Dodgers scouting director tackles unique challenge: guiding his son, Will Gasparino, on eve of MLB draft

Will Gasparino’s life is about to change.

At some point in the next two days — preferably Sunday — the Harvard-Westlake student should hear his name called at the Major League Baseball draft in Seattle. The 18-year-old star center fielder will then have three weeks to decide whether to attend the University of Texas or go professional.

It’ll be a moment he and his loved ones will cherish.

“It’s everything I’ve ever worked for,” Gasparino said. “It’s like my dream’s coming true, you know?”

The plan is to watch the event with family at home in Los Angeles. His father, especially, will be paying close attention. He just might not be there with his son. Work might get in the way.

Encino, CA, Tuesday, March 23, 2021 – JSerra Catholic shortstop Cody Shrier tags out and Harvard Westlake baserunner Will Gasparino who attempted to advance on a wild pitch at O’Malley Family Field. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Billy Gasparino’s job is busiest this time of year — in the lead up to the draft and during the three-day, 20-round event. He isn’t just any proud dad. He’s the Dodgers’ vice president of amateur scouting. Or, simply, he’s the guy who oversees the draft for the hometown team. This is his time of the year every year.

So while Will has spent the last week working out preparing for his life-changing moment, trying to figure out which teams could select him with his advisor, Billy has been hunkered down with his colleagues in a rented office space in the Arts District.

“It’s been more stressful and awkward trying to help my son and go through it and knowing the ups and downs and ins and outs,” Billy Gasparino said. “I kind of felt that stress more than I even thought. It’s been awkward, even dealing with other teams. The whole thing has been a little weird when it’s your own kid and something I’ve never expected to experience and just trying to handle it the best way.”

Will Gasparino is a real prospect. The Athletic recently ranked him as the 59th best player in the draft. MLB.com had him at 75. Baseball America slotted him at 93. He’s an athletic 6-foot-6 center fielder who exploded onto the scene with a strong showing last summer and into the winter after traveling to Oklahoma to hit with former major league Matt Holliday and his son, Jackson Holliday, who was the first overall selection in last year’s draft. The elder Holliday’s brother, Josh, is the head coach at Oklahoma State and roomed with Billy Gasparino when they played together there.

A hand injury hampered his senior season, but his tools — highlighted by his raw power and the talent to stay in center field — have enticed scouts.

The emergence wasn’t linear. His father encouraged him to focus on other sports when he was younger. Baseball, he said, came easy but was on the side. The initial goal was to be a professional soccer player and opportunities to choose that path surfaced. He was, for example, good enough to have the opportunity to play for L.A. Galaxy’s development team.

But, growing up around the game, going to spring training and spending time in clubhouses, he eventually chose to focus on baseball.

“I think that was the one thing I’m super grateful for,” Will Gasparino said. “He never forced baseball on me. I would play sport to sport, season to season. I’m glad he never pushed because eventually I kind of fell in love with it myself.”

A growth spurt early in high school produced an uncoordinated phase. Then it all came together.

“As a parent you never know if you’re being biased or not,” said Billy Gasparino, a former infielder chosen by the Colorado Rockies in the 17th round of the 1999 draft. “So you don’t know if you’re really giving a true evaluation of him, but you kind of started to see, like, ‘All right, he’s tall, he’s athletic, he has tools. He’s starting to put all this together.’”

Billy Gasparino’s track record as director of scouting is one of the best in the industry. His first eight drafts in the role have produced several notable major leaguers, including Will Smith, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Gavin Lux, Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller. Every year is a little different but familiar. This year is an outlier.

The Dodgers own the 36th and 60th picks Sunday, when the draft kicks off with the first two rounds. The selections present an opportunity to acquire building blocks to sustain long-term success. Will Gasparino should be on the board for the first, if not both, picks. Does he want the Dodgers — and his dad — to choose him?

“Eh, no preference,” Will Gasparino said. “I think it would be cool, but people would think it’s just because of my dad.”

Gasparino said he’s met with 15 to 20 teams, but has only worked out “for a few because the amount of money that I’m asking for, not a lot of teams can pay it.” His father is allowed to talk to other clubs on his son’s behalf, but he acknowledged the interactions “have been a little strange.”

“He has an advisor that we really trust that we put a lot of this into his hands,” Billy Gasparino said. “And that’s been a good thing because that’s created a third party that people can go to and talk to freely and don’t have to worry about information coming back to me. Because I’m sure there’s a little bit of fear of like, ‘Hey, something I tell Billy could actually help the Dodgers so I have to be a little more careful than usual.’”

At work, Gasparino said he and his boss — president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman — created a “system” to avoid a potential conflict of interest. He explained it as a way to keep him “out of it for the most part to the very end.” When he logs into his computer, for example, he can see his son’s name but his reports are blocked.

“One thing I didn’t want was our scouts or anyone who I work with to feel awkward or pressured or any way different,” Billy Gasparino said. “So I basically can’t see any of his information. I trust that our guys can evaluate him and put him in the right spot.”

That spot might be when the Dodgers are on the clock. It would make for a great story. Will Gasparino, though, said he’s 50-50 between attending Texas or playing professional baseball. The chance to start his journey to the major leagues is appealing, but he believes he could hit his way into the first round with three years in college.

Maybe going to the Dodgers would change the calculus. Whatever happens, it’ll be a moment for the Gasparino family to remember.

“He’s the one who’s earned this and worked hard and sometimes I hate that I even get mentioned with him because it’s really his path and his passion and success,” Billy Gasparino said. “I’m really proud of him. I want him to enjoy it.”