Florida baseball has been dishing out MLB-ready players throughout the years with over 80 players making it to the Major Leagues in its history.
The amount of high-level talent that the Gators have produced is incredible. Florida alumni like Pete Alonso , Brady Singer and Wyatt Langford have each made an impact on the professional stage.
So it comes to no surprise that a few former Gators have landed on ESPN’s MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel’s midseason top 100 prospects rankings .
The Gators that are mentioned in the top 100 rankings are Jac Caglianone , Brandon Sproat and Hurston Waldrep . So where do they each rank on the list?
Jac Caglianone (Kansas City Royals) – No. 26
Position: 1B
Level: High-A
The Royals selected Caglianone with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft after the two-way player had a stellar career with Florida.
In his last season with the Gators, Caglianone started all 66 games and batted .419 with 35 home runs (a single-season program record) and 72 RBI.
As a pitcher, Caglianone threw for 73.2 innings, had a 4.76 ERA and 83 strikeouts.
There’s still some work that needs to be done fielding-wise. Now, the Royals haven’t necessarily shut the door on him pitching yet, but I just don’t see him being effective on the mound at the major league level. If he can work on his fielding at first base, there’s no doubt in my mind that Caglianone can be a great player in the pros.
Brandon Sproat (New York Mets) – No. 71
Position: RHP
Level: AAA
Sproat was selected No. 56 overall by the Mets in the second round of the 2023 draft.
Sproat’s variety of pitches (fastball, curveball, slider, changeup and cutter) are what makes him so deceptive on the mound. His fastball has touched triple digits before but it usually sits around 95-97 mph.
The Mets just moved Sproat up after a 13-strikeout performance to Triple-A. Posting a 2.45 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 62.1 innings of work in Double-A, the right-hander is the highest-rated prospect in the Mets’ farm system.
Hurston Waldrep (Atlanta Braves) – No. 98
Position: RHP
Level: AAA
At the 98th spot, Waldrep just snuck into the rankings, but nonetheless, the right-handed pitcher shows why he belongs.
The Atlanta Braves selected Waldrep with the 24th overall pick in the 2023 draft. The 22-year-old is pitching at the Triple-A level where he has an ERA of 5.68 with 19 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.
Waldrep even played a couple of games at the MLB level but they were shaky. He gave up six and seven earned runs to the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals, respectively.
There’s no doubt that Waldrep has some things he needs to work on such as his command and control. But he’s still very young and I believe he has a lot of potential.
ESPN’s Top Five Prospects
The top five prospects on McDaniel’s rankings are Jackson Holliday (Baltimore Orioles), James Wood (Washington Nationals), Carson Williams (Tampa Bay Rays), Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays) and Marcelo Mayer (Boston Red Sox).
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