Louisville outfielder Zion Rose was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. He spent three seasons with the Cardinals.
Across his stint at Louisville, Rose played in 146 games (144 starts) for the Cardinals. In 562 at-bats, the Chicago native hit for a .358 career batting average with 38 doubles, 24 home runs, 146 RBI, a .585 SLG%, and a .438 OBP. He was a vital part of Louisville’s 2025 team, which made an appearance in the Men’s College World Series for the sixth time in program history.
Rose will go down as one of the most decorated players in Louisville baseball history. He was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team in 2024, and earned back-to-back First Team All-ACC nods in 2025 and 2026. His professional baseball journey will now begin.
Zion Rose played in 146 games across three seasons for Louisville
Rose becomes the fourth Louisville outfielder taken in the MLB Draft since 2020. He joins Eddie King Jr. (2025), Levi Usher (2022), and Luke Brown (2021).
“Though Rose was one of the more intriguing high school catchers in the 2023 class, he went undrafted because of his commitment to Louisville,” his MLB.com scouting report reads. “The Cardinals wanted to take full advantage of his offensive potential and athleticism, so they made him a full-time outfielder. One of just six NCAA Division I players to total at least 30 extra-base hits and as many stolen bases in 2025, he led Louisville to the College World Series before playing for the U.S. collegiate national team.
“Rose is a physical right-handed hitter whose bat speed and strength produce high exit velocities and power that plays from foul pole to foul pole. He has advanced bat-to-ball skills, though his tendency to chase pitches cuts into his walk totals and leads to more groundball contact than is desired. He focuses on driving balls from gap to gap and could maximize his plus raw power if he pulls more pitches and drives them in the air more frequently.
“Rose is faster than most 6-foot-1, 200-pounders, showing solid run times out of the batter’s box and flashing well-above-average speed on stolen-base attempts. Despite his quickness, he’s at best a fringy defender in left field with arm strength to match. His bat should provide enough offense for him to profile as a regular there, and he has the intensity and work ethic to get the most out of his talents.”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.on3.com ’
