Lawson, Rodriguez earn Cape Cod League All-Star nods

USA Today

6 days ago

The Florida Gators always seem to have at least one player break out over the summer in the Cape Cod League. This year is no exception. In fact, they doubled their pleasure this time around.
Last year, it was Jake Clemente who earned the All-Star nod and started the spring as a member of the weekend rotation. This year, infielder Brendan Lawson and right-hander Christian Rodriguez are participating in the event on Jul 19 at 4:05 p.m. ET at Red Wilson Field in Yarmouth, Mass. Lawson will also compete in the home run derby at 2:30 p.m. ahead of the All-Star Game.
INF Brendan Lawson
Lawson put together an All-SEC Freshman Team spring, slashing .317/.417/.522 with 71 hits and 10 home runs. He also showed a mature eye at the plate, walking in 12.2% of his plate appearances while striking out in just 20.7%. With numbers like that, Lawson came into the summer with one of the highest ceilings in the league.
He joined the Brewster Whitecaps midway through the season and "continues to barrel the ball consistently," according to Joe Healy of D1Baseball. Lawson is slashing .344/.475/.719 with three home runs over 10 games. He's walked as much as he's struck out, with seven each, and the Whitecaps are using him at third base most of the time, which could signal a position change for the former shortstop. Florida needs help on the left side of the infield after losing Bobby Boser and Colby Shelton to the draft.
RHP Christian Rodriguez
Rodriguez was solid with a 5.32 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 22 appearances as a redshirt freshman in the spring. His fastball is still ramping up from Tommy John surgery that kept him out all of the 2024 campaign, but the "Bugs Bunny changeup" with a 15-mph difference in velocity still baffles hitters. His slider is also working better, coming in the 76-79 mph range as well.
Rodriguez has a 1.35 ERA with 0.90 WHIP and 13 strikeouts over 13 1/3 innings for the Harwich Mariners this summer. He's only walked four batters and routinely gets out of innings with 15 or fewer pitches. Healy described Rodriguez as "utterly dominant this summer," and he looks like a strong option to replace his former high school teammate, Clemente, in the closer role.
Other Gators on the Cape
Billy Barlow, Blake Cyr and Matthew Jenkins are with Lawson on the Whitecaps. Barlow has made three starts for Brewster, compiling a 2.70 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 13 1/3 innings. He's struck out 16 and walked just two, although Barlow has hit three batters.
Cyr is slashing .308/.357/.487 with a home run. He still needs to tone down the aggression at the plate, striking out 11 times to just two walks over about 40 plate appearances. Jenkins is struggling, giving up 11 earned runs over four appearances (two total innings). The command isn't there with four walks and two strikeouts.
Ashton Wilson is with the Falmouth Commodores, hitting .206 with 16 strikeouts through 10 games. Luke McNeillie has a 5.68 ERA through 12 2/3 innings with Harwich. His 14 strikeouts are good, but his eight walks are not. Jacksonville center field transfer Jaden Bastian is hitting .100 through 30 at-bats for the Orleans Firebirds, but his elite eye is showing with nearly as many walks (9) as strikeouts (10).
Caden McDonald, Landon Stripling and Hayden Yost all play for the Wareham Gateman. McDonald is thriving in a two-way role, slashing .333/.464/.533 with three homers at the plate and maintaining a 4.32 ERA as a hybrid starter-reliever on the mound. McDonald could be considered an All-Star snub given his numbers. He's thrown 16 2/3 innings and is north of 50 plate appearances on the summer, so there's consistency to consider here, too.
Stripling is playing a lot of third base for Wareham, but his bat is struggling with just five hits through 35 at-bats. Yost isn't getting a ton of hits either, but he's playing the most of any Gator mentioned so far with 61 at-bats over 23 games. His .197 average is on the wrong side of the Mendoza line, and his strikeout (21) and walk (7) numbers aren't anything special. Still, he's outperforming Bastian, which could end up as a position battle through fall.
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