What Florida baseball’s Liam Peterson brings to Cleveland Guardians

Florida baseball’s Liam Peterson was the first Gator to hear his name called in the 2026 MLB Draft as the Cleveland Guard selected him in the first round.

The right-hander was drafted in the first round by the (Team) on Saturday, July 10. The selection makes Peterson the 21st Gator to be taken in the first round in program history and 15th under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.

Peterson was the No. 19 overall pick which has a slot value of $4.53 million.

Peterson registered a 4.59 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP, while racking up 111 strikeouts against 36 walks in 84.1 innings of work in 2926. His strikeout total ranked seventh in the SEC and 25th nationally.

He completed five full innings in 12 of his 16 starts while pitching at least seven innings three times.

In his career, Peterson totaled a win-loss record of 14-16, a 5.03 ERA and 204 strikeouts to 112 walks in over 216 innings.

Peterson’s fastball stays in the mid-90s, but has gotten up between 99 to 100 mph. His strongest secondary pitch is a slider that jumps to the mid-80s. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound pitcher can also mix in a curveball and changeup.

He threw a career-high of seven innings against Georgia where he scattered eight hits with one run while recording four strikeouts with no walks. He also threw six one-hit frames with 10 strikeouts and two walks against South Carolina.

Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at AAbadie@usatodayco.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: What Florida baseball’s Liam Peterson brings to Cleveland Guardians