Florida Baseball: Gators lead way for MLB Opening Day

A.J. Puk

Puk had three productive years in Gainesville, posting a career ERA of 3.39. he was credited with 254 strikeouts in 191 innings of work as a Gator. He went 9-4 in 2015 and was drafted by Oakland with the sixth overall pick in 2016.

Unfortunately for Puk, injuries have derailed his momentum. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018, and while he made his MLB debut in 2019, he had shoulder surgery in 2020.

Puke does have a career ERA of 3.56 and was traded in the offseason to Miami.

Jonathan India

Another key member of the national title squad, 2017, was, ironically, India’s least productive year in Gainesville.

He hit .350 in 2018 with 21 home runs and was the SEC Player of the Year. He was also named an All-American.

Cincinnati drafted India with the fifth overall pick in 2018. He made his MLB debut in 2021, hit .260 with 110 RBIs over two seasons, and was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2021.

India went 2-4 yesterday with a double.

Anthony DeSclafani

Another old soul still hanging around, DeSclafani spent three seasons with Florida baseball with rather middling stats. He left Gainesville with a career ERA of 5.36 and had an NCAA Tournament ERA of 19.64 in four appearances.

Toronto still drafted him in 2011, but he made his way to The Show with Miami in 2014. He then settled with Cincinnati from 2015 to 2020. He signed a three-year contract with San Francisco in 2021.

He has a career ERA of 4.12 with a record of 50-48.