Gavin Grahovac being his own person on way to MLB draft
ORANGE, Calif. (BVM) – For Gavin Grahovac, baseball is a family tradition.
His father, Mike, was a fourth-round draft pick by the San Francisco Giants and has been a longtime coach at both the high school and college levels. His cousin is Garrett Mitchell, an outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers.
If Gavin had any type of baseball question growing up, he had quite the panel to get expertise from.
“From a young age, I wanted to play in MLB,” Gavin said. “I’ve kind of leaned on them.”
Now, Grahovac is not too far away from that goal.
According to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, the Villa Park High School shortstop is the No. 62 prospect in this year’s MLB draft class. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound standout has unique power for someone his age which was on display as he slugged at a .680 clip as a junior and a .747 clip as a sophomore.
Starting this one off with a bang as Gavin Grahovac (@GavinGrahovac) smacks this double deep to center. @VPHS_Baseball (CA) 2023 • @AggieBaseball signee
Profile: https://t.co/8vs68V19sf pic.twitter.com/wUPeeM7rHp
— Five Tool California (@FiveToolCA) March 28, 2023
But he had put himself on the map even before this, receiving attention from colleges by the end of his seventh-grade year. While that type of situation could be a lot for someone that age, Grahovac viewed it differently.
“I looked at it in a fun way and realized that I had an opportunity to play at the next level,” Grahovac said. “It wasn’t something I needed to stress out about.”
Heading into his junior year, he announced his commitment to Texas A&M.
“The culture and coaching staff experience is quite literally second-to-none,” Grahovac said. “It’s just something I wanted to be a part of.”
Come July’s MLB draft, Grahovac will have to make a decision on his baseball future on whether he wants to start his professional career or play college ball. But in the meantime, he is enjoying the present.
Gavin Grahovac (2023 Orange, CA) found multiple barrels on the day. The offensive upside is vast. This is a fast-slow view. #WWBAWorlds pic.twitter.com/LXIERs4XUA
— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 8, 2021
“I’m super excited for what’s to come, but I just try to leave it be and play my game in high school,” Grahovac said.
While Grahovac’s father may have the baseball pedigree, he is not the only one in Gavin’s corner that is helping him in his current situation, as his mother has been just as helpful off the field.
“My mom is always checking in on me making sure I’m okay,” Grahovac said. “She’s played a huge role throughout this process keeping me mentally strong throughout all this.”
As Grahovac finishes up his high school career, the Spartans’ games are littered with scouts. Despite that, Grahovac knows if he stays within himself, the rest will go to plan.
‘23 INF Gavin Grahovac with a hustle play to take second on a hard hit ball through the left side.
Has made two strong plays – one ranging deep behind the 2nd base bag – at short. #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/Mvyj7nnJf6
— 𝐏𝐁𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐀 (@PBR_California) April 3, 2023
“I feel like I don’t need to prove myself to anyone besides myself,” Grahovac said. “If I play my own game, be my own person and be the team guy that I am, those are my biggest goals for me because I want to win a CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) ring before anything else happens.”
