GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Unless a huge curveball is tossed on Saturday when the MLB Draft opens with the first four rounds, followed on Sunday by Rounds 5-20, John Burke’s school record will remain intact at 35 years and counting.
Houston selected Burke with the sixth overall pick of the draft in 1991, making him the highest-drafted UF starting pitcher in MLB’s primary draft. Burke did not reach an agreement, returned to school, and then signed with Colorado as the No. 27 overall pick in the 1992 draft. Lefty A.J. Puk, a reliever/starter for the Gators, matched Burke’s place in program history when Oakland selected him with the sixth overall pick in 2016.
The topic is relevant in 2026 with Gators right-hander Liam Peterson ranked among the top starting pitchers available. If the draft were strictly based on stuff, Peterson would be a lock to be the first pitcher off the board.
However, Peterson’s inconsistency the past three seasons at Florida (14-16, 5.03 ERA, 112 BB, 284 SO in 216 2/3 innings) will make some teams pause before doling out millions of dollars and hope for the best.
Gators fans can relate. Peterson has the potential to be spectacular each time he steps on the mound, or he can be the enigma that served up four home runs in five innings against Troy in his final collegiate start last month.
Liam Peterson’s potential makes him an intriguing prospect in the upcoming MLB Draft. (Photo: Madilyn Gemme/UAA Communications)
Peterson remains projected as a first-round draft pick and could go higher than Braves right-hander Hurston Waldrep, selected No. 24 overall in the 2023 draft, as the last UF starting pitcher to go in the first round.
Peterson was asked by former Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd recently on the MLB Network about the biggest question mark surrounding him entering the draft.
Here is the exchange:
O’Dowd: You’re kind of a polarizing figure in the scouting community, as you know, because the ceiling is just incredible, and yet at times there’s a gap between the performance and the gifts that you show up on the mound with every day. So, when I say that, how do you react to that?
Peterson: I can’t sit here and disagree with you. I certainly am not happy with the way I have performed, but like you said, I know what I can be, and I know what I will be.
O’Dowd: What is that going to be when the product is all said and done — how do you envision yourself?
Peterson: I don’t want to sound cocky or anything coming off of this, but I think I really have the potential to be a Cy Young top-end starter in MLB. And I don’t mean that in a cocky way. I just think that you’ve got to be confident in yourself. I know what I have, and I know that I haven’t necessarily shown that in my performances so far, but I really do think I’m close to getting where I want to be.
Peterson was joined on the segment by Louisville outfielder Zion Rose, and you can watch the entire interview here.
Peterson understands the hoopla over where he will be selected.
“I think my stuff can compete with anyone,” he said.
A look at UF pitchers taken in the first round of the MLB amateur draft since Houston selected right-hander John Burke in 1991:
YEAR
PITCHER
PICK (Round/Overall)
TEAM
1991
John Burke
1 / 6th
Houston
1992
John Burke
1 / 27th
Colorado
1993
Marc Valdes
1 /27th
Florida
2012
Brian Johnson
1s* / 31st
Boston
2013
Jonathon Crawford
1 / 20th
Detroit
2016
A.J. Puk
1/ 6th
Oakland
2016
Dane Dunning
1 / 29th
Washington
2017
Alex Faedo
1 / 18th
Detroit
2018
Brady Singer
1 / 18th
Kansas City
2018
Jackson Kowar
1 / 33rd
Kansas City
2023
Hurston Waldrep
1 / 24th
Atlanta
*Supplemental pick for loss of free agent Jonathan Papelbon
Source: BaseballReference.com