THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story | 4/25/2018

Quick Take: Florida

Photo: Jonathan India (Tim Casey)



Perfect Game College Player Database | College Notebook: Stanford

During the season Perfect Game scouts will be traveling to some of the top series to watch the very best players in college baseball. Those observations, captured with both written notes and video, will be shared in the College Player Database as linked above, notes that can also be accessed on the players' individual PG profile pages. Throughout the season select reports will be shared in feature format to promote the players, the teams and college baseball as a whole.


Florida Gators

What Happened: In what was a top 10 matchup heading in, Florida emphatically took the first two games of the series against Kentucky before falling in game 3. The Gators showed off their combination of pitching, hitting, defense and overall depth, further proving their No. 1 overall ranking and further establishing themselves as the premier team in college baseball at the moment, cementing themselves as the prohibitive favorite to repeat as National Champions at this juncture. 

Carrying Tool: All of the above. We could pretty easily use starting pitching or the offense in this space, but the fact that Florida's entire lineup 1-9 (along with a few bench guys) are all dangerous hitters, in addition to their weekend rotation potentially being the nation's best, gives Florida an extremely dangerous, extremely well-balanced club. They're pretty deep in the bullpen as well, anchored by closer Michael Byrne, as well as the "next wave" of Florida starters in talented freshmen Tommy Mace, Hunter McMullen, Jack Leftwich and Jordan Butler, among others. This looks like a very, very special team. 

Concerns: Youth in the bullpen. This isn't even really a concern, given how talented the freshman weekend bullpen of Mace, Butler, Leftwich and McMullen are, but at the same time they are still freshmen. Regardless of talent, freshmen pitchers usually end up hitting some kind of wall towards the end of the season, for a host of potential reasons. That's not to say it will happen to these Gator arms, it's just something to potentially look out for and may be viewed as a potential concern on a team where very few concerns exist at this point. 

Best Player on the Field: Wil Dalton. This was a difficult choice, as Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar and Jon India are all high-level draft prospects who had good weekends in Lexington, but in the vacuum of this individual series, Wil Dalton announced himself in a loud way consistently. He leads Florida in homers and RBI, and while only a sophomore, hits in that cleanup spot for head coach Kevin O'Sullivan. He's a threat to go yard in any at-bat, as seen over the weekend when he hit two homers for the Gators, and is just the ideal player to have sandwiched in that four-spot between India and J.J. Schwarz. 

Fearless Forecast: College World Series Champs. There's no real obvious deficiency, or even potential deficiency, to this Florida ballclub. They put out one of the best, and most deep 1-9 lineups of anyone in the country and their 1-2 starters can go toe-to-toe with anyone else in the nation as well, and that's without mentioning potential 2019 first rounder Tyler Dyson, who pitches on Sundays. Their bullpen is very talented, although mostly made up of freshmen, and closer Michael Byrne has been among the best closers in the country for two years now. 


Database Player Reports (8):

Michael Byrne
Wil Dalton
Jonathan India
Jackson Kowar
Deacon Liput
Tommy Mace
J.J. Schwarz
Brady Singer


Prospect Spotlight: Jonathan India, 3B



Florida's starting third baseman, essentially since he stepped on campus three years ago, Jonathan India has been setting the world on fire from an offensive standpoint this season, and along the way has risen into easy first round discussions for the MLB Draft, with some projecting him to go as highly as the top 15 picks. He's slashing .415/.544/.822 on the season through about 170 plate appearances with 26 extra-base hits (13 of which are home runs), along with more walks (34) than strikeouts (30). 

India is an athletically built, athletic prospect with solid tools across the board whose performance against the very best of amateur baseball (the SEC) has allowed him to rise up draft boards. He plays third base, and while his athleticism and overall tools have led some scouts to postulate as to whether or not he could potentially play shortstop, he's likely better off at the hot corner long term, where he projects plus. He's light on his feet with bouncy actions and good hands along with above average arm strength, and his instincts are solid as well. He got beat up a bit during the Kentucky series at third base but all the tools are there, along with the baseball IQ necessary, to project him plus long term as a defender. 

Offensively, India obviously has gaudy numbers this season, but he's not likely to be the next David Wright or Kris Bryant as far as all-everything elite hitting third baseman. He has above average bat speed that he generates with loose wrists, creating leverage off of his front side and creating some loft to the path, allowing him to get the ball into the air. The raw power grades out as average, and it's important to remember that while college bats aren't the rocket launchers they used to be, they still aren't wood, so power numbers are likely a bit exaggerated. With India, if you glance at his Cape Cod League numbers, where hitters hit with wood, you will see that while he's had success there from an average standpoint (.281 across two summers) he only hit one home run total in those two years.

India projects, potentially, to be an above average major league hitter with likely below average game power, meaning that, roughly, he could project to hit somewhere around 10-12 home runs annually in the Major Leagues with a good amount of extra-base hits while providing solid overall offensive numbers and excellent defense at third base. There's likely an aura of safety surrounding his profile right now as well, considering he's hitting (and has hit) at every stop of his career thus far, including both the SEC and the Cape, potentially the two highest-level amateur leagues in baseball. Will that be enough to warrant a top 15 pick for India? If he finishes the season like he's been playing all year it's well within reason to expect that.


Prospect Spotlight: Wil Dalton, OF



On a ballclub that features some of the higher upside freshman pitchers in America, Wil Dalton still has to be the newcomer of the year in Gainesville. A junior college transfer from Columbia State, Dalton, a sophomore, has made a significant impact for head coach Kevin O'Sullivan since Day 1, and now hits in the middle of the vaunted Gators lineup. Dalton is slashing .287/.366/.655 and leading the team in home runs with 16 and RBI with 47. 

An outfielder who profiles well in either corner, Dalton is a good athlete and could potentially see time in center field in Gainesville for stretches, though he's likely a better fit in a corner from a professional perspective. However, we're still a year away from fully nitpicking through his profile for the draft. 

He's very physically strong though that strength doesn't get in the way of his movements being free and athletic, particularly when it comes to his swing. He has good balance throughout even with a bigger leg lift trigger, getting the foot down on time and creating excellent separation between his hands and front hip, something that aids him in creating as much power as he does. The swing is strong and built to drive the ball, with plenty of loft and bat speed through the zone, though, as evidenced by his high strikeouts numbers (26 percent), he's prone to swing and miss and still has some problems identifying off-speed stuff out of the hand at times. 

There's legitimate raw power and athleticism to this profile, and with another year yet to refine his approach a little bit at the plate and develop better overall feel for hitting, Dalton is absolutely on the ID list for potential 2019 first rounders right now.




College | Recruiting | 12/22/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 22

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Lucien Saint Cyr, INF, Class of 2026 Commitment: Bucknell Saint Cyr announced his pledge to Bucknell, giving the Bison an interesting blend of present tools and projection. Saint Cyr stands 6-foot-1 and offers room to fill in his medium frame, profiling in the middle infield defensively. The New York product starts wide at the base in the right-handed box, keeping his hands high behind the ear. He works into a subtle outward step load, firing through a compact barrel that showcases bat speed and gap-to-gap impact. For head coach Scott Heather and Bucknell, they land a high-quality Northeast infielder in the ’26 cycle, adding to a class that takes the quality over quantity approach. Patrick Diaz ('26, NY) 102 EV off the bat. Impact to the pull side. #PGNational @PGMidAtlantic @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/NN0L3FRdO9 — PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 9, 2025 Patrick Diaz,...
High School | General | 12/24/2025

2025 Year In Review: High School

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
IMG Academy Takes Home the National Title Every year IMG Academy comes into the spring with top-to-bottom one of the top rosters in the country and every year have the expectation of winning the national championship. Well in 2025 they did just that after finishing the spring 24-1, winning the High School Showdown, and winning 15 straight games to end their season. Their high end offensive ability was on full display throughout the year and they will once again be one of the most talented teams in the country in ’26 as they look to go back-to-back. Two Top-10 Picks in the MLB Draft Headline National Players of the Year It was another loaded crop that took home the National Players of the Year as both Ethan Holliday, the National Player of the Year, and Seth Hernandez, National Pitcher of the Year, heard their names called within the first-10 picks in the MLB Draft. Another first...
Draft | Rankings | 12/24/2025

Top 2027 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
With the 2025 cycle officially behind us and the calendar nearly flipping over to 2026, it is time to start looking ahead to the future. More importantly, start looking ahead to the next season of college baseball and what that may mean for draft-eligible players with big dreams of continuing their journey. While the 2026 MLB Draft is now on the horizon, we are looking ahead to the future even further – to see which players have already made impacts upon their arrival to college campuses. We have already dropped our 2028 Top 75 collegiate prospects board, but this one is our Top 100 college prospects who will be eligible for the 2027 class. These are the Top 100 players in our eyes for this group, and many of them have already shown up on campus and been impactful in many ways. Whether its our top-ranked player in Oregon State’s Dax Whitney or ninth-ranked William Schmidt...
Draft | Rankings | 12/23/2025

Top 2028 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The college players in the 2028 draft class have yet to step on campus, but they're positioned to make an immediate impact. Several high end talents either turned down significant money last year or honored strong college commitments, resulting in their arrival on campus this fall. The class is currently led by a trio of high-upside arms in Jack Bauer, Angel Cervantes, and Cameron Appenzeller. They are followed by a deep group of bats that rounds out a strong, high end Top-10. Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State 1 Jack Bauer C LHP L-L Mississippi State Frankfort IL 2 Angel Cervantes C RHP R-R UCLA Lynwood CA 3 Cameron Appenzeller C LHP L-L Tennessee Springfield IL 4 Brayden Jaksa C C R-R Oregon Fremont  CA 5 JD Stein C SS R-R Wake Forest Carmel IN 6 Mason Ligenza C OF L-L Pittsburgh Brockton PA 7 Ty Peeples C OF L-R Georgia Lavonia GA 8 Lucas Franco C SS L-R TCU Katy TX 9...
Juco | Story | 12/23/2025

2025 Year in Review: JUCO

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Looking Back at the 2025 Top 10  Matt Barr (‘25 Niagara, ‘26 Minnesota Twins) Bursting onto the scene last winter, footage of an indoor bullpen rocketed Barr onto the radar of many. Explosive fastball reaches near triple digits with incredible spin numbers across the secondaries. Huge numbers at Niagara earned him the title of the first Juco player drafted in 2025. JC Vanek (‘25 Chipola, ‘26 Kansas City Royals) Just a professional hitter. Vanek for two years at Chipola was an impossible out. While there are questions if the power will ever reach what it takes to play first base at the big league level, the bat and quality defensive skillset at first base may carry. Donovan Becerra (‘25 New Mexico, ‘26 Texas Tech) One of the more high octane arms anywhere in the country last year. Can reach back for upper 90’s and has shown serious swing and...
Draft | Story | 12/22/2025

2025 Year in Review: Draft

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
2025 Year in Review: Draft We’ve reached the end of the 2025 calendar year, and while we’ve already jumped in on the 2026 cycle with some of the fall events and post-draft content we’ve had here at Perfect Game, there’s still one more piece on the docket, and that’s the 2025 Year-In-Review piece here from the PG Draft staff.  The 2025 MLB Draft took place in July, when many highly talented players heard their names called and continued their journey through the game to the next level. There’s already been some of those names making noise in the minors and guys who are moving up prospect lists and becoming names to know for MLB fans digging deep into the future of their organizations. While we are going to “close the book” on 2025 with this article, these players still have many years ahead of them, and many blank pages to continue...
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
MVPitcher: Duncan McLeod The uncommitted junior toed the slab in three of the four games for Team Mick, tossing 3 2/3 innings.  Zero walks, zero hits and 6 punchouts for the lefty who was used both as a starter in the series clinching game 4 and he closed out game 3 on Friday in quick fashion.  McLeod was very efficient as well, needing just 42 pitches over all his outings.  In the game 4 start, over two innings he punched out 3, with one strikeout with all of his offerings.  The mid 80’s fastball regularly played up, set up with efficient use of the secondaries, with the breaking ball 73/74 and fading change-up 72-74.   Owen Bone (2026) at it again... Solo shot in the 5th to tie things up. Back to back days with a home run for Bone. #PGHS pic.twitter.com/2JC9qETI5h — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) December 13, 2025 MV Hitter: ...
Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
What a year it was in 2025 on the national landscape at the 13u level as Perfect Game continues to expand its reach around the country, providing an even bigger schedule of events coast-to-coast which has allowed players all over show out and gain their deserved recognition. Whether in Texas for the Houston 1000 or the 13u WWBA in West Palm Beach, we saw huge, eye opening performances from the players placed below, knowing that we could EASILY build a third team and likely a fourth without much effort.  As we do every year with this exercise, it's worth pointing out the trickiness of this age group and putting the teams together with the 13u group. While the players are all members of the Class of 2030, some are younger for the grade, which allowed them to play at the 12u level where's it's a smaller field, shorter mound distance and different bats, so we'll separate them out and...
Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

PG Draft: Gut Feel Guys

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
While we are nearing the turn of the calendar to the 2026 year, that means we are just inching closer to the beginning of the season for many high school players and college baseball is on the horizon. We are prepping for a reshuffle of the 2026 MLB Draft Board as well here amongst the PG Draft staff. But before we get to that, we sat down and have each picked a couple of players who are in the mix to get selected in a couple of different buckets.  We have prospects who could go into the Top 30 picks or so, prospects who could be selected in the Top 5 rounds, and prospects who could go inside of the Top 10 rounds. With the draft quite far down the road and a lot of re-shuffling to be done as these players play themselves into certain spots on the draft board, our scouts picked some players who fit into these “buckets” who are gut-feel guys. These are the guys that our PG...
Loading more articles...