eventually pitching with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones.

Hernandez’s high school made history on Sunday night during the draft. And we catch up with a former Pirates pitcher who is finding a groove with his current team.

Out on a high note

Aaron Rodgers reiterated his plan to make this season with the Steelers his last in the NFL. The 41-year-old has previously stated that he expects to retire after a one-and-done campaign in Pittsburgh.

Rodgers advanced that belief once again over the weekend while he was being interviewed at the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe.

“It’s a good quarterback room. It’s good leadership in the locker room. Great fan base, and I’m just excited to get back out there and finish it the right way,” Rodgers said on the Golf Channel.

Rodgers also added some commentary about his time with the Steelers so far.

“I just like the newness of it all,” Rodgers said. “I’m excited about being at such a great franchise with the Hall of Fame head coach (Mike Tomlin). I’ve enjoyed getting to know Arthur Smith, our coordinator. The quarterback coach actually was in my quarterback room a million years ago. I’ve known Tom Arth since we were young kids without any gray. So it’s fun.”

Former NHL player Joe Pavelski won the celebrity event, closing with an eagle to edge former MLB pitcher John Smoltz.

The more the merrier

Pirates first-round pick Seth Hernandez (RHP) wasn’t the only player from his high school to be drafted in the top 10. So was Billy Carlson. The shortstop went 10th overall to the Chicago White Sox.

Both players are products of Corona High School in California. It’s about 50 miles east of Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. Those are the first two high school players ever drafted in the top 10 of the same draft class.

Imagine sitting in class knowing you have to face two top-10 draft picks after school ????

Corona High School RHP Seth Hernandez was drafted 6th by the Pirates and SS Billy Carlson was drafted 10th overall by the White Sox ???? pic.twitter.com/LO8RdPP57Q

— MLB (@MLB) July 13, 2025

Chatsworth High School in L.A. had two of the top 12 picks in the 2007 draft when Mike Moustakas went No. 2 overall to the Kansas City Royals and Matt Dominguez went 12th to the Florida (now Miami) Marlins.

Brady Ebel, another Corona graduate, was also drafted in the first round at No. 32 in a compensation pick by Milwaukee. He played third base in high school. His father, Dino, is the third base coach of the L.A. Dodgers.

No high school had ever placed three first-rounders in the same MLB draft prior to Sunday night.

This California high school has a chance to make history with the 2025 @MLBDraft less than a week away...@jonmorosi took a trip out to Corona HS to get a closer look at one of the most talented high school teams EVER. pic.twitter.com/OOoOCf3mpF

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 7, 2025

The Panthers outscored opponents 252-40 on the year. They finished the year 28-3 before losing in the CIF Southern Section high school baseball playoffs to St. John Bosco (2-0).

That playoff loss was the first of Hernandez’s high school career as a pitcher. ESPN draft analyst Kyle Peterson says that Hernandez can hit 100 miles per hour. His changeup is believed to be his second-best pitch. At one point this season, through 53⅓ innings, Hernandez had 105 strikeouts and seven walks.

The first 16 picks of the draft were all shortstops or pitchers.

More sports

• Pirates take top prep pitcher Seth Hernandez with No. 6 pick of 1st round in MLB Draft
• Penguins acquire goaltender Arturs Silovs from Canucks
• Home Run Derby to offer mental challenge for Pirates' Oneil Cruz

Learn from the best

Upon learning that he was drafted by the Pirates, Hernandez said he allowed his mind to wander to the prospect of potentially being in a rotation with Paul Skenes.

“One hundred percent,” Hernandez said on the MLB Network. “That was probably my first thought. Paul Skenes is, obviously, unbelievable. I also know Jared Jones. So, being able to kind of work with them, go through the process, and being able to learn from those guys is unbelievable.”

Seth Hernandez said Paul Skenes is one pitcher he models his game after.

So when the @Pirates selected him with the No. 6 overall Draft pick, the 19-year-old immediately thought about working with the young ace. pic.twitter.com/8xBwYbqsH9

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 14, 2025

If that’s what Hernandez wants, he better figure out how to get to the majors quickly. As soon as Skenes gets his first arbitration award prior to the 2027 season, he could be on the trade market.

Skenes and Jones are also both from California. Jones attended La Mirada High School. Skenes went to El Toro High School in Lake Forrest. That’s the alma mater of fellow major leaguers Nolan Arenado and Matt Chapman.

A Vanderbilt commit, Hernandez won the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award for his 0.39 ERA and his .319 batting average and 1.019 OPS at the plate.

The mighty Quinn

Quinn Priester was a first-round pick of the Pirates in 2019. He was selected 18th overall.

The Pirates traded Priester to the Boston Red Sox in July 2024 for Nick Yorke. The Sox then traded him to Milwaukee in April of this year.

That’s worked out nicely for Priester. The 24-year-old right-hander won again over the weekend. On Friday night, he improved to 7-2 on the year with a 3.55 ERA by virtue of an 8-3 victory over Washington.

Priester went six innings, allowing two runs while striking out five. Back on June 28, Priester had 11 strikeouts over seven innings of shutout ball when he allowed just one hit.

Quinn Priester, Filthy 86mph Slider. ????

Shoutout to the fan in the upper right corner. ???? pic.twitter.com/nELavgA7cu

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 28, 2025

Priester hasn’t suffered a loss since May 13 when he dropped a 2-0 decision in Cleveland.