The Florida Gators have been active in the transfer portal after their elimination from the Conway Regional last weekend, picking up three commitments including JUCO catcher AJ Malzone, a rising junior from Wabash Valley.
A native of Manteno, Illinois, Malzone ranked as the 611th overall player in the 2023 high school class and was labeled a ‘High Follow’ recruit, according to Perfect Game.
As a true freshman in 2024, Malzone batted .372 with eight home runs, nine doubles, and 42 RBI while posting a 33-19 strikeout to walk ratio across 205 plate appearances. The 5’11, 190-pound catcher added five stolen bases.
In 2025, Malzone’s batting average dipped to .347 but he found career highs in home runs (10), RBI (58), doubles (16), triples (2), slugging percentage (.602), OPS (1.098), and stolen bases (13). For the second straight season Malzone walked more times than he struck out with 36 walks to 35 strikeouts. Malzone earned All-Conference and All-Region (DH) after his sophomore season.
The 5’11, 190-pound catcher posted a .985 fielding percentage in 2024 while throwing out six runners attempting to steal in 33 attempts. In 2025, Malzone held a .976 fielding percentage while throwing out seven runners in 32 attempts and earning Region 24 Gold Glove.
Malzone holds a career on base percentage of .500 and an OPS of 1.094, displaying a nice mix of gap power and contact. After two highly productive seasons at Wabash Valley, which is widely considered one of the top JUCO programs in baseball, Malzone announced his commitment to UF.
“Florida just felt like the right fit, and it has been a dream for me to play at UF since I was young,” Malzone told Gator Country. “They are a great program and have proven to be one of, if not the best program at the collegiate level in my opinion. The culture, the coaching staff’s energy, and the opportunity to compete at the highest level really stood out to me.”
Malzone’s addition couldn’t come at a better time as the Gators are likely to lose junior catcher Luke Heyman to the MLB Draft after an impressive 2025 season. Junior catcher Brody Donay is also draft eligible, which could open the door for another addition at catcher this offseason.