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Brendan Gawlowski Prospects Chat: 3/10/26
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Brendan Gawlowski
2:42
Mostly best player available. You still get the occasional 'we're taking this scout's kid' at the very end.
2:43
And of course the end of the first ten rounds you're often trying to sign priority small-dollar players to make the math work on the guys you took up top.
Slew(Seattle)
2:43
Any chance Daniel Espino ends up a starter? Is it stuff or durability that would hold him back?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:43
I'd be surprised, there have just been so many injuries
ThatGuy
2:43
Between Brody Hopkins, Jackson Wiggins, and Jarlin Susana, who is most likely to stay a starter? Which of them is most likely to come up this year?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:44
I'll say Hop and Susana for the first question; Wiggins scares me a little bit.
Big Fan
2:45
I noticed the number of Braves prospects who could be in play for the Top 100 a year from now.  Is that an unusual thing  with this system?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:46
Didn't really stand out to me, to be honest. Caminiti is a layup if he stays healthy, seems like they'll have a similar of number of guys jockeying for the list as your average bear.
2:48
One other stray thought on them: One place the lack of depth shows up is that I didn't love a lot of the 40s... Like, they grade that way, but there were a bunch I rounded up on even as I was debating 'should they just be a 35+?'
Wallyworld
2:50
Obviously nobody is Aaron Judge and any comparison is insane, but is the Justin Gonzales hype real?  Obviously he needs to lift more, but is that unlocking a totally different player at his size?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:50
I haven't dug on him personally but Eric's note from last year -- "He’s a stiff, maxed-out athlete with a funky swing" -- does not seem particularly Judgian to say the last.
Prospectus
2:50
Can you forecast a (small) handful of guys in contention for no. 1 overall prospect in 2027?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:51
Josuar; De Vries; Clark; Rainer; Peña
Wild how two of the top three didn't make the list at all last year. Crazy game, this.
BobHausen
2:52
What is the trait that gives a player an extra chance or two in an organization?  Power, Speed, defense, etc...?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:52
Hit tool
Bone
2:52
Thoughts on Christian Moore’s trajectory… short and long term?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:52
Think he can be an everyday second baseman.
EccentricATLFan
2:52
Thanks for answering my questions!  One final one: Since you mentioned how "there isn't a safe bat in the entire system", do you see them going position-player heavy with their first few picks in the draft given those concerns (especially with someone like Burress or AJ Gracia), or could you see them going pitcher-heavy again (Bolemon seems like a good fit, at least on paper)?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:53
They take best player available regardless of fit. For them, where they normally draft, they often feel it's a pitcher
Lord Thunder
2:53
Since he's older than his draft peers, do you see that affecting what level JoJo Parker plays at for most of this  season?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:54
I don't, I expect he'll start at Low-A and if he hits he'll move up.
2:55
Jays like to keep their top guys, even college ones, in Dunedin until it gets warmer up here in the PNW. Yesavage didn't need A-ball but they didn't want him pitching in a misty 40 degrees in April.
Opifijikl
2:55
Have you gone to a MiLB game and noticed any noteworthy managers or managerial decisions? Someone said the WooSox manager was a "rising star" a while ago, for instance. Not sure if that is possible or if it is totally deferential to a front office.
Brendan Gawlowski
2:56
It'd be more for how they work with people than anything tactical. Most minor league games are scripted, with some tiny maneuvering in close and late situations.
2:57
Sometimes you can get a feel for that watching pregame work. I had that vibe with Brent Lavallee
Tom
2:57
You mentioned Bryce Rainer as a potential #1 prospect. His power data is crazy, and it seems like he had average contact with good swing decisions, so why do many write ups question the hit tool? Is it mechanical, or struggle with a particular pitch type? He seems like he could be a monster.
Brendan Gawlowski
2:57
Swing is a little long but I don't think it matters when you have that kind of bat speed.
2:58
I'm high on him.
ranchard bartlett
2:58
Should we care if Justin Gonzalez is "maxed out" if he's hitting the ball 117mph in MLB spring games and throwing 98 from the outfield, after hitting .281/.363/.390 in 357 PA as an 18 year old in one of the worst offensive parks in A ball?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:59
The "stiff" part scares me more.
3:00
Just about every system has a guy who can hit a ball 115+ and a bunch of them never make even the HM section of these lists. Not saying that Gonzalez is in that bucket, but 'ton of power really young' is not in and of itself a ticket to the big leagues.
Allen V
3:00
Was Ethan Pecko close to the Top 100? Or is he a 45 FV?
Brendan Gawlowski
3:01
He was one of a couple of Astros on the long list. Sullivan too.
Kirk
3:01
With guys who are on the top 100, but havent had their team list release yet, will their writeup change when full list is out if you guys see new stuff? Thinking of a guy like Josuar in Arizona
Brendan Gawlowski
3:01
Yeah, if something changes meaningfully that will be reflected. I could be wrong but I think Eric has either changed Lagrange's or plans to based on something he encountered.
3:02
This also means that there may be 50's on future team lists who weren't on the 100 last month.
Kirk Reuter
3:02
Luis Hernandez coming straight over the US and skipping DSL seems like a pretty strong statement from the Giants?  Especially considering they have had success with Level and Gonzalez playing there?
Brendan Gawlowski
3:02
It's very exciting.
Sir Nerdlington
3:03
Is it more fun to scout in person with Eric or do prefer to have your own quiet look first? I guess it could be both…but you know where I’m going.
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