CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians selected Liam Peterson out of Florida with the 19th pick of the 2026 MLB draft.
The 21-year-old pitcher out of the University of Florida made 16 starts this season, going 3-6 with a 4.59 ERA. He had 111 strikeouts, which ranked him 7th among all SEC in the category.
He was ranked 25th nationally in strikeouts.
The right-hander won multiple awards as a Gator, including 2026 First Team Preseason All-American, 2026 First Team Preseason All-SEC, 2024 SEC All-Freshman Team and 2024 SEC Freshman of the Week on May 20.
Peterson is the first Floridian drafted with a first-round pick since Jac Caglianone, when he was selected sixth overall to the Kansas City Royals in 2024. He was also the first Guardian to be selected out of Florida in the first round.
This is the first pitcher selected in the first round by Cleveland since Gavin Williams in 2021.