A UCF Fan's Guide To MLB Opening Day
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A new Major League Baseball season is underway.
The UCF Knights baseball program has produced numerous MLB Draft picks over the years, but only 16 of them have advanced to the major league level. So, as the 2026 season dawns, here are names for Knights fans to keep an eye out for as all 30 teams chase a World Series pennant.
- Alex Freeland, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Dylan Moore, Philadelphia Phillies
- Chad Mottola, Tampa Bay Rays
- Drew Butera, Toronto Blue Jays
- Other Alums That Could Make The Show
1. Alex Freeland, Los Angeles Dodgers
After two seasons with the Knights in 2021 and 2022, infielder Alex Freeland was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Freeland hit for a .285 average and a .409 on-base percentage as a Knight. He also recorded 18 home runs and 75 RBIs.
By 2023, Freeland made it into the Dodgers’ Top 30 prospects, setting up his skyrocketing through the minor leagues in 2024 from High-A Great Lakes to Triple-A Oklahoma City. This set up a 2025 campaign that saw him become the 5th-ranked prospect in the Dodgers’ system and earn his MLB debut. Freeland is the first former UCF fielder to make it to The Show since Dylan Moore debuted in 2019.
Last season, Freeland spent 29 games in the majors, hitting for a .190 average and .292 on-base percentage. However, that has not deterred the Dodgers from ranking him as one of their top prospects, now at No. 8.
Freeland is on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster as they begin the 2026 season by hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
2. Dylan Moore, Philadelphia Phillies
Speaking of Moore, he is set to begin his eighth season in the MLB on Thursday, which would give him the second-longest major-league career by a Knight in the program's history. However, his 689 total games at the major-league level are the most of any former UCF player.
Moore was an all-conference honoree in both of his seasons as a Knight, second team in 2014 and first team in 2015, a season in which he led the team with a .333 batting average and .417 on-base percentage.
Originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2015, Moore spent time in the Braves and Brewers organizations before signing a major league deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2019 and making his MLB Debut in the Tokyo Dome that season. He spent six full seasons as a utility man for the Mariners, even winning a Gold Glove Award in 2024, before getting released after playing in 88 games in his seventh. He finished the 2025 season with the Rangers, seeing the field 18 more times.
Between his at-bats with the Mariners and the Rangers, Moore hit for a .201 average and .267 on-base percentage last season.
This season, Moore is back on an Opening Day roster, but this time it's with the Philadelphia Phillies after signing a minor-league contract with them back in January. The Phillies open their season with a series against the Rangers on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
3. Chad Mottola, Tampa Bay Rays
Former UCF outfielder Chad Mottola is set to embark on another season as the Tampa Bay Rays’ hitting coach under manager Kevin Cash, a role he’s served in since September 2016, though he’s been with the organization since November 2013.
Mottola spent three seasons as a Knight back in the early 90s and was selected fifth overall in the 1992 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, making him the first UCF player to get selected in the first round. In his final season as a Knight in 1992, he was named a Third-Team All-American by Baseball America, becoming the second player in the program's Division 1 era to earn an All-American honor and the first since 1985. His 20 career triples are still tied for the most triples in program history.
Mottola was also the first former UCF player to make it to the major-league level, debuting with the Reds in 1996. He went on to play in 59 games across five seasons at that level, retiring after the 2007 season with the Toronto Blue Jays.
However, he stayed on with the Blue Jays organization as a coach, working his way up through the organization until he became their hitting coach in 2013, setting the stage for his move to Tampa Bay.
Mottola was inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
4. Drew Butera, Toronto Blue Jays
OFFICIAL: We've made the following coaching appointments under Manager John Schneider:
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) December 10, 2025
🔹 Cody Atkinson as Assistant Hitting Coach
🔹 Eric Duncan as Major League Field Coordinator
🔹 Drew Butera as Major League Coach pic.twitter.com/YPp7AQL3cV
Speaking of the Blue Jays, they recently hired another UCF alum to their coaching ranks for this season in Drew Butera.
A catcher during his playing days, Butera played three seasons with the Knights in the early 2000s before getting drafted in the fifth round of the 2005 MLB Draft by the New York Mets. He was the first Knight to become a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, now known as the Buster Posey Award, which honors the best Division 1 college catcher.
Butera played in 12 seasons at the major-league level from 2010 to 2021, the most of any former UCF player. During his career, he played for five different teams in the majors: the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals. He was with the Royals for their 2015 World Series season, even catching the final strikeout from closer Wade Davis that sealed the game after 12 innings, becoming the first Knight to be a part of a World Series-winning team.
Butera retired from playing in 2022 and began his coaching career as the Angels’ bullpen coach. After two seasons there, he joined the White Sox for two seasons as their catching coach in 2024 and 2025. Now, he makes his third stop in his coaching career as a major league coach for the Blue Jays.
5. Other Alums That Could Make The Show
Player | Years at UCF | Organization |
|---|---|---|
Colton Gordon | 2020-2021 | Houston Astros |
Jack Sinclair | 2018-2021 | Washington Nationals |
Najer Victor | 2023-2024 | Los Angeles Angels |
While these three players might not start the 2026 season in The Show, they do have the opportunity to get a call-up sooner rather than later.
Colton Gordon was a starting pitcher for the Knights from 2020 to 2021, though a Tommy John surgery cut his college career short. It did not stop the Houston Astros from selecting him in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, and he made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2025, going 6-4 with a 5.34 ERA in 20 appearances. While he is not beginning the season in Houston, he could serve as a depth option sometime down the line.
Relief pitcher Jack Sinclair is the next most likely former UCF player to make his MLB debut. A four-year UCF player from 2018 to 2021, he was also selected in the 2021 Draft, just in the 16th round by the Nationals. He has made his way up through the organization to the Triple-A level, where he made 35 appearances last season, and can now be a source of depth for the Nationals’ bullpen.
Relief pitcher Najer Victor is among the more recently drafted UCF players, getting selected in the 14th round of the 2024 MLB Draft after two seasons as a Knight, but a breakout performance in the 2026 World Baseball Classic has turned some heads. Playing for Great Britain, Victor struck out six of the 10 batters he faced in the two games he pitched in, which included the likes of major leaguers Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony.
Victor kept the momentum going into Spring Training, allowing just one hit in the 5.1 innings he pitched, picking up two holds and a save. He also struck out four pitchers. The fact he has not pitched higher than High-A Tri-City could mean the Angels do not want to bring him up to the majors too fast, but if he can keep this momentum going into the regular season, then the promotions could come quickly.
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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