Guardians select Lucas Moore in Fifth Round of 2026 MLB Draft

The Louisville outfielder is one of the most electric base stealers in college baseball.

Louisville baseball outfielder Lucas Moore vs. Miami in the 2025 Louisville Super Regional | Jared Anderson - Louisville Cardinals On SI

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Lucas Moore might not have been picked during day one of the 2026 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, but he didn't have to wait long on day two to hear his name called.

The Louisville outfielder has been selected by the Cleveland Guardians with the No. 155 overall pick in the fifth round of the draft.

Moore is the second Cardinal to be taken in this year’s draft, following fellow outfielder Zion Rose, who went No. 6 overall to the Kansas City Royals. He’s also the 113th MLB Draft selection in Dan McDonnell's 20-year tenure as the head coach at UofL.

While the 2026 season was not his strongest to date, as one of the fastest players in all of college baseball, the 6-foot-0, 185-pound outfielder was still a productive hitter and defender. Starting all 57 games, he slashed .286/.437/.406 with four homers, 35 RBI and six doubles. His four triples, 46 walks and 37 stolen bases all led the team.

The Cincinnati native wasn't a super highly-regarded prospect coming out of high school, but that didn't stop him from making an immediate impact for Louisville. Playing 48 games and starting 22 of them, he slashed .318/.434/.409 with 14 RBIs, six doubles, a triple, 10 walks and 17 stolen bases.

Like Rose, Moore broke out in a big way during his sophomore season in 2025. Appearing in all 66 games with 65 starts, he slashed .341/.430/.456, while also finishing with five home runs, 49 RBIs, 10 doubles, three triples, 34 walks and 53 stolen bases. Moore not only led the country in stolen bases, it was the second-most in a single season in program history, and the most by a power conference player since 2012.

Should he sign with the Guardians, the 155th-overall pick has a slot value of $458,500. He would finish his Louisville career with a .317/.433/.430 slash line, nine home runs, 98 RBIs, 22 doubles, eight triples, 90 walks, 31 hit-by-pitches, 107 stolen bases and 178 runs scored in 171 games and 144 starts.

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(Photo of Lucas Moore: Jared Anderson - Louisville Cardinals On SI)