Entering his junior season with the Florida Gators, shortstop Brendan Lawson is Baseball America's No. 1 overall prospect for the 2027 MLB Draft, thanks to his stellar performance at the plate over the last two years.
Instead of signing with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2024 MLB Draft, Lawson signed with the Gators in 2024. Since then, the promising shortstop has slugged his way to the top of draft boards. He is slashing .315/.464/.602 in 116 games for the Gators. Lawson also has 29 homers, 25 doubles, three triples and 109 RBI.
Lawson quickly joined the starting lineup as a freshman, starting 60 games in his debut season. He hit .317 in 2025, with 10 homers, 61 RBI and 14 doubles. The talented hitter also showed versatility on defense, starting at first base (36), second base (12) and third base (11).
It didn't take long for Lawson to find his stride as a freshman. After collecting his first hit against Air Force on Feb. 15, Lawson hit a grand slam against Dayton a week later, becoming the first Gator to hit a grand slam for his first-career home run since Santino Miozzi vs. Winthrop in 2019.
During the 2025 season, Lawson was named SEC Freshman of the Week twice. He also finished the year on the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Although Lawson's sophomore numbers were nearly identical to his freshman campaign, his power took a jump. He slashed .312/.511./.699, with a career-high 19 home runs, 11 doubles, two triples and 48 RBI in 56 starts. Those stats earned him a 2026 Second Team All-American selection from Baseball America.
Another area he progressed in was his eye at the plate. Despite that being a part of his game as a freshman, he walked a career-high 53 times and had 24 hit-by-pitches (HBP) in 2026. That is 20 more walks and 15 more HBP than he had in 2025.
Lawson was Florida's most dangerous hitter in 2026. He led the team in OPS, OBP, slugging, extra-base hits, home runs, runs scored, total bases, walks and hit-by-pitches. He also led the SEC in OBP, was second in OPS, third in walks, sixth in runs and seventh in slugging.
Florida will now depend on him for the upcoming season. He is expected to spearhead a top-five revamped Gators lineup.
The Gators have four more scrimmages before their 2027 season begins. It starts with Troy on Oct. 24. Then, they take on the Ontario Blue Jays on Oct. 28, Mercer on Nov. 1 and Air Force on Nov. 8.
Their 2027 campaign starts in February. The Gators welcome Queens for a three-game series, beginning on Feb. 19.
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