Aug 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone (14) celebrates with Salvador Perez (13) after hitting a home run off Tarik Skubal of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium / Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
MLB University: Gauging Florida’s Big-League Success
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | Baseball
The Gators lead all NCAA programs with 43 MLB players since 2008 including 17 during the 2025 season.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – When Sterlin Thompson stepped on the Coors Field grass in Denver for his big-league debut with the Colorado Rockies against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 16, he became the 91st Florida Gator to play in Major League Baseball.
More importantly, Thompson (UF 2021-22) signified Florida's nation-leading 43rd MLB debut since 2008 – six more than any other NCAA program. Ever since Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan took the reins of the UF baseball program 19 years ago, the Gators have established themselves as the sport's No. 1 producer of MLB talent.
During the 2025 season alone, Florida paced all of college baseball with 17 MLB players as four Gators made their debuts in Jac Caglianone (UF 2022-24), Brandon Sproat (UF 2020-23), Philip Abner (UF 2022-23) and Hunter Barco (UF 2020-22). The former three players joined Wyatt Langford (UF 2021-23) and Hurston Waldrep (UF 2023) as members of the 2023 National Runner-Up squad to reach the big leagues, giving the Gators a nation-high five MLB players and three pitchers from the 2023 roster.
As a result, Florida has developed 22 MLB pitchers and 21 position players since 2008. While both those totals sit second nationally, the Gators are the lone program to send 20-plus pitchers and position players to the MLB in that span. No other college team has even produced 18 or more of each.
With Thompson and Franco Aleman (UF 2021) making their MLB debuts in 2026, at least one Gator has debuted in The Show every year dating back to 2017 for a streak of 10-consecutive seasons. But the story does not end with their debuts, as MLB Gators have been performing at an elite clip at baseball's highest level. Florida's nation-best 17 MLB players combined for 18.2 wins above replacement (WAR) last season, led by Langford (5.4), Harrison Bader (4.3, UF 2013-15), Pete Alonso (3.5, UF 2014-16) and Brady Singer (3.3, UF 2016-18).
Taking a look at the current 2026 MLB campaign, three Gator sluggers enter mid-August with an OPS+ above 125 – indicating they are more than 25% better than the league-average hitter: Alonso (133), Caglianone (128) and Langford (126). That UF trio has been worth a combined 8.5 WAR headlined by Alonso at 3.2 and Caglianone at 2.9.
As Florida's top-two leaders in WAR this season, Alonso (26) and Caglianone (21) have teamed up for 47 home runs. They also have six Home Run Derby appearances between the two of them, as Caglianone participated for the first time in 2026 while Alonso, a two-time champion (2019, 2021), competed on five occasions from 2019-24.
Holding status as a five-time MLB All Star, Alonso was selected to the Midsummer Classic in 2019 and again across four-straight seasons from 2022-25. In fact, Florida generated an MLB All-Star over six-consecutive All-Star Games from 2019-25, as Mike Zunino (UF 2010-12) homered at the 2021 All-Star Game in Colorado en route to a career-high 34 home runs that season.
A complete list of Florida's all-time MLB players and current Gators competing in affiliated professional baseball can be found here.
MLB University – By the Numbers
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More importantly, Thompson (UF 2021-22) signified Florida's nation-leading 43rd MLB debut since 2008 – six more than any other NCAA program. Ever since Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan took the reins of the UF baseball program 19 years ago, the Gators have established themselves as the sport's No. 1 producer of MLB talent.
During the 2025 season alone, Florida paced all of college baseball with 17 MLB players as four Gators made their debuts in Jac Caglianone (UF 2022-24), Brandon Sproat (UF 2020-23), Philip Abner (UF 2022-23) and Hunter Barco (UF 2020-22). The former three players joined Wyatt Langford (UF 2021-23) and Hurston Waldrep (UF 2023) as members of the 2023 National Runner-Up squad to reach the big leagues, giving the Gators a nation-high five MLB players and three pitchers from the 2023 roster.
As a result, Florida has developed 22 MLB pitchers and 21 position players since 2008. While both those totals sit second nationally, the Gators are the lone program to send 20-plus pitchers and position players to the MLB in that span. No other college team has even produced 18 or more of each.
With Thompson and Franco Aleman (UF 2021) making their MLB debuts in 2026, at least one Gator has debuted in The Show every year dating back to 2017 for a streak of 10-consecutive seasons. But the story does not end with their debuts, as MLB Gators have been performing at an elite clip at baseball's highest level. Florida's nation-best 17 MLB players combined for 18.2 wins above replacement (WAR) last season, led by Langford (5.4), Harrison Bader (4.3, UF 2013-15), Pete Alonso (3.5, UF 2014-16) and Brady Singer (3.3, UF 2016-18).
Taking a look at the current 2026 MLB campaign, three Gator sluggers enter mid-August with an OPS+ above 125 – indicating they are more than 25% better than the league-average hitter: Alonso (133), Caglianone (128) and Langford (126). That UF trio has been worth a combined 8.5 WAR headlined by Alonso at 3.2 and Caglianone at 2.9.
As Florida's top-two leaders in WAR this season, Alonso (26) and Caglianone (21) have teamed up for 47 home runs. They also have six Home Run Derby appearances between the two of them, as Caglianone participated for the first time in 2026 while Alonso, a two-time champion (2019, 2021), competed on five occasions from 2019-24.
Holding status as a five-time MLB All Star, Alonso was selected to the Midsummer Classic in 2019 and again across four-straight seasons from 2022-25. In fact, Florida generated an MLB All-Star over six-consecutive All-Star Games from 2019-25, as Mike Zunino (UF 2010-12) homered at the 2021 All-Star Game in Colorado en route to a career-high 34 home runs that season.
A complete list of Florida's all-time MLB players and current Gators competing in affiliated professional baseball can be found here.
MLB University – By the Numbers
- 91 MLB Players All-Time
- 43 MLB Debuts Since 2008 (1st in NCAA)
- 6 more than any other program (Arizona & LSU: 37)
- 22 MLB Pitchers Since 2008 (2nd in NCAA)
- 21 MLB Position Players Since 2008 (2nd in NCAA)
- 20+ MLB Pitchers, 20+ MLB Position Players Since 2008
- Unparalleled Balance: no other NCAA program has 18+ of each
- 17 MLB Players During 2025 Season (1st in NCAA)
- 5 MLB Players from 2023 UF Roster (1st in NCAA)
- 3 MLB Pitchers from 2023 UF Roster (1st in NCAA)
| All-Time Florida Gators to Play in MLB (91) | |||
| Count | Player | UF Letterman | MLB Debut Date |
| 1 | Lance Richbourg | 1919 - 1919 | 7/4/1921 |
| 2 | Ned Porter | 1924 - 1926 | 8/7/1926 |
| 3 | Johnny Burnett | 1926 - 1926 | 5/7/1927 |
| 4 | Hank Boney | 1926 - 1927 | 6/28/1927 |
| 5 | Tiny Chaplin | 1925 - 1927 | 4/13/1928 |
| 6 | Russ Scarritt | 1922 - 1928 | 4/18/1929 |
| 7 | Bill Ferrazzi | 1933 - 1935 | 9/7/1935 |
| 8 | Lefty Guise | 1930 - 1930 | 9/3/1940 |
| 9 | Bill Ramsey | 1939 - 1940 | 4/19/1945 |
| 10 | Al Rosen | 1942 - 1942 | 9/10/1947 |
| 11 | Haywood Sullivan | 1950 - 1952 | 9/20/1955 |
| 12 | Casey Wise | 1952 - 1953 | 4/16/1957 |
| 13 | Nick Testa | 1946 - 1946 | 4/23/1958 |
| 14 | Dale Willis | 1955 - 1956 | 4/14/1963 |
| 15 | Dennis Aust | 1960 - 1961 | 9/6/1965 |
| 16 | Bill Graham | 1955 - 1956 | 10/2/1966 |
| 17 | Ross Baumgarten | 1977 - 1977 | 8/16/1978 |
| 18 | Doug Corbett | 1971 - 1974 | 4/10/1980 |
| 19 | Roger Holt | 1975 - 1977 | 10/4/1980 |
| 20 | Marc Sullivan | 1977 - 1979 | 10/1/1982 |
| 21 | Randy O'Neal | 1981 - 1981 | 9/12/1984 |
| 22 | Steve Lombardozzi | 1980 - 1981 | 7/12/1985 |
| 23 | Rob Murphy | 1979 - 1980 | 9/13/1985 |
| 24 | Robby Thompson | 1983 - 1983 | 4/8/1986 |
| 25 | Mike Stanley | 1982 - 1985 | 6/24/1986 |
| 26 | Jeff Fischer | 1984 - 1985 | 6/19/1987 |
| 27 | Scott Lusader | 1984 - 1985 | 9/1/1987 |
| 28 | Steve Rosenberg | 1985 - 1986 | 6/4/1988 |
| 29 | Dave Eiland | 1985 - 1985 | 8/3/1988 |
| 30 | Scott Ruskin | 1982 - 1985 | 4/9/1990 |
| 31 | Javier Ortiz | 1982 - 1982 | 6/15/1990 |
| 32 | Rod Brewer | 1985 - 1987 | 9/5/1990 |
| 33 | Mike Perez | 1985 - 1985 | 9/5/1990 |
| 34 | Herb Perry | 1988 - 1991 | 5/3/1994 |
| 35 | Jamie McAndrew | 1987 - 1989 | 7/17/1995 |
| 36 | Marc Valdes | 1991 - 1993 | 8/28/1995 |
| 37 | John Burke | 1990 - 1992 | 8/13/1996 |
| 38 | Kevin Polcovich | 1991 - 1992 | 5/17/1997 |
| 39 | Robert Dodd | 1994 - 1994 | 5/28/1998 |
| 40 | Paul Rigdon | 1996 - 1996 | 5/21/2000 |
| 41 | Chan Perry | 1993 - 1994 | 8/5/2000 |
| 42 | David Eckstein | 1994 - 1997 | 4/3/2001 |
| 43 | Brad Wilkerson | 1996 - 1998 | 7/12/2001 |
| 44 | Josh Fogg | 1996 - 1998 | 9/2/2001 |
| 45 | Mark Ellis | 1996 - 1999 | 4/9/2002 |
| 46 | David Ross | 1998 - 1998 | 6/29/2002 |
| 47 | Tim Olson | 2000 - 2000 | 5/30/2004 |
| 48 | Ryan Shealy | 2000 - 2002 | 6/14/2005 |
| 49 | Darren O'Day | 2003 - 2006 | 3/31/2008 |
| 50 | Matt LaPorta | 2004 - 2007 | 5/3/2009 |
| 51 | Bryan Augenstein | 2005 - 2007 | 5/13/2009 |
| 52 | Ryan Sadowski | 2001 - 2003 | 6/28/2009 |
| 53 | Nick Maronde | 2009 - 2011 | 9/2/2012 |
| 54 | Paco Rodriguez | 2011 - 2012 | 9/9/2012 |
| 55 | Mike Zunino | 2010 - 2012 | 6/12/2013 |
| 56 | Kevin Chapman | 2007 - 2010 | 8/9/2013 |
| 57 | Matt den Dekker | 2007 - 2010 | 8/29/2013 |
| 58 | Anthony DeSclafani | 2009 - 2011 | 5/14/2014 |
| 59 | Cole Figueroa | 2007 - 2008 | 5/16/2014 |
| 60 | Preston Tucker | 2009 - 2012 | 5/7/2015 |
| 61 | Brian Johnson | 2010 - 2012 | 7/21/2015 |
| 62 | Nolan Fontana | 2010 - 2012 | 5/22/2017 |
| 63 | Austin Maddox | 2011 - 2012 | 6/17/2017 |
| 64 | Harrison Bader | 2013 - 2015 | 7/25/2017 |
| 65 | Bobby Poyner | 2012 - 2014 | 3/31/2018 |
| 66 | Justin Shafer | 2012 - 2014 | 8/19/2018 |
| 67 | Eric Hanhold | 2013 - 2015 | 9/4/2018 |
| 68 | Pete Alonso | 2014 - 2016 | 3/28/2019 |
| 69 | Richie Martin | 2013 - 2015 | 3/28/2019 |
| 70 | Shaun Anderson | 2014 - 2016 | 5/15/2019 |
| 71 | A.J. Puk | 2014 - 2016 | 8/21/2019 |
| 72 | Brady Singer | 2016 - 2018 | 7/25/2020 |
| 73 | Dane Dunning | 2014 - 2016 | 8/19/2020 |
| 74 | Jonathan India | 2016 - 2018 | 4/1/2021 |
| 75 | Jackson Kowar | 2016 - 2018 | 4/7/2021 |
| 76 | Taylor Gushue | 2012 - 2014 | 6/30/2021 |
| 77 | Kirby Snead | 2014 - 2016 | 7/28/2021 |
| 78 | Mark Kolozsvary | 2015 - 2017 | 4/20/2022 |
| 79 | Alex Faedo | 2015 - 2017 | 5/4/2022 |
| 80 | Danny Young | 2013 - 2015 | 5/9/2022 |
| 81 | Dalton Guthrie | 2015 - 2017 | 9/5/2022 |
| 82 | Jacob Young | 2019 - 2021 | 8/26/2023 |
| 83 | Wyatt Langford | 2021 - 2023 | 3/28/2024 |
| 84 | Christian Scott | 2019 - 2021 | 5/4/2024 |
| 85 | Hurston Waldrep | 2023 | 6/9/2024 |
| 86 | Jac Caglianone | 2022 - 2024 | 6/3/2025 |
| 87 | Brandon Sproat | 2020 - 2023 | 9/7/2025 |
| 88 | Philip Abner | 2022 - 2023 | 9/19/2025 |
| 89 | Hunter Barco | 2020 - 2022 | 9/23/2025 |
| 90 | Franco Aleman | 2021 | 5/10/2026 |
| 91 | Sterlin Thompson | 2021-22 | 5/16/2026 |
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