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Brendan Gawlowski Prospects Chat: 9/15/26
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Brendan Gawlowski
1:38
Hey everybody, I screwed up the start time on the Jotcast platform. We'll start at 11 PST as usual.
2:00
Alrighty, hello everybody. Let's get going.
oaktownblues
2:00
Drew Burress is having a great pro debut overall, but should I be worried about the sub-70% contact rate? Does he have the juice to succeed as a low contact guy?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:02
I wouldn't worry too much about the late-season cameo peripherals. Burress stopped playing for a couple months, got paid a ton of money, moved across the country, and started swinging a new type of bat. He struck out more than I'd have guessed but that's a lot of change in a short amount of time, too many variables to make a huge adjustment to the forecast just yet.
Bacterun
2:03
With Josue de Paula having yet to strikeout in his first 4 MLB games, who is the prospect with the best plate discipline you have every scouted?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:03
Amador. I still believe.
mbushskbum
2:03
Will you be in AZ for any AFL Games? Who would you be most interested in seeing given the rosters just announced?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:04
I will be there, probably toward the start of the league, still need to hammer out the details.
2:05
In no particular order, Nimmala, Briggs McKenzie, Zion Rose, Aroon Escobar, Braylon Payne, Bryce Rainer, Tate Southisene, Charles Davalan, Jhonny Severino. Plenty of others
romorr
2:06
Any dirt on Caden Hunter? Homie didn't even get an FV grades pre-season, and then goes out there and cruises through 3 levels, with a nice little velo bump.
Brendan Gawlowski
2:08
A good "wait, what?!" or "because you asked..." candidate. Lefty touching 98, need to dive into the breaking ball. Slider is playing like an out pitch so far...
InsertWittyNameHere
2:09
How well do you think Tom Emanski's training videos would hold up today?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:10
Man, I have no idea. I suspect some of the defensive fundamental stuff would still be good for younger players but I would need to watch it again, it's been decades.
Sir Nerdlington
2:10
How do you evaluate receiving at the catcher position? Is that a case where it's metrics-based or does the eye test rule?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:12
I'll glance at the metrics, but there are a lot of variables, particularly at the lower levels -- bad umpiring, pitchers with bad command, poor lighting, etc. -- that makes it really tough for the numbers to evaluate that school. And, more importantly, the performance matters less than the traits. Does the player have a sturdy frame and a strong wrist? If yes, we can project on the receiving.
Baseball Learner
2:12
Pretty good year for AL Central rookies
Brendan Gawlowski
2:13
No kidding. DeLauter, Jensen, McGonigle Murakami if you want to count him, and then Tristan Peters is hanging out there too.
And then all the exciting guys MN/CWS called up down the stretch. Exciting time for the division.
Domingo Ayala
2:13
If I recall, Griffin was a very good but not superstar level prospect around this time a year ago. It was the off-season prospect updates that ranked him as elite. Is anyone else tracking like this in 2026?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:14
We knew what we had pretty early on with PIT. Internal scouts were blown away pretty much right off the bat, and I was hearing the same from other scouts who'd come across him throughout the late spring/early summer.
2:15
One of the big advantages of having a pro scouting department is that you're ahead of the curve on stuff like this relative to the public.
jsweets2112
2:15
Any chance of seeing Quintero, Nimmala, or J Rojas in the Bigs next year?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:15
Sure. Nimmala in particular, the ETA is absolutely 2027 at this point.
ptkirk
2:16
Top 3 shortstop defenders you've seen in MILB this year?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:17
From in person looks, it was not a great year for scouting defensive shortstops. Capri Ortiz is not an exciting answer here but he can really pick it.
Saw Hammond a little in the spring, he's up there
2:18
A lot of the others, the Kilen/Level/Celesten group, are potentially viable but not future Gold Glovers
oaktownblues
2:18
A's org just fired a ton of coaches and dev staff last week. Seems like a bad idea to do that right before Fall instructs, right? Probably clearing space for hires from the new GM next year but the timing feels off
Brendan Gawlowski
2:19
If you don't think those guys can help your players, probably best to not have them around, no?
It's also better for the staff to know as soon as possible if they're not coming back, gives them a better chance to find a job for next year.
WonderWall
2:21
Is Hagen Smith long-term future as Josh Hader or does he get a shot to start?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:21
I'd put most of my chips on reliever at this point.
2:22
Which is not the same as saying "CWS would be out of their minds to stretch out Smith next year!!'
Farbsy15
2:24
Do you keep tabs on post-grad guys as somewhat of a rubric for your performance? Any personal anecdote on a big time miss (either star or bust) from the last two years?
Brendan Gawlowski
2:25
I keep track of everyone I've projected. The balance of "learning from hits/misses" and "not overreacting to one year's performance" is a delicate one
Like, I loved Ezequiel Duran in the spring of 2023
And then he was awesome for three months
And was feeling great about that
And then he didn't hit at all for two years
And now he's a five-win player
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