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Former Florida baseball right-handed pitcher Luke McNeillie signed his first professional contract with the New York Mets, the franchise that selected him in the fifth round of the 2026 MLB Draft with the 152nd overall pick. His contract is worth $497,500, according to Baseball America's draft tracker, which is $25,000 over the $472,500 slot value for his pick.
MLB.com's 2026 MLB Draft prospect rankings had McNeillie at 185th coming into the draft.
McNeillie entered the 2026 campaign with high expectations after being named to the Preseason All-SEC First Team as well as Baseball America's Preseason All-American Second Team. He appeared in 18 games for the Gators with three starts, posting a career-low 3.97 ERA with a 3-0 record and one save while striking out 48 batters against 17 walks in 34 innings; he also was perfect in five defensive chances, with three assists and two putouts.
As a sophomore, the Milton, Georgia, native pitched in a team-high 28 games, including a pair of SEC starts, posting a 5-2 record and 4.82 ERA with a save to go with a .230 batting average against. McNeillie struck out a career-high 72 batters against just 24 walks in 52 1/3 innings of work — his strikeouts and innings ranked fourth on the team — while registering a 1.30 WHIP.
During his freshman campaign, the 6-foot-3-inch hurler made 26 appearances, including two midweek starts, finishing with a 7.07 ERA while putting together a 4-6 record with two saves. He struck out 43 batters against 21 walks across 35 2/3 innings and held opposing hitters to a .258 batting average.
Coming out of Milton High School, McNeillie was ranked 89th overall and 23rd among right-handed pitchers in the 2023 cycle by Perfect Game, possessing a "three-pitch starter profile with lots of projection remaining, up to 93 mph with a plus changeup, high-level performer."
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Former Florida RHP Luke McNeillie signs contract with New York Mets
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MLB.com's 2026 MLB Draft prospect rankings had McNeillie at 185th coming into the draft.
McNeillie entered the 2026 campaign with high expectations after being named to the Preseason All-SEC First Team as well as Baseball America's Preseason All-American Second Team. He appeared in 18 games for the Gators with three starts, posting a career-low 3.97 ERA with a 3-0 record and one save while striking out 48 batters against 17 walks in 34 innings; he also was perfect in five defensive chances, with three assists and two putouts.
As a sophomore, the Milton, Georgia, native pitched in a team-high 28 games, including a pair of SEC starts, posting a 5-2 record and 4.82 ERA with a save to go with a .230 batting average against. McNeillie struck out a career-high 72 batters against just 24 walks in 52 1/3 innings of work — his strikeouts and innings ranked fourth on the team — while registering a 1.30 WHIP.
During his freshman campaign, the 6-foot-3-inch hurler made 26 appearances, including two midweek starts, finishing with a 7.07 ERA while putting together a 4-6 record with two saves. He struck out 43 batters against 21 walks across 35 2/3 innings and held opposing hitters to a .258 batting average.
Coming out of Milton High School, McNeillie was ranked 89th overall and 23rd among right-handed pitchers in the 2023 cycle by Perfect Game, possessing a "three-pitch starter profile with lots of projection remaining, up to 93 mph with a plus changeup, high-level performer."
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Former Florida RHP Luke McNeillie signs contract with New York Mets
Continue reading...
