Former Florida baseball right-handed pitcher Russell Sandefer signed his first professional contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who selected him in the fourth round with the 132nd overall pick of the 2026 MLB Draft, on Friday.
Sanderfer’s deal with the Dodgers comes in at $434,000 — $141,300 under the $575,300 slot value for his draft selection. The former Gator was ranked No. 177 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 200, No. 182 overall in Baseball America’s Top 500 and No. 71 in D1Baseball’s college-only top 250 ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft.
The Tampa, Florida, native appeared in 19 games for Florida last spring after transferring from the Central Florida Knights, with a dozen coming as a starter and 10 of those starts slotted during the weekend. He began the campaign as a weekday starter, but Copper Walls’ struggles in the Sunday spot opened up an opportunity for Sandefer — one that he took advantage of.
The 6-foot-1-inch hurler put up a 3-2 record in 2026, posting a 4.42 ERA and 1.30 WHIP while striking out 60 batters against 22 walks over 57 innings of work. He held opposing hitters to a .240 batting average, striking out 9.5 and walking 3.5 batters per nine innings, while serving up just four home runs for a 0.6 HR/9 average.
Sanderfer’s efforts during the postseason earned him a spot on the 2026 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team. He shut out the Rider Broncs over 5 2/3 frames on two hits, one walk and five strikeouts en route to the win.
He previously played for UCF in 2025, when he appeared in 18 games for the Knights — including six starts — putting up a 2-3 record with a 3.38 ERA across 50 2/3 frames along with a save during his sophomore campaign. Sandefer spent his freshman season at Saint Leo (Division II), appearing in 11 games with eight starts, in which he tallied a 5-2 record with a 3.35 ERA and a save.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Former Florida RHP Russell Sandefer signs with Los Angeles Dodgers
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire | USA TODAY Network
