Five UCF Knights Baseball players heard their names called in the 2025 MLB Draft this year.
It is the most Knights selected in one draft since 2018. UCF has had at least one player drafted in every MLB Draft since 1992.
For our story on the first player selected, Antonio Jimenez, on Day 1 of the draft, click below:
Now, here is our breakdown of the four players that heard their names called on Day 2, along with one undrafted free-agent signing:
Edian Espinal, 10th Round (Detroit Tigers)
UCF Knights Detroit Tigers Congrats to Edian Espinal for
ADgetting drafted in the 10th Round by the @tigers pic.twitter.com/VEvg02wFCu
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) July 14, 2025
The Detroit Tigers drafted a Knight for the fifth time in their history by selecting Edian Espinal with the 309th overall pick.
Transferring in from Chipola, Espinal went on an offensive tear with the Knights at the start of 2025, even leading the nation in batting average for a couple of weeks until Weekend #2 of conference play against Houston.
Big 12 pitching did catch up with the Puerto Rican native, limiting him to a .239 batting average against conference opponents. However, he still finished the season with a .335 average for the full season, the fourth-highest on the team, which helped him earn an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honor.
Espinal is the first Knight drafted by the Tigers since catcher Josh Crouch in 2021. Ironically, Espinal was listed as a catcher himself on the MLB Draft Tracker, despite playing second base whenever he was in the field for the Knights.
Outlook
The position change could prove useful in the Tigers’ organization, which only has three players who can play catcher in its Top 50 MLB Pipeline prospects. He will likely join one of those prospect catchers, Enrique Jimenez, at the Tigers’ rookie-league affiliate, the FCL Tigers.
Alex Galvan, 13th Round (Arizona Diamondbacks)
UCF Knights ➡️ Arizona Diamondbacks
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) July 14, 2025
Alex Galvan is headed to the desert pic.twitter.com/lH4ZbTFqUO
With their selection of senior pitcher Alex Galvan with the 393rd overall pick, the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted only the third Knight in their history.
Until now, the Diamondbacks had never drafted a UCF player before or since 2011, when they selected two: infielders Jonathan Griffin and Derek Luciano.
Alex Gavlan is a monstrous 6-foot-6, 245 pound 5-year senior out of @UCF_Baseball. Downhill reliever with a 91-95 mph fastball and a 81-84 mph breaking ball. Data is limited, but they're clearly buying on unlocking his frame. #Dbacks pic.twitter.com/q6p6fM3hiR
— Diamondbacks Prospects (@dbacksprospectz) July 14, 2025
For a UCF pitching staff that only recorded one more save than the pandemic-shortened 2020 squad, Galvan was one of their bright spots. After returning from an injury that ended his 2024 season, he recorded a 2.86 ERA, the second-lowest on the team, with a .202 batting average allowed and earned two saves in 28.1 innings pitched.
Outlook
Pitching prospects can be hard to evaluate, simply because teams bring in so many of them. Nine of the Diamondbacks’ Top 50 MLB Pipeline Prospects are right-handed pitchers like Galvan. However, given the possibilities with his 6-foot-6-inch height, he could prove a fruitful project pick.
Dylan King, 17th Round (Cincinnati Reds)
With the 504th pick in the 2025 #MLBDraft, the Cincinnati Reds select Catcher Dylan King.
— Reds On The Rise (@RedsOnTheRise) July 14, 2025
Welcome to Reds Country, Dylan‼️ pic.twitter.com/x3A2JAqAHh
For the first time since 2018, the Cincinnati Reds selected a Knight, taking catcher Dylan King with the 504th overall pick.
He is the 10th player in program history to be taken by the Reds, which includes players like UCF Hall-of-Famer Chad Mottola (1992) and active MLB pitcher Ben Lively (2013). The Reds join the Los Angeles Angels as the only MLB organizations to draft 10 or more players from UCF.
With more regular playing time, King broke out in his final collegiate baseball season. He earned an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honor after hitting for a .326 average and ranking 13th in the Big 12 in on-base percentage (.442). He also hit nine home runs with 34 RBIs.
Outlook
The Reds are planning for the future behind the plate. Current backup catcher Jose Trevino is 32, and while starter Tyler Stephenson is 28, he is slated to hit free agency in 2027. Alfredo Duno, the organization’s hot 19-year-old catching prospect, is currently playing Single-A ball in Daytona and is the only catcher in its Top 50 MLB Pipeline Prospects.
If King can keep his momentum from his final college season, his edge in experience could help him carve a path to Cincinnati in a few years.
Angelo Smith, 18th Round (Los Angeles Angels)
UCF Knights ➡️ Los Angeles Angels
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) July 14, 2025
Congrats to Angelo Smith for getting drafted by the @Angels pic.twitter.com/TSOTFxoP3d
Just like last year with Najer Victor, the Los Angeles Angels select a right-handed pitcher out of UCF. This time, it was Angelo Smith with the 529th overall pick.
Smith marks the 11th Knight drafted by the Angels in team history, the most by any MLB organization. He recorded the team’s lowest ERA (2.83) after pitching 28.2 innings.
Outlook
Thanks to Smith’s speed, he can be pretty flexible in terms of what role he can play in an organization. MLB.com thinks his 96 mph fastball gives him a chance at being a starter.
Meanwhile, AngelsWin.com’s Ryan Falla called Smith a “relief prospect” and an “under-the-radar” talent with upside for how deep he fell in the draft in his Angels MLB Draft Grades.
Angels draft RHP Angelo Smith out of Flordia with pick 529. Limited exposure with just 28.2 IP in college, but he did display fantastic strike zone control in that time. 20.9 K% and 6.1 BB% .245 AVG allowed. Solid pick meant to balance out the demanding bonuses from prior names
— Ryan Falla (@rmfalla) July 14, 2025
Kendrey Maduro, UDFA (Los Angeles Angels)
Kendrey Maduro ➡️ #RepTheHalo
— MLB Draft League (@mlbdraftleague) July 15, 2025
The @Angels are signing SS Kendrey Maduro (@MVScrappers '25, @FrederickKeys '23) as a UDFA!
14 G, .294 AVG, .344 OBP, 2 2B, 11 RBI, 10 R, 3 SB@kendreyemilio | #MLBDraftLeague pic.twitter.com/q4tVIUYXER
Infielder Kendrey Maduro will join Smith in the Angels organization after signing with it as an underrated free-agent out of the MLB Draft League.
While the Aruba native mostly played third base for the Knights in 2025, he signed with the Angels as a shortstop. Maduro played shortstop five times for UCF and 18 times over two summers in the MLB Draft League.
Maduro has mostly drawn notoriety for his fielding capabilities. He hit for a .259 average in 2025, the lowest of UCF’s regular players, though he has a .325 average from his two seasons in the MLB Draft League.
Outlook
Should his offensive struggles at UCF prove to be anomalous, Maduro’s defensive versatility could lend to him latching on with the organization.
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