Sanderfer’s deal with the Dodgers comes in at $434,000 \u2014 $141,300 under the $575,300 slot value for his draft selection. The former Gator was ranked No. 177 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 200, No. 182 overall in Baseball America’s Top 500 and No. 71 in D1Baseball’s college-only top 250 ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft.<\/p>\n
The Tampa, Florida, native appeared in 19 games for Florida last spring after transferring from the Central Florida Knights, with a dozen coming as a starter and 10 of those starts slotted during the weekend. He began the campaign as a weekday starter, but Copper Walls’ struggles in the Sunday spot opened up an opportunity for Sandefer \u2014 one that he took advantage of.<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-1-inch hurler put up a 3-2 record in 2026, posting a 4.42 ERA and 1.30 WHIP while striking out 60 batters against 22 walks over 57 innings of work. He held opposing hitters to a .240 batting average, striking out 9.5 and walking 3.5 batters per nine innings, while serving up just four home runs for a 0.6 HR\/9 average.<\/p>\n
Sanderfer’s efforts during the postseason earned him a spot on the 2026 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team. He shut out the Rider Broncs over 5 2\/3 frames on two hits, one walk and five strikeouts en route to the win.<\/p>\n
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n He previously played for UCF in 2025, when he appeared in 18 games for the Knights \u2014 including six starts \u2014 putting up a 2-3 record with a 3.38 ERA across 50 2\/3 frames along with a save during his sophomore campaign. Sandefer spent his freshman season at Saint Leo (Division II), appearing in 11 games with eight starts, in which he tallied a 5-2 record with a 3.35 ERA and a save.<\/p>\n Follow us\u00a0@GatorsWire<\/a>\u00a0on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky<\/a>, and like our page on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators<\/a> news, notes and opinions.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784406496_307_73904848007-CWS-G3-2.jpeg\")