Niceville native Rece Hinds is a professional baseball outfielder
for the Cincinnati Reds. He made his Major League Baseball
(MLB) debut in 2024.
Hinds grew up in Niceville, and attended Niceville High School
through his junior year. He was invited to play in the Under Armour
All-America Game after both his sophomore and junior seasons.
Following his junior year, he transferred to IMG Academy. The Cincinnati Reds selected Hinds in the second round of the 2019 MLB draft. Hinds was named the best overall athlete in the Reds’ minor league system going into the 2021 season. Hinds spent the 2021 season with the Daytona Tortugas.
In 2022, the Reds announced that Hinds would switch his position from third base to the outfield. Hinds spent the entirety of the 2023 campaign with the Double–A Chattanooga Lookouts. Hinds was optioned to the Triple–A Louisville Bats to begin the 2024 season. In 77 games for Louisville, he hit 13 home runs, had 41 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.
On July 8, 2024, Hinds was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. In his first six Major League games Hinds hit .500 with three doubles, five home runs, 11 RBIs, and 31 total bases. He became the first player in MLB history to tally five extra-base hits in his first two games, with two doubles, a triple, and two home runs vs. the Miami Marlins. He is the first rookie ever to hit three home runs and register eight RBIs in his first five games. After a brief return to Louisville, Hinds was recalled to the Reds on August 27, 2024.
