Will Gasparino has MLB aspirations thanks to family, school
LOS ANGELES (BVM) – Will Gasparino had dreams of a soccer career growing up. But with his father’s role as the scouting director for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was only a matter of time before his mindset changed.
“My dad never pushed it (baseball) on me,” Will said. “As I got older, it was like, ‘Not only is it in my family, but it’s what I want to do.’ So I kind of grew the love for it myself.”
Billy, his father, has served in that position for the Dodgers since 2014. This has allowed Will to do some pretty cool things whether that was meeting guys in the clubhouse or serving as a batboy in spring training.
But now it appears that Gasparino will attend spring training in the near future as a player himself.
The star outfielder at Harvard-Westlake School ranks as the No. 34 player in this year’s MLB draft class according to Prep Baseball Report. He stands at 6-foot-6 and has all the capabilities to become a five-tool player in center field.
Before we get started today, here's Will Gasparino (CA) from yesterday. Tested very well, ran a 6.46 60 and threw 91 from the OF, with a darn good BP, too. Had a bunch of high EV's in game, got to 104 on a single. Long, lanky w/ projection. Big time riser this week. Texas commit. pic.twitter.com/W6LFqJKkWq
— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) July 24, 2022
Gasparino’s potential, and current production, had colleges across the country trying to recruit him. At the end of the day, the Longhorn baseball program was the best fit for him. He announced his commitment in September of his junior year.
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be continuing my academic and baseball career at the University of Texas. I want to thank my family, coaches, and teammates who have helped me throughout this process. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and I can’t wait to be a longhorn! 🤘🧡 pic.twitter.com/Rn3Hbya25O
— Will Gasparino (@WillGasparino) September 20, 2021
“Texas always stood out to me. That’s where I always knew I wanted to go,” Gasparino said. “So it was a pretty easy decision.”
He loves everything about the city of Austin. Whether that is the people, the community, or just the overall atmosphere there, and it is nice to have that route in his back pocket.
However, he will have a decision to make come July when the MLB draft comes around if he wants to go ahead and sign with an MLB organization. But that is something Gasparino will not worry about until the time comes.
“I just try to go play and not try to think about those things,” Gasparino said. “Whether the decision is right for me and my family, we will decide when we get to that point.”
Gasparino is keeping his focus at the moment on what he can continue to do for the prestigious Harvard-Westlake program.
Will Gasparino (23 CA) already made a diving catch in CF and now strikes an RBI hit at the plate. Uber projection in the frame and already a very functional athlete. #UnderclassAA pic.twitter.com/3QgsypltjA
— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) August 16, 2021
The school has produced major league talent in recent years such as Max Fried, Lucas Giolito and Jack Flaherty. Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Chicago Cubs’ No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, also attended the school.
Crow-Armstrong was a senior when Gasparino was a freshman.
The prestige and the expectation of the school has ultimately benefited Gasparino in the long run.
“When you’re a younger kid, you get to see these older kids do all these great things,” Gasparino said. “You want to be like them. You look up to them. I looked up to Pete freshman year. That type of mentality helps for sure.”
Gasparino was a part of a CIF championship team his sophomore year and he would love nothing more than to go out with another one in his final season of high school ball.
“That’s my biggest goal and that’s what I see us doing this year.”
