Florida baseball RHP Liam Peterson picked by Guardians in MLB draft

July 11, 2026, 3:17 p.m. ET

The Cleveland Guardians selected Florida right-hander Liam Peterson with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 MLB draft.

Peterson leaves Florida with a 14-15 record, 4.95 ERA, a .255 batting average against, 108 walks and 283 strikeouts over 216 1/3 innings. He made 45 of his 46 starts as a member of the weekend starting rotation and appeared in 49 games in total.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder out of Calvary Christian Academy in Clearwater, Florida, came to Gainesville as a top-100 draft prospect in the 2023 cycle. He passed up decent money to improve his draft stock over three years with the Gators. The decision paid off as Peterson was selected at a pick with a slot value of $9,303,700.

He is the 26th first-round selection in program history, including the secondary phase, and the 231st Gator drafted. Peterson is the 117th draft selection and 15th first-round selection under Kevin O’Sullivan.

Peterson earned a spot in the starting rotation as a true freshman, finishing the 2024 season strong with a 4.76 ERA, a .239 BAA and 34 strikeouts in 28 1/3 frames across the final 30 games of the season. He emerged as the No. 1 starter by the time the NCAA Tournament rolled around and earned an SEC All-Freshman Team nod.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

As a sophomore, he was the unquestioned ace of the pitching staff. Peterson earned a reputation as one of the best strikeout pitchers in the country, working a 12.5 K/9, which ranked 20th nationally. He posted the third-highest K/9 in program history that season and struck out 11 or more batters three times.

Peterson entered 2026 as a First Team Preseason All-American, according to Baseball America and Perfect Game. He didn’t quite live up to those expectations, struggling to work deep into games until changing his approach midway through the season and moving into the Saturday spot following the emergence of SEC Pitcher of the Year Aidan King. Still, he managed to pitch seven innings three times and ranked 25th nationally with 111 strikeouts.

The stuff projects as an MLB starter if Peterson can continue working on going deeper in games. His 60-grade fastball is in the high-90s velocity with triple-digit potential, but it can come out of the hand a bit flat, especially when overthrown. Peterson’s slider has plus-plus potential, and he began throwing his curveball more. Peterson also has a serviceable changeup that he utilized more this season.

A four-pitch mix, a K% above 30 and a BB% that has dropped each season are all reasons to believe in Peterson at the next level. The fastball shape and lack of consistent command are reasons to doubt him.

History of Florida baseball’s first-round draft picks2024: 1B/LHP Jac Caglianone – Round 1, Pick 6 (Kansas City Royals)2023: RHP Hurston Waldrep – Round 1, Pick 24 (Atlanta Braves)2023: OF Wyatt Langford – Round 1, Pick 4 (Texas Rangers)2022: OF Sterlin Thompson – Round 1, Pick 31 (Colorado Rockies)2018: 3B Jonathan India – Round 1, Pick 5 (Cincinnati Reds)2018: RHP Brady Singer – Round 1, Pick 18 (Kansas City Royals)2018: Jackson Kowar – Round 1, Pick 33 (Kansas City Royals)2017: RHP Alex Faedo – Round 1, Pick 18 (Detroit Tigers)2016: LHP A.J. Puk – Round 1, Pick 6 (Oakland Athletics)2016: RHP Dane Dunning – Round 1, Pick 29 (Washington Nationals)2015: SS Richie Martin – Round 1, Pick 20 (Oakland Athletics)2013: RHP Jonathon Crawford – Round 1, Pick 20 (Detroit Tigers)2012: C Mike Zunino – Round 1, Pick 3 (Seattle Mariners)2007: 1B Matt LaPorta – Round 1, Pick 7 (Milwaukee Brewers)1998: 1B/OF/LHP Brad Wilkerson – Round 1, Pick 33 (Montreal Expos)1993: RHP Marc Valdes – Round 1, Pick 27 (Florida Marlins)1992: RHP John Burke – Round 1, Pick 27 (Colorado Rockies)1991: RHP John Burke – Round 1, Pick 6 (Houston Astros)1986: OF Scott Ruskin – Round 1, Pick 8 (Montreal Expos) *secondary phase*1983: RHP Rich Rice – Round 1, Pick 3 (Baltimore Orioles) *secondary phase*1983: SS Robby Thompson – Round 1, Pick 2 (San Francisco Giants) *secondary phase*1981: LHP Rob Murphy – Round 1, Pick 3 (Cincinnati Reds) *secondary phase*1981: RHP Randy O’Neal – Round 1, Pick 15 (Detroit Tigers) *secondary phase*1978: C Jim Watkins – Round 1, Pick 1 (Atlanta Braves) *secondary phase*

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.