Florida adds draft-eligible RHP named SoCon Pitcher of Year

Florida might have found a new starting pitcher for the weekends, but the MLB draft could end up taking Samford transfer Michael Ross.

Florida landed one of the top arms in the college baseball transfer portal on Saturday with Samford right-hander and Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year [autotag]Michael Ross[/autotag] commitment to the Gators.

Ross missed all of the 2023 season following Tommy John surgery, but he bounced back for a career year. He was named a First Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association after ending the year with a 13-0 record and a 3.27 ERA.

The strikeout numbers aren’t crazy here, as is the case with many incoming SEC transfers. Ross has a solid 22% strikeout rate, averaging just above eight per nine innings. Instead, it’s the control that makes Ross a perfect fit for the Gators. He walked fewer than two batters per nine last year, and his career walk rate is 5.8% over 180 innings.

A class of 2020 graduate from George W. Jenkins in Lakeland, Ross signed with Samford ranked No. 59 among right-handers in Florida. He appeared in eight games as a freshman and entered the starting rotation his sophomore year. Surgery forced him to redshirt as a junior, giving him one year of eligibility left as a graduate transfer.

The big question with Ross is whether a team will spend the money on him in the draft. Being elite at a mid-major still means he’s unproven at the highest level of college baseball.

A year at Florida would give scouts the verification needed to up the offer a bit, but it would take a Hurston Waldrep-esque season to make a significant jump on draft boards. Signing as an undrafted free agent is now viable and can make as much money as a player draft in rounds 10-20.

Florida has plenty of question marks in its starting rotation next year, but the hope is Liam Peterson and Pierce Coppola will be two of the three weekend starters. Ross would likely be the third if he makes it to Gainesville.

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