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Klawchat 3/23/17
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Keith Law
1:49
That's aggressive; he's a stud but has about a half a year of AB above short-season.
Cam
1:49
Why could the whitesox not win with the core they had? Lack of depth?
Keith Law
1:49
Lack of OBP, lack of depth.
Marshall MN
1:49
Have you started to gear up for college baseball scouting, or still a bit too early to do so?
Keith Law
1:50
I'm going to see some HS/JC kids while in Florida, then see some premium college guys in April. My schedule just worked out differently this year, and I do have a little bit smaller travel budget too.
TK
1:50
You've probably already touched on this in the past and I missed it, but on a scale of 1-10, how dumb would it be for the 11th-inning extra-baserunner rules in the WBC to transfer to MLB? 15? 20? Infinity? I get not wanting to overexert pitchers in spring exhibitions, but I hate it for regular season games.
Keith Law
1:51
I despise these rules. It makes the games look like Little League. Just let the WBC teams carry more pitchers. I'd rather see a WBC game decided by the last man on a staff, someone who's just there to be the long guy in the event of extras, than by that silly rule.
Archie
1:51
I read an article on how guys like Martinez and Donaldson are focusing on swinging up on the ball to get it in the air more, rather than the traditional "swinging down on the ball" and hitting it on the ground. Isn't the ideal swing one where the hands and bat travel slightly downward from load to the hitting zone, then swing up through the same plane as the ball from contact to follow through? Doesn't everyone who puts a good swing on the ball already "swing up"?
Keith Law
1:52
Yes, I agree with you, that's the ideal swing, and most guys already swing that way. Hitters who swing down at the ball rarely if ever succeed. Matt Antonelli always did that. Lou Marson did that. There are few if any good big leaguers who swing down.
Drew
1:52
Your take on Kinsler's comments were entirely off-base and over the top. I don't doubt that racism still exists in the game; I also know that Kinsler wasn't being racist. If you looked at the context, it was pretty clear that he was commenting on the differences, not criticizing an entire race or ethnicity. Normally I appreciate your insight--informed, considered--but in your effort to eradicate an opinion you don't agree with, you can be extremely unfair and judgmental.
Keith Law
1:53
Allow to be more judgmental, then. Kinsler's comments may not have come from a racist intent, but they drew a clear line between one race or ethnicity and another. It's a case of differential impact; whether Kinsler actually thought about that is irrelevant. He should just shut up and worry about his own behavior, not about whether another team celebrates too much.
Marshall MN
1:54
Klaw, the same sort of racial based generalities are used in almost all sports. In soccer, teams from Africa are almost always described in specifically athletic terms (raw speed, agility, jumpers, etc) while teams from Europe are technical, skilled, etc. I cannot believe how frequently seemingly intelligent people fall back to the same stereotypes. Look at how African American QBs are still talked about even today.
Keith Law
1:54
I remember the days when the NFL conventional wisdom was that you couldn't win with a black QB. Those beliefs tend to be self-reinforcing.
Ian
1:54
In relation to your note on how guys who see a massive spike in velo over a short period of time (i.e. Strasburg and Zumaya) are prone to blowing out their elbows....what usually leads to that spike? Is it better training, natural physical development, mechanical changes? All of the above?
Keith Law
1:55
I don't know if there's any common thread. My hypothesis, again totally untested and unverifiable, is that the newfound velocity puts more stress on the elbow ligaments than they are able to handle.
Rob
1:55
Have you seen Sal Romano this spring? Do you still think he's a reliever going forward or can he be more? Obviously a small sample size but he is having a great spring.
Keith Law
1:56
Still think that's a reliever's delivery. High slot, tough to repeat, tough on the shoulder, not conducive to a good CH.
Philip
1:56
If Brendan McKay has a number 3 ceiling wouldn't you rather try the upside of Bukauskas and Faedo
Keith Law
1:56
If McKay is only a #3 starter in the big leagues, but gets there fast and holds that value for six years, what is that worth in the free agent market? $90 million? I'm okay with it, especially since the other two guys you mentioned have real risks of their own.
Jay
1:57
Do you buy Eric Thames as a "fantasy sleeper" this year? He seems to be a popular late-round guy, according to the fantasy gurus.
Keith Law
1:57
Late round, sure, I guess. I'm not particularly sanguine about him, but isn't there a point in your draft where he's worth the flier?
Jackson
1:57
Paul Dejong of the cards a potential regular or utility?
Keith Law
1:57
If he can really play short, regular. But maybe that makes him a 500 AB multi-position guy, too.
Scott
1:58
Thanks for motivating me to finally pick up my copy of Yiddish Policeman's Union that's been sitting on the shelf for a year. My question is about the volatility in velocity of young pitchers and how it is shaping baseball. As an elevator of talent, how do you know when the decrease in velocity with top prospects like Jon Gray, Lucas Giolito and Archie Bradley is permanent? When a team sells low like the Nats did on Giolito is it because they don't think it's coming back?
Keith Law
1:58
I think when teams sell low it's more that they have lost faith in their evaluations. They thought the player was X, now he looks like he's less than that - because his stuff is down, his body hasn't developed, his makeup is worse than they knew, or something else - so let's move him now before his value is totally gone.
Ben
1:59
I know you don't care much for the WBC, but did last night's game move the meter at all for you? (i.e., Stroman's dominance)
Keith Law
1:59
Nope. I was in bed around 11. I have a daughter in school, so I'm up at 7 am. I'm not staying up till 1 am to watch an exhibition game.
JJ
2:00
I don't mind if Tebow wants to play minor league ball. It doesn't bother me if the Mets want to play a non-prospect ahead of another no-chance guy on their single A team. But the media coverage, led by your employer, of this non-story drives me up a wall.
Keith Law
2:01
I agree with you, including ESPN's coverage of his spring. It was unwarranted. And, by the way, we don't know that he's blocking a no-chance guy yet, do we?
Alex
2:01
Do you think Luis Robert will be cleared for the current intl signing period? Who do you think gets him?
Keith Law
2:01
No idea. I don't even ask MLB about these guys until they're cleared.
Ben
2:01
I know it's early, but will you be at either the PG or UA games this summer?
Keith Law
2:01
UA for sure - maybe doing some kind of signing in Chicago? - PG unknown. Just a tough trip for me from the east coast for one day.
Another Michael
2:01
Would you vote for Gorsuch if you were a senator? Would you filibuster?
Keith Law
2:02
I would filibuster, in large part because he's not Merrick Garland.
Eric
2:02
Jose Peraza lost some prospect shine the past two years, but it looks like it's coming back. Do you think he'll be able to hold his own in the 1-2 spots of the Reds lineup?
Keith Law
2:02
I'd rather see him hit 8th. Has never shown any propensity to walk, and doesn't have the power to hit 2nd.
JJ
2:03
"Baseball Tonight" question. How does it work for the panelists on a nightly basis? Do you guys just sit in a room together with ten TVs airing all the games at once? Or are you assigned a couple of games to watch, and another panelists gets assigned another pair of games, etc.?
Keith Law
2:03
We're all in the clubhouse with a bunch of games on the TVs and we just kind of talk about whatever we see.
John
2:03
Good job of avoiding the point then and instead just being evasive and rude.
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