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Klawchat 4/11/19
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Keith Law
1:00
Freeze this moment a little bit longer. It's Klawchat.
addoeh
1:00
Yes, it's April 11, but the Cubs bullpen might just be dumpster_fire.gif
Keith Law
1:01
And they really didn't do enough to address it this winter. I'm not necessarily on the 'sign Kimbrel' train - I've said before I have concerns that he's on the downswing after 2018 - but he'd be a big upgrade over literally every reliever they have.
addoeh
1:02
How much is Chris Davis's roster status and playing time an ownership directive, rather than a front office or managerial decision?
Keith Law
1:02
I don't know the answer to that. I would guess his playing time will decline if/when they choose to bring other position players up or grab someone off waivers to whom they want to give a trial.
alex
1:02
I know it's easy to make fun of Chris Davis on twitter-- but there have been some articles which discusses that he has become depressed-- maybe not in a clinical sense (since  there is, as far as I know, he has seen a psychologist for depression)-- does that make you reconsider some of the things you have tweeted?   As an Os fan, I'd like to see him retire/release/buy out, but I don't want him to decide to end things the way Mike Flanagan did.
Keith Law
1:04
I have tweeted very little about him, so no. I don't want to appear to be exulting in his struggles. I tweeted once about the time I argued that Jim Bowden was bonkers for suggesting the Orioles should give Davis at least a six-year deal, and made one joke specifically about Davis' stat line yesterday. Anything more would start to feel like I was attacking the person rather the contract or the production.
Kyle KS
1:04
Do you roll the dice with Jose Martinez in RFif your the Cardinals at this point?  When does the better defense (although not good defense) of Fowler stop outweighing the fact that he hits with a pool noodle?
Keith Law
1:04
I'd like to give Fowler more time; it doesn't seem like he's hitting with a pool noodle, as you say, as he has some hard-hit balls already this year.
Swagboy
1:04
Does Zach Eflin have any realistic chance at becoming a reliable starter for a Phillies team trying to contend? Would his (realistic) best case scenario be a #4, or could he surpass that? I'd be thrilled if he had 3-3.5 win potential this year.
Keith Law
1:05
I think he could be better than a #4, yes.
Bob
1:05
You tweeted about Daniel Lynch's velocity in his most recent start. I saw his first start and it seemed like there was a lot of contact on his secondaries and he would resort to the big fastball to get out of trouble. Do you think he can develop a 2nd (and 3rd!) pitch that can be a swing and miss weapon as he moves up?
Keith Law
1:05
That's not at all what happened in his second start, though. His changeup was above/plus and his slider was sometimes above.
Bob
1:05
Hans Crouse is off to a great start. Any idea if there's been improvement on broadening his repertoire or just blowing hitters away with a limited more reliever-ish arsenal. If the latter, what's a better approach - forcing him to throw secondary pitchers at that level or pushing him up until better hitters force him to adjust?
Keith Law
1:05
I've heard it's more of the same. Not that that's bad, but I agree eventually he'll have to adjust.
gavin
1:06
are the Padres for real?
Keith Law
1:06
They are absolutely a real major league team, which I imagine comes as a surprise to a large portion of MLB's fan base. They're also probably good enough to push past .500 this year if they stay healthy.
Josh C
1:06
Fangraphs wrote up Astros prospect Abraham Toro as being "divisive" within the industry. What are your thoughts on him? Regular, bench player, not even a guy?
Keith Law
1:07
Bench player. I'd have to know what Eric/Kiley meant by divisive to say more, although I trust them if they said that.
Keith
1:07
How many PAs typically indicate a stabilized view on K%s and BB%s? Any indication that Moncada has changed his approach in a meaningful way to reduce his K% and increase contact?
Keith Law
1:08
There isn't a clear number for that. I know everyone wants a fixed answer, but that's not how any statistical distribution works - your confidence that the number is 'real' will increase with sample size. I'd be surprised if this Moncada start was sustainable.
Mac
1:08
If Rutschman and Vaughn go 1-1 and 1-2 have any college hitters moved into the 1-3 discussion or would the White Sox be choosing between Witt Jr. and Abrams?
Keith Law
1:08
Witt Jr, Abrams, Greene, and possibly Bleday (there's your college hitter) would be the top 6. Lodolo is the only pitcher I can think of who might go top ten, although that's a reach for me.
Matt
1:09
Is this the Maikel Franco we've been waiting for?!
Keith Law
1:09
No, more a function of hitting 8th.
Rangers
1:09
What do you think of our new HR celebration? Inappropriate, wtf, or don't care?
Keith Law
1:09
Don't care. Celebrate all you want. Have fun.
KillMonger
1:11
Fried & Swanson -- too early to predict whether either can sustain their success this year?
Keith Law
1:11
Too early, yes, but optimistic on both.
Santos
1:11
If Kuechel's demands have actually come down, should the Phillies be seriously considering him? Rotation looks thin and/or volatile.
Keith Law
1:12
If I were a GM looking for pitching - Klentak qualifies - I'd be more comfortable "overpaying" for short-term production from Keuchel than Kimbrel. One, I think Keuchel is just better period. Two, I feel better about paying a starter than a reliever.
Tony Stromboli
1:12
Logan Gilbert is maintaining the velocity he showed end of last year that raised some eyebrows -- at least, through 2 starts. Do you have any general thoughts about him you'd like to share?
Keith Law
1:13
I heard 93-95 from a scout who just saw him. He pitched through some minor injuries last spring that probably explained the drop from 92-95 on the Cape in 2017 to 88-92 last summer. I still ranked him as a mid-first rounder even with that velocity because I thought the command and breaking ball made him a potential league-average starter anyway.
Hank
1:13
During the off-season you praised the Jays for their hire if Charlie Montoyo. How do you feel about the hiring now that he's come out saying he likes bunting?
Keith Law
1:13
I can still like a manager overall even if he is really stupid about one thing (and, come on, Chuck, stop fucking bunting so much).
Salzer
1:13
Do you continue to try Alex Reyes as a starter? He just seems too good to put in the bullpen.
Keith Law
1:13
Zero track record staying healthy as a starter. Not saying you don't try it, but at some point the body is telling you something.
Aaron (Houston)
1:13
KLAW, thanks for the chat. I have several relatives (parents and kids) who swear their kid (or themselves) can make it to the next level in baseball. With the chances being so small (to make it to the next level), is it not better to skip out on that dream, than try, only to fail, and possibly have no back up plan?
Keith Law
1:14
Why not make a backup plan? Not much of a life if you never try anything for fear of failure.
Grover
1:14
In the position the Giants are in should they consider trading Buster Posey?
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