Florida Baseball MLB Draft Tracker: Rounds 2-4
Three Florida players and one signee heard their names called Saturday during the opening four rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft.
Pitcher Liam Peterson led the way, joining the Cleveland Guardians with the 19th pick and becoming the 10th-highest player selected in program history.
Florida’s churned out 234 draft picks all time, including 119 under coach Kevin O’Sullivan. With the exception of the COVID-19-shortned draft, multiple Gators have been selected every year since 1988.
Two Florida players, right-handed pitcher Luke McNeillie (No. 185) and infielder Ethan Suroweic (No. 249), in the Top 250 MLB Prospect Rankings remain on the board. Three commits who participated in the MLB Combine, including two the top 200 prospects: outfielder Brady Harris (No.163) and right-handed pitcher Brady Snow (No. 169), along with left-handed pitcher Colin White are also still available.
The remaining 16 rounds take place Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Here’s a look at the newest Gators selected in the first four rounds:
Third Round: Kyle Jones (OF) Selected No. 102 by the Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers drafted Kyle Jones No. 102, making him Florida’s ninth-highest outfielder selected in program history.
Redshirting his sophomore season in 2025 with a shoulder injury, Jones played his first full season with the Gators in 2026, starting 56 games., He maintained a perfect fielding percentage across 113 defensive chances, primarily as a centerfielder.
At bat, Jones led the Gators in doubles (16), stolen bases (17) and multiple-hit games (22), and tied the team high in batting average (.317) and sacrifice flies (6). He notched 71 hits, 58 runs and career high seven home runs.
Fourth Round: Kevin Roberts Jr. (OF Commit) Selected No. 120 by the Baltimore Orioles
The highest ranked of the four Florida recruits at the 2026 MLB Combine, Kevin Roberts Jr. went No. 120 to the Baltimore Orioles.
Roberts spent his high school career at Jackson Prep in Jackson, Mississippi, becoming the No. 8 shortstop recruit in the nation, according to Perfect Game. In his senior year, he led the Patriots in runs (46), hits (40), RBIs (34), batting average (.396), home runs (10), on-base percentage (.591) and stolen bases (27).
His No. 120 draft pick carries a $711,800 slot value, and he’s the only member of the Florida 2026 signing class who didn’t enroll for the summer.
Fourth Round: Russell Sandefer (RHP) Selected No. 132 by the Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers made Russell Sandefer the second Gators pitcher drafted on Day One, taking him 132th overall.
Sandefer played his first season as a Gator in 2026 after transferring from Central Florida. He made 19 mound appearances, including 12 starts, with 10 as part of the weekend rotation.
Sanderfer ended 2026 with a 3-2 record and 4.61 ERA while holding batters to a .240 batting average across 57 innings pitched. The right-hander earned a spot on the 2026 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team after leaving Rider scoreless over 5 2/3 innings pitched during Florida’s 8-7 win over Rider.
Category: Gators Baseball
