JotCast | Klawchat 4/19/18

Klawchat 4/19/18

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Jesse

1:50

Any rumors on who the mets might be on in the draft?

Keith Law

1:50

Today I would bet college bat.

Adam

1:50

Is there a chance that maybe, just maybe, the Padres are rushing Tatis Jr? His very slow start at AA seems to indicate that.

Keith Law

1:50

Or it's April 19th.

Jacob

1:51

Joey Bart seems to be raking in terms of avg and power. Does his hit tool make the 50-55 grade and could his ability to call games combined with his tools mean he could be a fast riser through the minors?

Keith Law

1:52

I don't think he has an average hit tool. He's the best catching prospect in the class by a mile, though, so he's going to go off the board pretty early, and I would guess he's a two years to the majors guy.

Skip Donahue

1:52

Which of the pitchers down at Delmarva is most likely to help Baltimore the soonest - Baumann, Lowther, Dietz, Hall, Bishop, Hanifee?

Keith Law

1:52

Baumann might be the closest, but none of those guys is close.

Eric

1:52

Have you heard much about Jeren Kendall this year? Does he have an improved swing?

Keith Law

1:53

I've heard nothing good about him this year, and he's struck out in 43% of his PA, so there you go.

Ryan

1:53

Which of the big Vanderbilt commits do you think have a decent (>30 percent) chance of coming to campus?

Keith Law

1:53

Austin Becker seems most likely. I don't know what Hankins' actual injury is at this point, but I could see him choosing Vandy over taking a fraction of the bonus he might have expected with a healthy spring.

Sriram

1:54

Obviously the Red Sox aren't going to keep this pace up or this level of run prevention going. But it's not unreasonable to think this version of Betts and Devers can't hold up to some degree, no?

Keith Law

1:54

I agree. Also seemed like Bogaerts was making hard contact again now that his hand is healed.

Alex

1:55

just a heads up - Bottega Americano in your San Diego eating guide closed

Keith Law

1:55

That's a shame. Looks like it just closed two months ago.

1:55

To an untrained amateur (me), Brendon Little appears to have similar tools to Jose Quintana. Where am I wrong, and how wrong am I? Thanks Keith!

Keith Law

1:55

I don't see that at all.

Slick Rick Hahn

1:56

Thanks for the memories Courtney Hawkins. With his official release, what do you think of the Sox basically doing a 180 on draft strategy since drafting him, targeting colllege performers with good bat to ball and plate discipline? I know people liked Hawkins at the time, are they limiting themselves too much by avoiding toolsy high schoolers?

Keith Law

1:56

He is the best example I can think of in the last decade of a team screwing up a player's development with a too-aggressive promotion. He was a raw HS hitter whom they sent to high-A in his first full pro year, at age 19. The disaster never ended.

Jacob

1:56

What is the issues going on with Nander De Sedas? Is he looking like a 2nd or 3rd rounder now?

Keith Law

1:56

Hasn't hit. Second round perhaps on name value.

Todd

1:57

Brad Hand to the Indians for Shane Bieber, Nolan Jones and Wil Benson. Who says no?

Keith Law

1:57

Padres fan, eh?

Matty

1:57

What do you think a good season would look like for Braxton Garrett?

Keith Law

1:57

Get him healthy with his old velocity back. Don't worry about results until next year.

JSC

1:57

Favorite Caribbean Island to vacation to?

Keith Law

1:58

My sample size is small, but Aruba couldn't have been any nicer or easier.

Jacob

1:58

Jose Suarez looked fairly decent in his AA debut at age 20. Does his uptick in velo give him the tools to be a top 100 guy this year?

Keith Law

1:59

Uptick? Don't think that's the case. I saw him in March and was bullish on him thanks to the deception & plus changeup. http://klaw.me/2DuVtgR

Matt

1:59

Which is closer to reality -- Cora has changed team culture pushing all the right buttons OR Farrell was a drag on the clubhouse morale to the detriment of team performance(though they did win 93 games).

Keith Law

1:59

Or it's 17 games and they're largely healthy.

Paul

2:00

I believe you said you saw Brandon Nimmo as a 4th outfielder. Is his strong start (and strong finish last year) enough of a sample to indicate there might be something more there?

Keith Law

2:00

He has 27 PA this year, all but one against RHP. If he can't hit lefties, which has been true in the past, he's not a regular.

Brian

2:00

When was the last time we saw a rotation as good as the Astros this season?

Keith Law

2:01

The Nats have rolled Scherzer/Strasburg out there for several years, with assorted pretty good pitchers behind them.

Jeff

2:02

Does Heimlich get drafted this year? Seems like he’s not pitching as well now which may give teams an easy out.

Keith Law

2:02

I asked around about him, if scouts/execs thought someone would do it, and most people said "yes." (not that THEY would take him, but that some team would.) I still think no - no one will want that PR backlash.

Nick

2:02

When will you be doing your first mock draft?

Keith Law

2:02

3-4 weeks before the draft itself.

Connecting…

Bill G

2:36

Hi Keith. You passed along the article in the Athletic regarding Manfred's position on minor league pay. For those of us who do not subscribe to the Athletic, can you give us a synopsis of his position? I get the economics, I do not get the morality of the position.

Charley

2:42

If the entire MLB were forced to play out a Lord of the Flies situation (yes, I know, many flies), who would end up being Ralph? Piggy?

Tony

2:51

Hey Keith,

Brian J

2:53

Big 2, or SSS?

JeremyK

2:58

Hey Keith, Are there any real MLB prospects at Indiana U? Proud of my alma mater developing a solid baseball program.

Jason

2:59

I know it is early but has there been any player in the minors or majors early on that has really impressed you? Has anyone mentioned to you about anyone that has really stood out?

Fuzzy Dunlop

3:37

Who is the most likable player in the league right now and why is it Ozzie Albies?

Ricardo

3:43

Can Girardi help this young Reds team?

Ricardo

3:44

Any thoughts on teams keeping players in the minors to limit service time? Nick Senzel could help this struggling Reds team right?

Jim

3:44

Thanks for the draft rankings. If my count is correct 2 of the top 4 high school bats are from the Midwest. How rare is that and does it represent a weak draft class for prep bats?

4:01

Have you heard of Berrios doing anything differently this year?

Dave

4:05

Hi Keith,

4:06

With pace of play in mind, what's the chances that MLB ends up restricting the number of bullpen guys a team can have active? Really low? Any more likely that MLB makes rule on number of pitching changes allowed?

Andrew

4:11

Thoughts on Reggie Lawson's hot start in the CAL? What kind of ceiling does he have if everything clicks? I remember he was highly regarded in HS before getting hurt.

Andrew

4:12

I guess Luis Urias is human? I never thought I would see the day where he's hitting below .300 at any level

Brian

4:13

Keith, while I realize he has consistently been ranked in numerous top 100 lists, does Leody Taveras project to be an impact player or just a regular guy?

Bored Lawyer, Esq.

4:13

Was talking about this with a scout friend: is it possible to command super plus stuff (98-101 FB, high 80s offspeed)? Who would you say has elite command of top end stuff? Related question: is there a point at which control is enough and command doesn’t matter (Alroldis, Thor)?

Brian

4:13

Keith,

Brian

4:14

Keith, I am headed to Flagstaff and Sedona next week. Any restaurant recommendations?

Nelson

4:17

Do you bone, or do you debone a chicken/fish etc.

Rob

4:19

Has Berrios shown you anything different in his starts this year that backs up his relative dominance early on?

Rob

4:21

Safe to say you are on the Dozier side of buntgate?

Chris

4:23

How would you proceed with Mets rotation when Vargas is deemed ready? I'd take two of Matz, Harvey or Wheeler and have them swing start (4-5 IP) every fifth day. None of the three are ever able to keep pitch counts down so swing em!

Chris

4:26

I'm firmly in the play Nido every day camp. Nice glove, miiiiight hit a little, but why not give the guy a chance to win the job? Lobaton is a known backup.

Dana

4:27

I don't know if you heard, but Giancarlo Stanton is bad now, actually.

Claude Robichaux

4:29

Who is Ezequiel Duran and should I even care?

Bucs666

4:32

Mr. Law, how signable is Kumar Rocker? With

JIMBO

4:34

Keith - thanks for doing these chats. A question that has occurred to me every off season that I would like your take on: Don't high profile agents have (potential) conflicts of interest when they are representing different players? For instance, teams may only need one starting pitcher - or, regardless of positional need, has limited budgets. I understand players have a right to their own choice of representation - but how does the industry avoid such conflicts? Do they? Or am I overstating the (non) problem?

Chris

4:38

Are the Mets smoke and mirrors? Agreed (before you even say anything), they are not 76% winning percentage good but are they first place in the NL East good?

Chris

4:44

Hi Keith, Sam Hentges in CLE system looks to be having a bounceback year in HiA. Is he a potential breakout guy if he stays healthy?

Andy

4:52

A far more interesting (and less brain hurty) question, Betts or Harper? While Harper undoubtedly has higher upside, Betts is a better fielder and seems like he can stay healthy better.

Archie

4:52

Do you think Mac Williamson's remade swing makes him a viable big leaguer? If so, what do the Giants have to lose by giving him the at bats they are throwing away on Pence?

Tyler Y.

4:54

Any reason to suspect Matt Chapman's good start (lower K rate, higher walk rate) is the result of an adjustment/something sustainable? Or just SSS?

Scott

4:56

Why in the world would Assad use chemical weapons when he's so close to victory? Why would he give his enemies the perfect excuse to go in and drop bombs? Or are we supposed to believe he's just a "butcher" who doesn't operate logically and truly enjoys mass murder? It blows my mind people can believe such obvious regime change propaganda.

Marti

4:57

Why did Leonard Pozner drop his SLAPP suit against former State Trooper, Vice Principal, and School Safety Expert Wolfgang Halbig? This was his chance to expose this crazy conspiracy theorist! I know you'll probably go with an easy cop out about Pozner having to relive a tragedy and whatnot, but why even file the suit then? Seems rather fishy...

Mike F

4:58

Thoughts on Chris Stratton? SSS or a real chance to break out? Thanks for the chats and columns!

Tina

4:59

Hey Keith. Who've been some of the friendliest MLB players you've interacted with over the years? Least friendly?

Brett

4:59

Eloy Jimenez seems to have minor injuries at a decent clip. So far this year, he has had knee and pectoral issues. Last year, he had shoulder issues. At what point do you start worrying about durability with some players?

Jones

4:59

God, Matheny is the worst. I know he hasn't had a head coaching position since the Penn League, but what do I have to do to get Oquendo in there?

Tyler Y.

5:00

Any chance Jed Lowrie will have any value at the trade deadline or before? Seems like the A's have been trying to trade him for over a year.

Shuck Bowalter

5:01

ETA on a Gleyber promotion?

Brad

5:02

Apparently, Mookie Betts is the best player in baseball.

A big dumb idiot

5:02

While not likely it's certainly possible that Vlad and Bo are the top 2 prospects in baseball going into next season. Is there any precedence for one team having the top 2?

Jeremy

5:02

Jose Suarez has 27 K in 12 IP, 9 of those in his 3.2 IP debut at Double-A last night. Can he overcome his frame and turn into something useful?

5:02

Chris Stratton looked alright last night before Bochy left him in two batters too many. Can he be a solid rotation piece going forward?

Guest

5:02

If you were the Mets, would you trade for Realmuto this season. And if yes who would you give up

Lilith

5:03

What teams have been focusing more on Kelenic than others?

Jonathan

5:03

What's the value of Acuna being at AAA for the next few weeks to "small sample size" get hot? Wouldn't those at bats be just as valuable or more against MLB pitching?

Scott

5:03

Who is a better draft prospect: Bohm this year or Senzel when he was drafted?

Scott P.

5:03

Is it wrong to say Khalil Lee is 80% of Estevan Florial?

Kevin

5:03

What '80' tools are available in this year's draft?

Marissa

5:03

Who would you trade for Realmuto (if you would) if you were the Mets?

Greg

5:03

Better prospect in the Nationals system: Soto or Robles?

Andy

5:03

Joey Votto is tied with Eugenio Suarez for walks and has as many extra base hits as Luis Castillo. The 13 (?!) pitchers currently on the roster have a 4.34 ERA. It's mid April. What exactly were the Reds looking for? They weren't competing for the playoffs anyway.

John

5:03

Is Tyler O'Neill a regular in the longrun or just a 4th OF with power?

Jake

5:03

Thoughts on Shane Bieber?

Trudy

5:03

Do you think Mac williamson has the potential to be a 3 win player? His stints in the bigs have been underwhelming but he allegedly changed his swing and is now crushing AAA.

Jay

5:03

Thoughts on the Braves hot start? Are they a sustainable .500 team?

Terminator

5:03

In a recent Fangraphs article, a writer claimed that Jen Ramos had done research that shows that women should be playing professional baseball. They have yet to release that research but do you think it's possible that her research could be true? Thanks Keith.

Dave

5:03

How do you evaluate Jarred Kelenic for this years draft? Just go on what you saw from mostly last summer?

Shuck Bowalter

5:04

Do you think it's stupid that the Rays have their top talent in the upper minors, yet continue to play guys like Rob Refsnyder and Brandon Snyder?

Kwame

5:04

Mets just brought up Gerson Bautista, is he more than just a hard thrower?

Tim

5:04

The usual small sample size applies, but anything to be excited about with Daulton Varsho?

Brad

5:04

Who has the higher ceiling in the Brewers farm: Peralta or Burnes?

Derek

5:04

Who is the best historical comp for Heyward's regression? It's hard to find a decline like this in prime years with no known injury.

Joey

5:04

Keith can nimmo be a future all star? Seems to be at least average in every category. Great eye, speed, obp ... Him and conforto should be staple for mets going forward right ?

5:04

How do you feel about Ethan Hankins after this spring?

Mike (CT)

5:04

Admitted Mets homer here so trying to see the type of package to get Realmuto. Would Alonso, Nimmo and Kay be enough?

Scott

5:04

Stratton has been pretty good so far. Do you see him as a #3 starter going forward, or more of a back of the rotation type?

Jacob

5:05

Outside of Madrigal and Bohm, what infielder in the draft has the highest offensive floor and highest offensive ceiling?

Cash

5:05

What #s do you see for Miguel Andujar this year? Cheers

joe

5:05

Does bat size and dimensions matter at all when evaluating a player? For example, would a player who is using an undersized bat seem to have better bat speed? Could a bat that is too heavy lead to a longer swing? Bat dimensions don't seem to be covered much so maybe it doesn't really matter?

Mike

5:05

Which Cubs prospect or prospect(s) are you most excited to see this year? (Either in person or how they perform from a far).

Adam

5:05

AJ Preller’s done a great job of rebuilding the Padres farm system, but has he been competent enough constructing his major league rosters during the last few years for Padres fans to have faith in his leadership next time the team has a chance to be successful?

Jesse

5:05

Is the mets best plan to hold tight for plawecki to return? Give up a big haul for realmuto get a good to fringe catcher?

Soxtober2020

5:05

Winston-Salem seems to have a pretty stacked outfield, and they don't even have Robert yet. How many of these guys do you think turn into solid or better mlb players?

Adam

5:05

At what point is it decided that a player is a platoon-only fit? Should a guy like Hunter Renfroe, who is 26, still be given time to figure things out or is this pretty much who he is?

Chase

5:06

Hey Keith, given the Yankees injuries in the infield to Brandon Drury and general ineffectiveness of Tyler Wade and Miguel Andujar, how soon is until you think that we see Glyber Torres in New York?

Dave

5:06

Reds fired Price today, and have said they will search for non-interim replacement later this year. Girardi, Larkin, Farrell all rumored on short list. With Reds hoping to contend with youth next year, which of those three fits best?

Pete

5:06

Do you think Tyler Beede's stuff could play up in relief? I still want to believe in him, but that control is maddening.

Adam

5:06

Is Austin Hedges so valuable defensively that he can remain a starter even if the bat never comes around?

David

5:06

If the Mets were willing to eat most of Wilson Ramos contract, could they acquire him for a Gavin Cecchini-level prospect?

Justin

5:06

Who should the Pirates target at #10?

Adam

5:06

How do teams run by Alex Anthopolis draft compared to what the Braves have done before his arrival? Should we expect to see a philosophical change between the two?

Josh

5:06

Ceiling on Peter Alsonso?

Slick Rick Hahn

5:06

IF the Sox really wanted to get Alek Thomas to them in round 2 (obvious connection there) and decided to go underslot at 4, any idea on a target? Burger was a bit underslot last year but would imagine it would need to be more severe this time around. Thanks!

Chris

5:06

Im not concerned on Amed Rosario, but more curious on your thoughts on what he needs to work on outside of plate discipline?

Jeb

5:06

What are some names that Pirate fans should be ecstatic with at #10 if they are picked?

Tim

5:06

Who are a couple of the currently in Ext Spring players that you are most looking forward to in Short Season ball?

Margot

5:06

Is Jon Lester a HOFer for you?

Adam

5:07

What is the most interesting trade idea you’ve heard about that fell through at the last minute?

5:07

Is this Gerrit Cole sustainable for an entire season?

Steve

5:07

For lottery ticket guys like Jorge Ona, what would a good season look like for him?

Vin

5:07

Do you buy the swing changes that Mac Williamson has made?

Kevin

5:07

What is Mitch Keller's upside? Could he be another Jameson Taillon?

Adam

5:07

Now that Chief Wahoo is gone, can we shift our attention back to the Braves and start asking questions about the appropriateness of the Padres nickname as well?

Jason

5:07

The Tigers are . . . fun to watch?

Dr. Bob

5:07

Cinci firing Price reminds me of a line from Ball Four. Bouton was ruminating on who should take the fall for the woeful Pilots. He concluded, "Can the manager fire the general manager? No."

Chase

5:07

Keith, just finished your book and loved it, especially the section on the Baseball Hall of Fame. Who do you think is the most deserving player that will get shut out of Cooperstown in the coming years?

Chris

5:07

On a scale of 'Matt Adams in LF' to 'raging tire pyre', how bad is the Braves' idea to sign Bautista to play 3B?

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