This Michigan-WMU shit is offensive, man. The tv money and super league and fish in a barrel playoff format didn’t stack the deck enough for you?
Brendan Gawlowski
@bgawlowski.bsky.social
Prospect Writer, FanGraphs. Past: Pro Scout Pittsburgh Pirates
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JJ Cooper@jjcoop36.bsky.social · 5d agoI think everyone is aware that offense is up across MiLB. I don't think most are aware of how much it is up. It's the highest run environment since the current MiLB system was formed in 1963. It's higher than any MLB season other than 1930. Story: www.baseballamerica.com/stories/expl...
Interrupting vacation to say: this is stupid. For mediocre middle reliever money, you can have a scouting department that provides information your model can’t produce and competently challenge some of the conclusions it can. www.nytimes.com/athletic/753...
Marlins make significant cuts to their pro scouting department: Sources
nytimes.com
Fun one and a rare opportunity where I could put both my Italian and scouting skills to use: blogs.fangraphs.com/wait-what-ni...
Wait, What?! Nicolo Pinazzi’s Emergence
The Italian lefty has blossomed from near obscurity into a real prospect.
blogs.fangraphs.com
Kevin Brown handling this really well on the O’s broadcast.
That's not the fans' fault. But they should realize they're being played. The Bandwagon is free to read with an email: bandwagon.ghost.io/hope-arbitra...
Always good to reflect on previous work, particularly the guys who surprise you. Up today: Brandon Valenzuela blogs.fangraphs.com/wait-what-br...
Wait, What?! Brandon Valenzuela’s Breakout
This winter, Brandon Valenzuela graded out as a low-variance, glove-first backstop. Whoops.
blogs.fangraphs.com
Always good to reflect on previous work, particularly the guys who surprise you. Up today: Brandon Valenzuela blogs.fangraphs.com/wait-what-br...
Wait, What?! Brandon Valenzuela’s Breakout
This winter, Brandon Valenzuela graded out as a low-variance, glove-first backstop. Whoops.
blogs.fangraphs.com
@sammillerbb.bsky.social Big one for your "the guy who will throw the last CG has already been born" over in Boston today.
This is the right country to keep an organized back line for a precise amount of time.
I should probably also promote the chat I'm hosting @fangraphs.com: blogs.fangraphs.com/brendan-gawl... Come on by!
Brendan Gawlowski Prospects Chat: 6/30/26
Let’s chat about baseball, prospects, the World Cup, or whatever else is on your mind.
blogs.fangraphs.com
Do we think the directive for every announcer to talk about the Cowboys stadium like it's the Taj Mahal came from Jerry himself or...?
Pushing my @fangraphs.com chat from today to tomorrow morning, noon EST. See you then!
@kenarneson.bsky.social Hi Ken — apologies for barging into your inbox here but you piqued my curiosity with this: bsky.app/profile/kena... That surprised me given Savant’s drag numbers and the huge uptick in homers in recent weeks. From your vantage point, does it look like the same ball?
Ken Arneson@kenarneson.bsky.social · 3mo agoI'm not seeing this in our weather-adjusted drag coefficient data
Since BlueSky is the sports app, and the lawyers aren't here yet, enjoy 90 immaculate seconds of "Country Roads" after West Virginia walked off Kentucky to reach the Super Regionals.
There have been years that B10 offenses couldn’t put this many points on the board
It would appear I need minor league baseballs…⚾️⚾️👀
Brendan Gawlowski@bgawlowski.bsky.social · 4mo agoThere appears to be something going on with the ball in the minor leagues. Home run rates at most -- but not all -- leagues are up astronomically. To wit: Midwest League: Up 53% year over year Cal League: up 65% Southern League: up 77% Carolina League: up 101% (!)
Yeah, a week ago Hickory was scoring 5.5 runs per game, and my thought was "they must be lapping the field," but nope, they're average. I compared last April to this April, and hoo boy.
There appears to be something going on with the ball in the minor leagues. Home run rates at most -- but not all -- leagues are up astronomically. To wit: Midwest League: Up 53% year over year Cal League: up 65% Southern League: up 77% Carolina League: up 101% (!)
April is full of insane stats but Sandy Alcantara averaging 8+ innings per start so far might be the winner.
I have watched a lot of minor league baseball the last few years... That's one of the worst challenges I can remember. There's going to be a learning curve.
I for one think that other sports should just follow Netflix's lead and live mic all the Wolves ant won't pass the ball to. Cut to Pete Alonso interviewing his henchman on second and eight.
Major pet peeve: The superimposed ads that distract from the action, particularly if there's a high degree of contrast. It's not the end of the world at SF since the ad is offset. Setups like Philly's, where the ball disappears or changes colors, are abominable.
Here's an article idea for myself: How the fuck did UCSB get and hang on to Bremner and Flora?
I wrote about a scouting lesson I only fully learned after writing one of my worst reports. This is a fun one: blogs.fangraphs.com/my-worst-rep...
My Worst Report: Lessons Learned From the Field
Even the worst reports can turn into a positive if they change your thinking or provide a valuable lesson along the way.
blogs.fangraphs.com
What do you think the Tigers argument was during the arb hearing? "Yes, he won the Cy twice, and yes we've leaned him on like crazy, and yes he's broadly recognized as the best pitcher in the game... but did you know that in 2018 he had a start in college where he walked six guys in the first?!"