Florida's Peterson, Jones make top 150 MLB draft prospects list 2026

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo released his rankings of the 150 top prospects for the upcoming 2026 MLB draft, which included a pair of current Florida baseball players as well as one signed recruit.

Right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson and outfielder Kyle Jones, along with prep shortstop Kevin Roberts Jr., cracked the list, with the former two landing at Nos. 14 and 123, respectively, while the latter checks in at No. 126.

Peterson, a junior out of Palm Harbor, Florida, came into college as a highly heralded arm, earning a spot at the top of the rotation during his sophomore season. He entered the 2026 campaign as the Gators' Friday night starter, but issues with efficiency and consistency saw him demoted in favor of Aidan King as the team's ace.

He has won just one game against four losses this season over 11 starts, putting up a mediocre 3.93 ERA with a .240 batting average against, but has still managed to strike out 76 batters while walking 28 across 55 innings of work. He has only logged seven frames once this season and has otherwise seen his pitch count soar early on in his appearances, putting a heavy strain on the Gators' bullpen.

The righty's high-water mark this spring came against the Georgia Bulldogs, in which he allowed eight hits but zero walks while striking out four in the team's loss.

Jones, a redshirt sophomore out of Athens, Georgia, has performed admirably in the leadoff spot as well as in centerfield, putting up a .305 batting average, .397 on-base percentage and .458 slugging for a cumulative .855 OPS, and drawing 26 walks against 35 strikeouts. He has hit 13 doubles, one triple and four home runs while crossing the plate 44 times and driving in 31 of his fellow Gators, and has also stolen 16 bases in 20 total tries.

The Peach State product has been flawless in the field so far, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage on 92 putouts and one assist.

Roberts Jr. is a 6-foot-5-inch, 215-pound outfielder at Jackson Prep (Mississippi) who is batting .366 and getting on base at a .566 clip, with nine homers, 42 runs scored and 29 RBIs in 36 games while drawing 41 walks against 25 strikeouts over 136 plate appearances, according to MaxPreps. The senior signed with Florida earlier this year.

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.

This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida baseball Peterson, Jones, signee among top MLB draft prospects