Louisville Players Who Could Get Selected in 2026 MLB Draft

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the Louisville baseball program well into their offseason, one of the first orders of business after summer assignments is roster management. More specifically, figuring out what players you will and will not be losing to the MLB Draft.

Like they typically have every year in the Dan McDonnell era, Louisville could be losing a fair amount of talent to the draft when it gets started on Sunday, July 11. Below are the Cardinals most likely to hear their name called in the 2026 MLB Draft, sorted by category:

Likely Early Departures

Lucas Moore

Position: Outfielder
Measurables: 6-foot-0, 185 pounds
2026 Stats (57 games, 57 starts): .286/.437/.406, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 6 2B, 4 3B, 46 BB, 37 SB

Moore is one of the fastest players in all of college baseball - if not the fastest. However, his hitting numbers took a notable downward turn this season following a breakout sophomore season. That being said, he's been adamant about heading to the pros this offseason, and he'll be drafted because of his defense and base running alone.

Zion Rose

Position: Outfielder
Measurables: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds
2026 Stats (36 games, 35 starts): .417/.491/.646, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 13 2B, 1 3B, 19 BB, 24 SB

Like Moore, Rose has also been adamant about starting his pro career early and forgoing his senior season. But even with missing a month of the season due to injury, he put up numbers worthy of an All-American season. In fact, Rose has been generating some first round buzz with how good he was this season.

Draft Eligibles to Monitor

Alex Alicea

Position: Shortstop
Measurables: 5-foot-8, 155 pounds
2026 Stats (44 games, 41 starts): .300/.362/.406, 2 HR, 25 RBI, 7 2B, 2 3B, 12 BB, 9 SB

When healthy, Alicea has been a consistant piece at the top of Louisville's lineup. But a back and wrist injury not only limited his availability, it significantly impacted his stolen base total (34 in 2025) and fielding percentage (.977 in 2025, .962 in 2026). Not to mention he wasn't as impactful as getting on base (.444 OBP in 2025) this season. He'll likely get drafted, but it won't be super high, leaving open the potential to come back.

Jimmy Nugent

Position: Catcher
Measurables: 6-foot-2, 210 pounds
2026 Stats (48 games, 47 starts): .315/.440/.595, 11 HR, 39 RBI, 14 2B, 30 BB, 9 SB

Nugent had his ups and downs, but he had a very good season at the plate. In fact, his 1.035 OPS was good for third best on the team (min. 30 games played). What could hold him back is his defensive prowess, as he had a fielding percentage of .989 and had five passed balls - although he did go 12-of-17 when catching base stealers. It depends on what teams want him to be at the next level.

Top Upperclassmen

Bayram Hot

Position: Third Baseman
Measurables: 6-foot-2, 210 pounds
2026 Stats (57 games, 57 starts): .330/.448/.528, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 15 2B, 31 BB, 17 SB

Hot showed that he not only could handle to jump from Marist, but got better both with getting on base and hitting for power during his two years at Louisville. After posting an OPS of .839 in 2025, that jumped up to .976 this past season. His .968 fielding percentage at the hot corner is not bad, either.

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