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Klawchat 5/21/20
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Frank
1:21
Is Zac Veen a similar caliber prospect compared to last year's top HS prospect, Riley Greene? Does he have more upside due to his power potential?
Keith Law
1:21
I like Veen's overall package of athleticism and projection better, but Greene was a better hitter at the same age.
Cashliam
1:22
Have you seen the Spiel Des Jahres nominees ? How many have you played?
Keith Law
1:23
For those who haven't seen, the nominees for the Spiel des Jahres are My City, Nova Luna, and Pictures; while the nominees for the Kennerspiel des Jahres (connoisseur's game of the year) are Cartographers, The Crew, and King's Dilemma. I have The Crew but haven't played it yet, and I haven't played any of the others; I can tell you I have zero interest in Pictures, which isn't my type of game at all.
Mike
1:24
A five round draft favours big market teams and those who recruit better doesn’t it?  Other than cost reduction why would some of the teams want to do this??
Keith Law
1:24
Does it? I don't agree that it favors big market teams at all.
Howey
1:24
Seems like college pitchers are taking up more of the mid/late first round talk than most years. Is this due to the ease of scouting with limited data, a lack of chance for high school position player breakouts, or just how the talent spread in general?
Keith Law
1:24
This is an especially good college pitching year anyway, and the circumstances surrounding this year's draft are pushing teams to go conservative anyway.
Guest
1:24
Congratulations on the NYT recommendation! Hard work pays off👍🏻
Keith Law
1:25
Thank you! I'm really thrilled that the response to The Inside Game has been so positive. I wanted this book to reach more than baseball fans, and I wouldn't be able to do that without help from folks outside of our little bubble.
Doug
1:25
Should teams put all their top prospects (CJ Abrams for example) on their taxi squads no matter their proximity to the MLB just so they have some semblance of professional instruction?
Keith Law
1:25
I think so. I would, at least.
Cavan Biggio
1:25
In my debut last year, I had a wOBA of 403 vs fastballs, 265 vs breaking, and 211 vs changeups.  Are these splits fixable or perhaps a flaw in my approach/swing right now?
Keith Law
1:26
Also, IIRC, that wOBA on fastballs fell apart with higher velocity - wasn't Biggio awful on above-average or better FB? There's nothing fixable here; he wasn't a prospect before last season and a hot September doesn't change that.
Punk in Drublic
1:26
The 50 50 revenue split is such an awful deal for the players for so many reasons (already negotiated, they don't get more when owners have a great revenue year, and teams that own their cable networks pay their own team below market rates to funnel profits to the cable network).  Why won't anyone come out in newspapers, ESPN, etc and say so?  All we hear are blowhards saying players must take whatever they get told to accept.  Basically being the owners PR team.
Keith Law
1:27
I mean, that's the entire history of the baseball media, right? It's the #1 argument I see for the union pushing to allow more media access to players, when they typically want less. That's your direct line to get your side of the story to journalists. Otherwise, we in the media hear far more from the management side of things.
JG
1:28
I'm a minority in my mid-50s.  Even though I've lived my entire life in Texas, I have never been the victim of an act of overt racism.  I sincerely thought the country had turned an important page when Obama was elected.  12 years later it feels almost hopeless.  These Trumpers aren't going anywhere.  You can almost feel the anger that's going to be unleashed if he loses.
Keith Law
1:28
If there's any glimmer of hope, it's that the population of the U.S. has been getting more diverse over time, and will continue to do so.
Bob
1:28
Keith: regarding trump, he is exhausting. But I feel like I need to read his twitter feed, listen to rallies/briefings to get the full context unedited.  Newest example is "per capita" bull shit from yesterday.  Do you still listen read his nonsense or are you too the point - the evidence is there - I don't need to read or hear from him anymore.  Cake looked great by the way - Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Keith Law
1:29
I have never followed his accounts, since I get enough of him secondhand through other media people I follow.
Eh! Steve!
1:29
I'm depressed that we've managed to turn a pandemic into yet another culture war.  Is there any hope for stopping the polarization of everything?
Keith Law
1:29
Nope.
There is profit in polarization, and that will keep it around forever.
Joe
1:29
If minor league contraction happens will teams have the option to have short season teams outside of the complex leagues? Any word on the cap for number of complex teams?
Keith Law
1:29
My understanding was no, but I hope that changes.
Why shouldn't some teams have the option to keep operating short-season clubs?
Trevor
1:30
KLaw, enjoyed your 2010 redraft article and personally root for late rounds picks like Eaton and Dickerson. I’m not disputing Simmons at 1.1, but I don’t think the GMs would redraft him 1.1 considering they themselves have locked up the next 5 guys on your list for a combined $1.1B
Keith Law
1:30
Unfair comparison, since Simmons signed a seven year extension as a 1+ player.
Tom
1:30
Do you think Austin Wells is a first round talent?
Keith Law
1:31
I do not. Second round, for sure.
Joe
1:31
Any sci-fi/fantasy book recommendations? I just read Left Hand of Darkness and really enjoyed it. Farenheight 451 is already on my list.
Keith Law
1:31
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. The Dispossessed. Among Others. The Fifth Season. An Unkindness of Ghosts. American Gods. To Say Nothing of the Dog.
W.E.B. DuBois
1:31
Gut feeling: do we get a 2020 season?
Keith Law
1:32
Yes, my gut feeling is they force one through.
Trevor
1:32
O/U: The 2010 draft class produces 0.5 HOFers?
Keith Law
1:32
Over.
Larry
1:32
Do you have any feel for how the UDFA portion could go? Will it just be mostly seniors and that's it? Also, how do you anticipate players deciding where to sign? If 20k is the max they can get anywhere, would they just sign with the team they root for? I'd think that could benefit teams like Atlanta with a large, talented region where most of their fans live.
Keith Law
1:33
Senior signs and not much more, I think. I would at least advise such players to consider whether the teams trying to sign them offer them credible paths to the majors. A decent shortstop prospect might not want to sign with the Rays or Padres, given who else they have.
Mike
1:33
I'd nearly forgotten the Chad Jenkins/Deck McGuire fiascos...add in Jeff Hoffman, Jon Harris etc and the Jays record on college arms is pretty bad...isn't that odd for "safer" type picks?
Keith Law
1:34
Yes, their process - whatever it was - didn't seem to identify the right college pitchers, in hindsight. Jenkins is the only one who seemed like a huge reach at the time. I do think Hoffman would have fared worse today because his fastball plays down so much, but at the time it was just "tremendous athlete with big velocity."
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