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Klawchat 1/25/18
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Keith Law
1:42
I haven't left North America since my daughter was born except for a family trip to Hawai'i when we lived in Arizona. I am hoping to get to Italy in the next year to see my cousins there, and then maybe do something else while in Europe. Extreme bucket list ... Chile, Buenos Aires, Morocco, Tokyo/Kyoto, the Maldives, Botswana, Costa Rica ... I could go on ...
Sean
1:43
Interested to see your writeup on Keller and concerns about fastball command.   His low WHIP and walk rates seemed impressive compared to other similarly rated prospects, especially in the high minors.  Is this a case of it would be exposed better by major league hitters and isnt as visible in a minor league stat line?  Also, do you think his K rates will translate or will he need more development of the changeup to get strikeouts at the major league level?  P.S.  Thanks for all the great work on the top 100 and beyond...always something to look forward to every winter!
Keith Law
1:44
WHIP sucks, don't use it for evaluating players. Command and control aren't the same - control is really just throwing strikes and not walking guys, but command is about location, even within the zone (or outside of it, as needed). Because his fastball can be pretty straight, he needs to be more precise when throwing it than a guy with plus life on the pitch might have to be. Velocity does mitigate some command issues but big league hitters can still turn on 100 mph if it's straight and gets too much of the plate.
Pat
1:44
Tigers pitchers- How close were Burrows, Manning & Faedo to the top 100? What would each need to do in 2018 to make the leap on to the list next year?
Keith Law
1:44
Burrows the best of those three. Manning just was not good in 2017 - stuff was down, breaking ball still isn't there, and he had major control issues in the spring and in extended.
Bort
1:45
A trade of Manny Machado to the Indians for Danny Salazar + Greg Allen/Tyler Naquin/Yandy Diaz makes too much sense not to happen, right? If the O's take the OFer as the second piece they could then sign Moustakas, who should do well in that park/league.
Keith Law
1:45
That's a weak return for Baltimore. Also, why would Moustakas do well in that park?
US Citizens
1:45
Give me some hope that our country survives the next three years.  We survived World War II so I guess we can survive anything.
Keith Law
1:45
We will survive, but we will never be the same.
Colin
1:46
So no Tyler O'Neill in the Top 110 after a decent 2017... was he close? Concerned about his ability to make contact or just doesnt off much beyond the power?
Keith Law
1:47
Not close, and a .321 OBP for a corner OF is not "decent."
Todd
1:47
The Mets' ridiculous signings of Jay Bruce and A-Gon make it obvious they hate Dominic Smith. Would now be a good time for a team to swoop in and buy low on him or do you share some of the Mets' concerns?
Keith Law
1:47
I don't even know what their concerns are. I would certainly be trying to acquire him.
Adam Trask
1:47
Which was a worse HOF selection, Hoffman or Morris?
Keith Law
1:48
I actually think Morris was worse, even though Hoffman had less value and is also clearly unworthy, because Morris' case was based completely on bullshit revisionism, while Hoffman's was based on belief in a bad stat.
Joe
1:48
Klaw - making my first trip to Phoenix in the spring. Is Pizzeria Blanca somewhere I can just show up and get a table - or possibly wait 30 mins for a table? Just need a general sense of what level of planning should go into my birthday dinner.
Keith Law
1:48
Yes, at the Town & Country location off US 51.
Dr. Bob
1:48
If you're not a scout, are you then an analyst, in that you use other people's data to make ratings and projections?
Keith Law
1:48
I'm just a writer. Anything more than that is unnecessary to me.
Dave
1:48
Is Mark Appel a non prospect?  Reclamation project?
Keith Law
1:49
Ended the year on the shelf with a sore shoulder, obviously wasn't great before that, so I'd say reclamation project but with the clock ticking.
John
1:49
Would Jose Siri be somewhere in the next 100?
Keith Law
1:49
I guess, but he was 21 in low-A and swings and misses a ton.
Mitchell
1:49
What do you expect from Kevin Maitan at this point? Is he looking like a complete bust, or could he still become a great player? Or somewhere in-between?
Keith Law
1:49
Only 18 this year. Still plenty of time to turn it around, but he will have to start to work harder on his body and his swing than he did last year.
Dave
1:50
last year you had Corey Ray(34), Isan Diaz(41), Trent Grisham(67), and Luis Ortiz(71) for the Brewers.  Did the Brewers get more talented players to have these drop from the list or was it case of just a decline in performance that dropped them from the list?
Keith Law
1:50
If those guys still belonged, they would still be on the list, regardless of who else the Brewers acquired.
Tom
1:50
Bryan Mata seems to be fairly advanced for his age, albeit without overpowering stuff. Do you project him as much more than a mid-rotation pitcher if he fills out his frame?
Keith Law
1:51
Not overpowering stuff, but better than Ronny Raudes, their low-A stats guy from last year, so I'm more bullish. And Mata has some projection left. Mid-rotation is within reach.
Carlo
1:51
What would Austin Beck need to show you this year to bump him into the top 100?
Keith Law
1:51
He has to hit.
Matt
1:51
It's kinda funny how the more unpopular Jeter becomes, the more popular A-Rod becomes. Who said God doesn't have a sense of humor?
Keith Law
1:52
Martin Gore said He had one, just that it was sick.
Arnold
1:52
Thoughts on this new OF the Giants have constructed, Pence in LF, Jackson in CF, McCutchen in RF. It strikes me as a lot of age and likely injuries out there.
Keith Law
1:52
And possibly a lot more base hits falling in this year.
Nic
1:52
Hey Keith, loved the top 100 as always. Just a few questions: why the big difference in opinion between you and the general consensus on prospects like perez(you are on the high side), and adams(you dont even have him top 100)?Is it you saw them on days when they were either really good or bad, you get different reports from different scouts than everyone else, or you value certain abilities higher when compiling a ranking, or something else?Thanks again for the chat, love your work.
Keith Law
1:53
No idea about the "consensus." I talk to scouts, execs, etc. This isn't just what I saw.
Matt Malone
1:53
Do you believe any changes in organizational philosophy will occur in Atlanta after it got hit with sanctions?
Keith Law
1:53
Yes. I believe they won't break the rules.
Nick
1:53
Can you see any pitcher make a jump like Whitley did in 2017? Maybe Jesus Luzardo?
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