The Nutshell: Versatility is Invaluable

Thomas Gavello’s childhood eyes were always glued on Dustin Pedroia when watching baseball at home, despite his idol playing over 3,000 miles away.

A Northern California native, Gavello’s childhood best friend was a massive Boston Red Sox fan and influenced Gavello to follow the team.

His discovery of Pedroia’s athleticism reflected the player Gavello wanted to be from a young age.

“I loved the way that Pedroia played second base and growing up, I was mainly a second baseman,” Gavello said. "I loved the way he played the game defensively. From an offensive standpoint, obviously, watching David Ortiz hit, his character and the way he was around his teammates was definitely huge.”

By the time Gavello turned 17 years old in 2018, the Red Sox had made 10 postseason appearances and won four World Series titles. The national spotlight on Boston shined in his childhood home in Danville, California.

His hometown’s population is about 43,000 people and the small baseball community provided friendships, along with excellent competition.

“It was very close knit. There wasn’t a whole lot of different travel teams, and the competition was really good with our conference in high school,” Gavello said. “Without being in the Southern California experience, from an outsider, it seemed like there was just a lot of teams and there was a lot more going on. It was nice to be part of that smaller environment where we’re playing guys that we’ve played with before and playing on the same team as guys from other schools.”

Gavello stayed in familiar territory when colleges began reaching out. University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., piqued his interest because of being only one hour away from his parents.

Another benefit was that his older brother lived a few minutes away from campus. Gavello’s brother and his young nephew were able to attend almost every Tigers’ home game.

“(My brother) had a son who was about four or five at the time. So, just knowing that he was going to be able to watch his uncle playing baseball right down the street was definitely a big pusher for me to go,” Gavello said. “It was awesome knowing that I wasn’t just there on my own. I was an hour away and my parents were coming out, my brother, nephew and sister-in-law were all there. It was great.”

His freshman year in 2020 began with a lot of positives. As a freshman, he established a starting role for the Tigers and played multiple positions on the infield.

That all screeched to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, canceling the rest of his season with just 10 games in. The team was told to go home for a couple weeks to finish out the academic year.

His coach asked him after classes finalized if he wanted to take a summer ball opportunity in the Expedition League, which featured teams in Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. Gavello played for the Western Nebraska Pioneers and relished the opportunity to play again.

Once Gavello returned to California for his sophomore season, he quickly saw his stats spike and gathered First Team All-WCC and WCC All-Freshman infielder honors. His junior season was similar, leading the Tigers in numerous hitting categories and caught the eyes of the San Francisco Giants.

The organization selected him for the 13^th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He always wanted to play professional baseball, and the Giants offered him a ticket to capture his dream.

When he received the call from the Giants, his whole family was ecstatic of the news and knowing a Bay Area team drafted the Northern California kid.

“I really wasn’t expecting the Giants to draft me,” Gavello said. "It came as a big surprise but all smiles. My sister was a huge Giants fan growing up, so she was really emotional about that. I didn’t even know where the affiliates were at the time and finding out I’d be starting out in San Jose, having my family be able to come out to those games too, was awesome.”

Gavello has kept the same all-in mentality he soaked up from watching Pedroia as a kid. Through his professional career, Gavello played in five different positions, including outfield this season with Richmond for the first time ever, and has pitched a handful of games.

“I think its been very beneficial just giving my absolute 100 percent even if I’m not fully comfortable at a certain position," Gavello said. “It’s kind of just battling those mental demons, but if I can just look at myself at the end of the day, knowing I gave it my all and my best effort, that’s all I can be happy with.”

Favorite baseball venue? – Chukchansi Park – Home of the Fresno Grizzlies

What is your signature dish? – Breaded chicken with spicy sausage rigatoni and a salad

Who has the best facial hair in the clubhouse? – Carter Howell

Best movie of all time? – The Sandlot

Who were your favorite baseball players growing up? – Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Eric Sograd, Cliff Pennington, Brandon Crawford and Kike Hernandez

What is your spirit animal? – A giraffe

Most inspirational person in your life? – My parents and my siblings