Brendan Lawson joined the Brewster Whitecaps 14 games into the 2025 season, but he didn’t waste any time when it came to making an impact, quickly becoming one of the stars of the show.
He went 3-for-4 with a home run in his July 1 debut, carrying over the success he enjoyed during his first collegiate season, and hardly slowed down after that, taking just 23 games to cement himself as the Whitecaps' Offensive Player of the Year while helping the team make the first round of the playoffs.
Now, with expectations higher than ever, the Florida infielder is eyeing a return to Brewster in 2026.
Lawson’s baseball journey started at age seven, when he was introduced to the game by his dad. As a native of Toronto, Ontario, hockey was in his blood, but his love for baseball was also undeniable. As the bat-and-ball sport grew to become his athletic focus, he excelled.
Lawson stole the show as a prepster, representing Team Canada, earning Perfect Game First Team All-American honors and finishing as the No. 14 shortstop and No. 57 player in Perfect Game’s 2024 class while playing for P27 Academy in Lexington, South Carolina.
His play and potential led the St. Louis Cardinals to take him in the 19th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, but the 6-foot-3 Canadian honored his commitment to Florida, where he’s done nothing but boost his stock.
In the sixth game of his true freshman season, Lawson made his presence known with a monster hack. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning, the left-handed batter turned on a 1-0 pitch from Dayton right-handed pitcher Peyton Malecha, sending it over the right field wall for a grand slam and the first home run of his career.
When SEC play rolled around, Lawson didn’t miss a beat. He collected two SEC Freshman of the Week awards -- Feb. 24 and April 21 -- en route to becoming a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team and Baseball America First Team Freshman All-American off the back of 10 home runs and a .317/.417/.522 slash line.
Lawson’s 61 RBIs, 15 multi-RBI games and 23 multi-hit games all ranked second on the Gators. He managed to help out both of those categories in what was arguably his most impressive game of the season, registering three RBIs and five hits, respectively, against Fairfield in his team's sole NCAA Tournament win.
After a short break from game action, the already accomplished ball player arrived in Brewster and set the Cape ablaze. Lawson earned an All-Star nod in the East Division, competed in the Home Run Contest and finished the summer with four home runs -- good enough to tie him for the team lead -- and a .333/.398/.519 slash line while playing on the corners of the infield. His .917 OPS was the second-highest mark in the Cape Cod Baseball League for a player with at least 80 at-bats.
After a monster spring and summer, Lawson has positioned himself as not only a sure thing contributor for the 2026 Whitecaps but as one of the best collegiate prospects in baseball.
Baseball America lists Lawson as the current No. 1 prospect in the 2027 MLB Draft, reporting that, “He has present bat speed and displays an enticing hit-power combination, with each tool -- especially his power -- projecting as above average down the line.”
The scouting report also makes note of his unusual stance, where he stands tall and keeps his hands above his head while wiggling his bat, but states, “it works, and he is consistently in a strong position to hit.”
Only time will tell if Lawson can convert the No. 1 prospect ranking into becoming a No. 1 overall pick, but another successful season in the SEC with Florida, followed by another successful summer in the Cape with the Whitecaps, could go a long way to accomplishing that.
Title Photo Credit to Casey Bayne.
