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Brendan Gawlowski Prospects Chat: 6/2/26
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Brendan Gawlowski
2:00
Hello everybody. I've been told that in this chat, only folks with an account are able to ask questions. It's a new system. DA has invited us all to share the following statement about that: "We're trying out a new system where you're required to log in to FanGraphs to ask a question. You don't need to be a Member, but you do need to have an account, just like you need an account to comment on any article. We'll see how it goes. If you have feedback, feel free to just leave it as a question, or you can send a note to support@fangraphs.com."
2:01
Looks like a lot of you aren't having problems, but perhaps it's a better day than normal for you regulars to submit a few questions. We'll see!
2:02
Housekeeping: I'm working furiously on Giants, Eric is almost done with Pirates, James is battling on a Twins list.
our milb.tv game of the day is Springfield-Frisco. I've got my eye on Rafe Perich in particular, a guy I kinda liked on the backfields in '25. He crushed High-A this year and is now up in AA.
And away we go
P
2:03
You and Eric both talked about the the ball possibly being juiced at Double A and below on your chats last week.  Have pitching prospects across the board performed worse this season because of it?  I've been wondering why the Braves hitters seem to be raking this year, but the pitchers don't seem to be.
Brendan Gawlowski
2:04
On some level it's all relative, but the guys with softer stuff and guys who give up a lot of fly balls are going to be dinged especially
Hello Everett, btw
vladsmyman
2:05
Is Felnin Celesten going to develop power or is he going to be a hit tool with little power SS with good to great defense? How projectable is he still?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:05
He's got more to grow into, but think this is going to be a more well rounded skillset than one where one thing stands out especially
warpath
2:05
Hey Brendan, something I've been kicking around recently. How often do guys in the minors seems to be aware of their "prospecthood" vs. "non-prospecthood" so to speak? Clearly the 32-year-old minor league lifer will have a different outlook than the hotshot 1.1 pick shortstop, but generally are guys aware of the evaluations about them, their status within organizations, and their chances at the big leagues?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:06
Everyone's the hero of their own story, so they tend to be optimistic as a class (and should be, imo). Some are well aware of their station, others are completely delusional.
vladsmyman
2:07
Best athlete you have ever scouted that made it to the major leagues?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:07
Technically saw Bobby Witt before he debuted, gotta be him
JayGray007
2:09
Do you see any big under-the-hood improvements made by Cole Carrigg this year, or is this mostly just baseball doing baseball things?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:10
A lot more contact this year. Don't know if it's just the altitude making it easier to hit soft stuff or a change in his approach. I'll dive deeper if you wanna follow up next week.
PicnicLightning
2:11
What's your take on Jacob Gonzalez? Actual skill improvements this year, or just a fluke while repeating a level? Any optimism for a solid debut?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:11
I think he's taken a step forward. Hitting the ball a lot harder, EV90 up 3.5 ticks.
Anonymous Member #46
2:12
What do you make out of whatever happened with Carmen Mlodzinski and the Pirates?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:14
Understand that he's disappointed, going to the bullpen is a tough pill to swallow after pitching well for a couple months. Unfortunate that it played out publicly, particularly since there's every chance he'll be back in the rotation as soon as someone gets hurt.
aglossman
2:14
Get an account, people! It’s a great website!
Brendan Gawlowski
2:14
And the account is free!
Daron
2:15
Just five org top prospect lists to go! I believe you've mentioned they might be rolled out on a different timeline in the future, is that still a possibility?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:15
Yes, plan is to get going in October next year.
2:16
In particular, my increased familiarity with a bunch of orgs I had no touchpoints with in previous seasons should help me a lot.
MARK TOBIAS
2:16
Hi Brandon! Does River Ryan look ready to you? Do you think the Dodgers will bring him up before July?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:16
I don't know who Brandon is but River looks more than ready to go
Daniel Bergman
2:16
Please tell me more about the epic chess losing streak! joy
Brendan Gawlowski
2:16
I have lost 17 gd games in a row and I'm on tilt
2:17
Rating has plummeted from the 1500's to the mid 1300s. Think my dog could at least scrape a draw at this point.
lbowman1
2:17
What’s your take on Brady Ebel so far? Slow start but the bat - and discipline - has been great after the first few weeks, the speed looks better than projected
Brendan Gawlowski
2:18
Holding steady. I'd encourage you to not read a ton into all the walks, those will dwindle as he faces more pitchers who can throw strikes.
Radhames Liz
2:18
You said recently that the O's have a lot of guys in the lower levels with 20/30 command throwing max effort. I take it this is not normal. Why are the O's doing this while other orgs aren't? Are Elias and co. just heartless social darwinians (i.e. guys are gonna get hurt anyway so f*** it)? You hear of any internal dissatisfaction over this policy?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:20
There are guys like that all over the minors, anecdotally it felt like Baltimore had more of them than most. Seems like there's an emphasis on developing stuff and hoping the strikes follow
MF Luder
2:20
For Boston Eyanson and Witherspoon get all the attention, but I found Marcus Phillips interesting as a college player. What do you think of his pro career thus far?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:21
Definitely interesting, huge gap between results and the quality of his best stuff. If I had to guess I think he winds up in relief.
2:22
I'm a little surprised his control has regressed so substantially in pro ball thus far
rossredcay
2:22
JD Dix has really turned it on over the last several weeks.  Any word on the health of his shoulder?  My understanding was that was really going to drive a lot of his value in terms of where he could realistically fit defensively.
Brendan Gawlowski
2:22
I don't know how it feels but the arm is still very light. No shot at short in current form.
WarrenJ
2:23
Since Eric is doing the Pirates list but I expect you know the players, I'm curious about your thoughts on some of the young infielders they have in the FCL:  Johan De Los Santos, Frederick Ovalle, Hyun Seung Lee, and Darell Morel.  They seem to be giving each of them brief stints in the Florida State League also (easy given the geography of their system), and I'm also curious about that idea.
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