Zion Rose emerged from Chicago as a high school prospect with raw talent and a promising future behind the plate. His potential caught the eyes of scouts, prompting a transfer to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season.
Despite being a coveted MLB draft prospect, Rose honored his commitment to Louisville. Over his first two collegiate seasons, he has shifted defensive positions while steadily refining his offensive game. Now entering his junior year, Rose is once again eligible for the draft, with scouts projecting him as a potential first-round pick. His prior experience in the process gives him an edge this time around.
“It’s a more evolved process,” Rose said. “I think I’m more comfortable within myself and more confident in my abilities and things that I can offer. So it’s a little bit more genuine from my side. I’m gonna just do what I can do. There’s no control. I have no control over what they think or what they decide. So that’s taken a lot of pressure off of me.”
Rose is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-handed hitter who uses simple mechanics and quick hands to generate easy bat speed and consistently square up the baseball. He hits the ball hard, driving it to all parts of the field, with raw power potential that could play from foul pole to foul pole.
Rose has advanced bat-to-ball skills, though his tendency to chase pitches limits his walks and produces more groundballs than desired. He pairs his size with surprising speed, running well out of the batter’s box and flashing above-average quickness on stolen-base attempts.
“I believe my greatest strength is just definitely my offensive game,” Rose said. “My competitiveness, especially in the box, is also there. It doesn’t matter who’s on the mound. I always believe in myself that I’m gonna get the job done. So that’s definitely allowed me to get through a lot of years successfully.”
Rose joined Louisville as a highly regarded catching prospect. He is quick, has a strong arm and spent last season in left field, showing steady growth. Over the last year, he has fully committed to being an outfielder, working on his skills, including reads and routes in the field. He projects well in a corner outfield spot.
“The transition was pretty easy,” Rose said. “Honestly, I had some previous experience in it, but I never took it seriously. I was actually with USA Baseball when I first told coach (Dan McDonnell) that I just wanted to play outfield, and he was completely understanding. He said, ‘Let’s make you the best outfielder we can.’
“From that point on, it’s been about working every day, trying to get better. I never want to be a liability to my team, so I pride myself on being the best I can at what I do. This past year has been a great year for learning the position, getting better, failing and learning from those experiences. I really feel like I’ve put myself in a great position for this year.”
Rose made an immediate impact as a freshman, hitting .380 with five home runs, 32 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 192 plate appearances. He returned last season as a key contributor on a winning team, hitting .310 with 16 doubles, 13 home runs, 67 RBIs and 31 stolen bases in 301 plate appearances while showing notable plate discipline.
He was one of just six NCAA Division I players in 2025 to total at least 30 extra-base hits and 30 stolen bases. Rose helped lead Louisville to the College World Series, the program’s first appearance since 2019, where the Cardinals finished third, before joining the U.S. collegiate national team.
This season, Louisville hopes to return to Omaha, Nebraska, to compete for its first national title, and Rose believes the team has the pieces to make a run.
“I think this team may be better than last year’s team,” Rose said. “No dirt to last year’s team. That was a great team, but I think this year we’ll be throwing the punches. I think this year we’re going to be the team that people are afraid to play. People don’t want to play when they see us on their schedule. They’re going to be scared to play us, so again, that’s no dirt to no other team. That’s just my confidence in our team.”
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for 11 years. He has interviewed 613 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as an “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
