Will Gasparino plays hard. In 2026, before the Philadelphia Phillies drafted him, he was a centerpiece of a UCLA Bruins team that finished 52-8. During their clash with the University of Oregon in the BIG10 Championship, Gasparino was caught in a rundown between third and home and, instead of surrendering meekly, decided to run over the fielder blocking him from the third-base bag.
There’s a little bit of Chase Utley in the 6’6” 21-year-old. Like the former Phillie, Gasparino and Utley both hail from Los Angeles and attended UCLA. The Phillies' sixth-round pick has been around baseball his whole life; in fact, his father, Billy, serves as VP of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Upon selecting him in last year's draft, Brian Barber told MLB.com, “Will is a guy that we've been watching since high school. He's a very, very well-known guy on the scouting circuit, and his dad works in baseball with the Dodgers.”
He continued, “I mean, it's a tremendous body. It's large. It's athletic. It's huge tools. He's always had the huge tools. He can really play center field. He can run. He can throw, and he can hit the ball a long way, and his game has come a long way in the last, I'll say, 12-18 months.”
Will Gasparino can cut it in the pros too
The biggest development in Gasparino’s game has been his raw power. He got to show it off a little bit as a professional in 2026; his first career hit in the Phillies system was a grand slam. But otherwise, the man MLB ranks as a 60-grade power threat only hit two long balls in 93 plate appearances last season in Single-A.
At UCLA, though, Gasparino’s power was a huge part of his game. He hit 20 home runs in just 58 games, slashing .314/.412/.659.
Adjusting from college pitching, even in a strong division like BIG10 to professional pitching is the biggest competitive leap a player will face outside of the jump from Triple-A to the Majors. Though Gasparino’s power hadn't yet manifested in the minor leagues, his plate discipline was better there than at UCLA.
Gasparino walked 13 times in 20 minor league games, good for a 14.0% walk rate and a 2.6% increase over his NCAA rate. He posted an impressive .387 OBP at Clearwater.
There will always be swing-and-miss in Gasparino’s game, given his height and how hard he swings, but if that comes with the plate discipline he showed at Clearwater this year, the future is bright for the young slugger.
Furthermore, as an above–average center fielder, Gasparino’s innate raw tools will help him reach the Majors faster. He has a strong arm and good speed, though he seldom uses it to steal bases.
Gasparino will be 22 when the 2027 minor league season begins. It wouldn’t be strange for the Phillies to invite him to Major League spring training before demoting him to minor league camp as April approaches.
He is several steps from the big-league club, but if he can tap into his raw power next year and the Phillies need a bench bat, Gasparino has enough helium and has competed at a high enough level to be an unconventional option down the stretch.
If he continues to play hard and begins hitting home runs at the level he’s capable of, the Major Leagues might not seem so far away.
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