Brendan Lawson’s setup at the plate is unusual. His coaches know it and sometimes chuckle when asked about the look. Lawson does the same.
It’s only funny to them because of how effective the freshman’s distinct high handset and relatively short stride are, especially at just 19 years old.
He certainly looks different at the plate, but Florida’s coaches would argue that Lawson’s results are just as unique.
“He gets on time,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said with a grin just a few hours after Lawson hit his first-career home run on Saturday, a grand slam. “He just loads up early and gets his hands in a really good spot to hit.”
O’Sullivan and his staff have consistently spoken highly of Lawson, who is already the Gators’ starting first baseman and credits the coaching influences he’s had throughout his career for helping shape his impressive skill set.
At just 14 years old, the lefthanded hitter was working with coaches who helped him to better understand the importance of staying on-plane with his swing. Together they crafted Lawson’s creative and personalized mechanics.
“When I was younger, I always had my hands super vertical, and when I was like 14 or 15 one of my hitting coaches was like, ‘We’ve got to get your bat flatter so you’re on plane earlier and stay on plane for longer,’ because I had to be really perfect to do well,” Lawson told Baseball America. “One day, I just tried to get my hands up a little bit just messing around in batting practice, and it just felt really natural. I’ve never had trouble getting to high pitches or catching up to velo. I still put myself in a good spot. Since I was 15, that’s what I stuck with.”
The top-ranked draft prospect in Canada in 2024, Lawson has a refined game that is both polished and poised for growth. O’Sullivan, never one to hand out praise lightly, has particularly highlighted Lawson’s “exceptional” zone control, a trait that sets him apart even in the high-caliber world of college baseball. Lawson’s raw power and bat speed are also already ahead of the curve, and his natural feel for hitting speaks to an “advanced” baseball IQ.
“He’s different,” Florida senior right fielder Ty Evans said.
“You don’t find it very often,” O’Sullivan added.
It’s true. Freshmen like Lawson are historically quite rare.
Just 9.3% of all Division I players who…