GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Florida center fielder Kyle Jones was the second Gator to come off the board at the 2026 MLB Draft, as the Milwaukee Brewers selected him with the 102nd overall pick in the third round on Saturday evening.
Playing his first-full season for the Gators in 2026, Jones started 58 games while making 56 of his 57 starts in center field. The Athens, Ga. native paced Florida in batting average (.317), doubles (16), stolen bases (17), sacrifice flies (six) and multi-hit games (22) across 224 at bats, which ranked second on the team. Slugging .478 with a .418 on-base percentage, Jones belted a career-high six homers on top of 71 hits, 58 runs, 46 RBI, 33 walks and 14 multi-RBI efforts.
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“Jones was the 2024 Atlantic Sun freshman of the year after he hit .355/.460/.476 with 15 doubles and 23 stolen bases for Stetson. After the season, he transferred to Florida. His 2025 season was cut short because of a shoulder surgery that was required after a diving catch in just his fourth game of the season. Back on the field and healthy in 2026, Jones was the leadoff hitter and center fielder for the Gators. He hit .317/.418/.478 with 16 doubles and 27 stolen bases. Jones is a lean righthanded hitter with a 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame that could allow him to add more strength and power in the future. He’s a contact-oriented hitter with below-average bat speed and raw power now, but he has standout bat-to-ball skills on pitches inside the strike zone. Jones had a 90% in-zone contact rate in 2026 and profiles as at least an average pure hitter at the next level thanks to his feel for the barrel. Jones is a plus runner who consistently gets out of the batter’s box well, while also getting the most out of his speed on the bases and in center field He stole 40 bases in 49 tries (82% success rate) in his career and has the range and athleticism to profile as an above-average center fielder with solid arm strength.” said MLB Pipeline about Jones.
Jones joins Liam Peterson as the second Gator to hear his name called in the 2026 MLB Draft.
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