The Seattle Mariners selected Florida right-hander Hayden Yost with the 162nd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2026 MLB draft.
At pick No. 162, Yost is set to receive a slot value of $429,100. He is the 236th Gator drafted all-time, the 121st draft selection under Kevin O’Sullivan. With Yost’s selection, Florida has produced five or more draft picks in each of the last four seasons and in 14 of 17 drafts since 2009.
Yost slashed .262/.369/.589 with a career-high .958 OPS as a junior this season. He found a late power surge, homering 10 times in 24 starts, becoming a lineup regular. He had three multi-homer games, hitting a pair against Georgia on April 12 and Oklahoma on May 3. He had Florida’s only three-homer game of the season against LSU on May 16.
That power surge likely helped Yost’s draft stock, but he has plenty of tools valued by MLB scouts. He can play all three outfield positions with a career fielding percentage of .996, including back-to-back seasons with a perfect 1.000 over more than 200 opportunities. He has a good eye with a career strikeout rate of 17.8% and a walk rate of 11.8%, but he turned into a flyball hitter over his time at Florida, jumping from 45.8% groundballs to 57.5% flyballs.
In 2025, Yost made 44 starts in center field, 10 in right and one in left while slashing .259/.380/.392 at the plate. He flashed good speed and baserunning instincts with 14 stolen bases while only being caught twice.
As a freshman, Yost made 32 appearances and 14 starts for Florida. He slashed .284/.400/.358 over 67 at-bats. He missed the final two SEC series and postseason with a torn ACL, but he healed quickly and made a full recovery over the offseason.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Seattle Mariners draft Florida OF Hayden Yost in Round 5 of MLB draft
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