JotCast | Klawchat 4/22/21

Klawchat 4/22/21

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Kevin C

2:09

Tatis's slow start, not just at the plate but in the field is concerning. How much should be attributed to the shoulder injury?

Keith Law

2:09

I'm assuming all of it is.

Mike

2:09

Point me to some Asheville eats please

Keith Law

2:09

Never been. Isn't that sad?

Guest

2:10

Will the Pirates draft another “number three” pitcher 1-1?

Keith Law

2:10

I have had that worry with Leiter ... he's a better prospect than Bullington was, but if he's not a future ace, will Pirates fans just put them in the same category?

Chris

2:10

George kirby is touching 101 now? I know all the reasons to not get excited, but have you heard/seen anything that makes his outlook change?

Keith Law

2:11

I heard that from Eric Longenhagen - I assume he wrote it, too - and if Kirby's throwing that hard, yes, it changes his outlook, because his fastball played below its velocity in college. At, say, 96-101, though, "playing down" might still be okay.

Tim

2:11

Does Nick Madrigal have value even without the ability to hit for extra bases?

Keith Law

2:11

Yes, absolutely - I've never said he had no value. He just has no ceiling.

Danial W

2:12

Glad you got to try Al Carbon while you were in town. Next time there are a couple pizzas up your alley, Lampo near downtown and surprisingly from Vivace near the stadium. Have you had a chance to notice any significant changes from any major leaguers in this short season?

Keith Law

2:12

Lampo had a 140 minute wait for take-out that night. I didn't have that kind of time. I've mentioned a few of those changes above, like Vlad Jr.'s swing change, and I don't suppose it's any news to talk about Corbin Burnes' cutter (and he was already an ace in my mind).

David H

2:13

Thanks as always for doing these chats, Keith. Long-time reader, first-time poster. Wednesday was the 5th anniversary of Prince's death, so I went through your archives to find your ranking of his top songs. I also read the LA Times list that ranked his 85 singles. The Times' No. 1, "If I Was Your Girlfriend," didn't make your list, so I was just curious, given your status as a Prince fan, why that was?

Keith Law

2:13

What a weird choice. It's not a very interesting or catchy song.

Matt

2:13

During weak draft classes, why don’t we see more teams punt to the next year? If you’re 7th in a weak draft year, aren’t you better off not getting a deal done and picking 8th if the next year is stronger?

Keith Law

2:13

No, you're definitely not. For one thing, you don't know if the next draft is stronger. For another, you could lose your job before then, maybe for fucking up the draft, and then someone else gets that pick.

wickethewok

2:13

Would a season-long Buxton break out be the most gratifying case for you of a player fulfilling your projected potential (short of Rickie Weeks coming out of retirement)?

Keith Law

2:14

Yes, because good Byron Buxton is extremely good for baseball. The man is a walking highlight machine.

Jason

2:14

Hi Keith, do you ever listen to audiobooks? I know you prefer dead trees, but audiobooks have really allowed me to get back to consuming books again

Keith Law

2:14

I do, but only certain genres, because I don't have the same level of concentration and often miss stuff. It's hard to do that with a novel and fully appreciate the work.

John

2:14

Bobby Witt Jr. over/under July 1?

Keith Law

2:14

After.

Dallas

2:15

Corbin Burnes went 4th round out of college. What was the report coming out of college and how much of this is talent vs. "pitch building" especially with the unreal spin rates on all of his pitches? My real question is how much of this is "pitch building"/adding spin?

Keith Law

2:17

Looks like I had him 46th overall on my Big Board that year. He faded somewhat toward the end of that spring for St. Mary's, and I guess it really scared teams off; at the start of the year he looked like he might get into the late first round. Of course, his stuff is substantially better now than it was then.

Mike

2:17

What are your thoughts on the experiment of moving the mound back a foot?

Keith Law

2:18

I think it's going to get a lot of pitchers hurt. MLB is incredible at failing to foresee the consequences of its actions.

Richard

2:18

Were you ever a baseball card collector?
Thoughts on the new Topps NFTs or NFTs in general?

Keith Law

2:18

As a kid yes. I would buy NFTs but I don't want to sell off my South Seas stock.

Todd

2:18

Hi Keith - How did you rate Matt Olson as a prospect? What did you hit/miss about how he has turned out?

Keith Law

2:19

Made my top 100 once, then not the next year, then he was in the majors. This fluke start aside, he's hit for some more average than I expected.

Rob

2:19

I enjoyed the Henry Davis article - I realize it's too early for a mock draft, but any indication that teams' thinking is evolving to have him as a top five and maybe 1-1 guy?

Keith Law

2:21

I ran that idea by a bunch of people before writing it, and nobody said it was crazy or just wrong. Most folks agreed that Davis should be in the top tier - I didn't really go further than that - with the Vandy boys and Lawlar.

Food Fan

2:21

Hey, thanks for the chat! Cooking question. I have never used sherry vinegar but find myself with some recipes I want to try where I need it. I can’t find it easily without long drives to places I don’t usually go, something I just don’t want to do during a pandemic. Therefore, I will buy online. The options are overwhelming and I’m not sure which to select or how much to spend. Any specific recommendations?

Keith Law

2:21

I usually buy it at Whole Foods when one is on sale - any brand - because it is expensive. Jose Andres has one that's good and often is $2-3 off at my store.

Mike

2:22

At what point does marijuana get federally legalized? And with that can we get the records of those locked up because of it exspunged?

Keith Law

2:22

I think that happens under this Administration. More than half of the population lives in states where it's at least decriminalized. And it is such a waste of time and money to treat its possession or use as a crime. I'm in favor of the latter part as well.

Rick

2:22

You need to relax and stop trying to do the right thing.

Keith Law

2:22

Well that's the worst advice I've ever gotten.

Jason

2:23

You mentioned weird defensive decisions - remember when the Phillies played Kingery at SS and Crawford at 3B for a while? Did that make any sense?

Keith Law

2:23

No, but lo and behold, Crawford improved when he went to Seattle and played shortstop full time.