The MLB Draft is approaching, and several Florida baseball players are preparing to find out where their professional careers could begin.
The draft will take place from July 11-12, with Rounds 1-4 being held Saturday and Rounds 5-20 taking place Sunday. The Gators have multiple current players and high school commits who could be selected throughout the 20 rounds.
Among the group, junior starting pitcher Liam Peterson has the strongest draft pedigree. Ranked No. 20 in MLB.com’s Top 250 players, the junior has consistently been projected as a first-round selection.
The right-handed pitcher has been mocked regularly in the first round, with FanGraphs predicting him to be selected No. 18 overall by the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds have a history of selecting Florida players early, taking former Gator Jonathan India fifth overall in the 2018 Draft.
MLB.com has Peterson going No. 17 overall to the Houston Astros, one pick ahead of the Reds. Baseball America has also been consistent with Peterson landing in the middle of the first round, projecting him to go No. 16 overall to the Texas Rangers in its latest mock draft.
While most projections have Peterson landing in the mid-to-late teens, Just Baseball has the Clearwater native being selected later at No. 36 overall by the Philadelphia Phillies. The publication noted that Peterson could be selected at various points in the draft but cited his lack of command as the biggest concern for teams.
Despite posting a career 5.03 ERA during his three years at Florida, Peterson’s potential is what makes him such an intriguing draft prospect. His fastball has reached as high as 101 mph during the season, but his slider might just be his most impressive pitch. The wipeout breaking ball is a weapon few pitchers possess, but commanding both pitches will be the biggest challenge as he moves toward the professional level.
Peterson is the only Gator projected in the first round, but several other Florida players could also hear their names called.
Ranked No. 135 on MLB.com’s Top 250 is redshirt sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones. Junior right-handed pitcher Russell Sandefer comes in at No. 177, followed by junior pitcher Luke McNeillie at No. 185 and draft-eligible sophomore third baseman Ethan Surowiec at No. 249.
Junior outfielder Jaden Bastian, redshirt sophomore two-way player Caden McDonald, junior outfielder Hayden Yost and senior outfielder Blake Cyr are also draft eligible but do not appear in MLB.com’s Top 250.
Every aforementioned player except Cyr still has college eligibility, meaning most have the opportunity to return to Florida next season if they choose not to sign with an MLB organization. Peterson is expected to sign with a professional team and forgo his senior season due to his projected first-round status. Surowiec is expected to return for another season after signing a deal with Florida’s NIL collective, Florida Victorious.
The draft could also impact Florida’s future roster through the team’s high school commitments. Several Gator commits could be selected and potentially sign with an MLB team before arriving in Gainesville.
Three Florida commits appear in the MLB.com Top 250 rankings. Infielder Kevin Roberts Jr. out of Meridian, Mississippi, is ranked No. 136, outfielder Brady Harris from St. Augustine, Florida, is ranked No. 163 and right-handed pitcher Brady Snow from North Palm Beach, Florida, is ranked No. 169.
Left-handed pitcher Colin White out of Powder Springs, Georgia, is another Florida commit who could be selected. While he is not ranked in the MLB.com Top 250, his performance at the MLB Draft Combine improved his draft stock. He caught the attention of many by placing in the top five in spin rate among day one attendees.
Roberts Jr. and Harris have the highest chance of never making it to Gainesville, as both could be selected relatively early in the draft.
Florida has recently produced several first-round MLB Draft selections. Gator great Jac Caglianone was selected sixth overall in 2024, while Gainesville area native Wyatt Langford went fourth overall in 2023. Hurston Waldrep also followed Langford in the first round of the same draft, being selected 24th overall. In 2022, Sterlin Thompson was selected with the 31st pick.
The 2025 MLB Draft marked the first year since 2021 that Florida did not have a first-round selection, but with Peterson projected as a likely first-round pick, the Gators are poised to continue producing high-caliber players who are capable of making an immediate impact at the next level.
Contact Colton Veres at cveres@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @colton_veres.
Colton Veres is a senior sports journalism student in his first semester at The Alligator. He is currently the Summer 2026 baseball reporter. In his free time he enjoys watching the Red Sox and spending times with friends and loved ones.
