JotCast | Klawchat, 7/13/17.

Klawchat, 7/13/17.

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Keith Law

1:35

I know Hahn said it was the best offer they'd gotten on Quintana. I don't have any information to the contrary - I've said before that the rumored Astros offer was bogus.

Marcus

1:36

Holy crap, the White Sox will be amazing in 2020

Keith Law

1:36

It sure as heck looks like it.

Theo

1:36

Am I going to regret letting go of Eloy?

Keith Law

1:36

I think Eloy is going to be a star. Whether you regret it depends on what Q does for you in the next three years.

Darren

1:37

Who was the toughest omission? the number 51 guy you couldn't fit on the list but wanted to?

Keith Law

1:38

There wasn't just one guy, but others I considered at least: Morejon, Conner Greene, Ronald Guzman, Kevin Maitan (just too little info), Sheffield, Fernando Romero, Sixto, Alzolay.

Evan

1:38

I was a bit surprised to see Yordan Alvarez in your top 50 as you tend to be generally averse to 1B-only prospects. Is this a reflection of how monstrous his bat could be, or do you buy into reports stating the Astros believe he could play LF?

Keith Law

1:38

Dude can hit.

KPB

1:38

What do you like about Logan Warmouth that makes you rank him higher than others ?

Keith Law

1:39

Again, don't know or care where "others" rank him. I like his swing, his defense at short, and his makeup.

Dave53

1:39

The last fourteen outs recorded by Dillon Maples for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies have all been by strikeout. (Three hits, Three walks, and no runs over the five outings.) Can Maples contribute at the MLB level this year?

Keith Law

1:39

Heard he's been up to 99 with a +++ slider. His K% in AA is 45% (27/60). Yeah, I think he can. They should nickname him "the Revenant" because his prospect status was deader than dead.

Darren

1:40

Have you read the reports on the recent differences in the making of MLB baseballs? How do changes get made to the specific size and make up of an MLB baseball and not get reported? This is critical information that should be made public, but yet it takes investigative reporting to discover. IMHO it seems like MLB management is trying to sneak moreoffense into the game artificially without telling the fans? Would like to hear your thoughts.

Keith Law

1:40

As Rob Arthur wrote in that great 538 piece I keep citing, the specifications for regulation baseballs are flexible enough that the ball can differ in tangible ways and still be considered okay.

addoeh

1:40

What time will you be on Waddle and Silvy this afternoon to talk about Quintana for Jimenez/Cease?

Keith Law

1:40

Good guess. 4:30 CT.

Norman

1:40

How far has Corey Ray fallen in your eyes, and with the good news on his arm and the incredible start to his pro career (albeit in rookie league) was Keston Hiura anywhere close to your top 50?

Keith Law

1:41

Ray is well out of the top 50, and Hiura was not close. He doesn't really have a position right now.

1:41

Do off the field issues involving a prospect's family members impact his draft status or standing with an organization?

Keith Law

1:43

It may have hurt Groome in the draft last year; there were a lot of rumors about bad makeup, and I think most folks knew there was at least one family member involved with drugs, but I don't know how much that drove Groome down to pick 12 - or if it was just general concern about a HS pitcher. I know a lot of false stories were out there about him last spring and even after he signed.

Beau Burrows

1:43

Coming into the year Florial was all tools. Has his performance this year put him in the conversation for your top 50?

Keith Law

1:44

It's a long path from setup to contact, and it shows in the 30%+ strikeout rate. I think he's still intriguing, but he wasn't a consideration at all for the 50.

Greg P

1:44

What's the outlook for Kyle Zimmer? I know he is pitching again, but will his health ever let him get to the majors and will it be as a reliever if he does?

Keith Law

1:44

They're giving him so many days off between outings that I'm not sure how he could pitch as a major-league reliever.

Formica

1:44

Do what extent do you care about this juiced ball stuff?

Keith Law

1:45

I care if it's affecting player outcomes. If certain pitchers are struggling with the transition because the ball is different, that's a real issue, not just for my work but for the work done by the people I know in front offices and scouting departments too.

Chris A

1:46

Do you see any reasonable, wholesale changes that can be made to the minor league system to make it better for players? Apart from just increasing salaries, is there something grander that could be done?

Keith Law

1:47

Pay them a fair wage (and comply with minimum wage laws). Restore the old rule 5 rules. Tie minor league free agency to age rather than service time, so college players don't have to wait till they're 27 or 28 to get there.

1:48

Thanks for the top 50 list and all the content you produce. My question is about that content, which appears here, on Paste, on BBC America, and other places outside of ESPN. Is this something that you had to negotiate for? Or are you allowed to do your own thing as long as it isn't directly competing with other ESPN content?

Keith Law

1:48

Short answer is that my contract allows me to write non-sports content for other outlets. I couldn't write about sports for anyone else without ESPN's express permission, and in that case, they would be within their rights to withhold it.

Anthony

1:49

Years back I was leaning into the anti vax movement but eventually settled into the "spread them out" camp. Looking at the article you post was one of the biggest reasons I came to my senses and moved on from any anti vax sentiments. I truly believe conversation is the key to changing minds, as headstrong as some are. Thanks

Keith Law

1:49

I don't think I'll ever change the minds of the delusional lunatics in the anti-vax camp. I want there to be plenty of pro-science, pro-vaccination information and commentary out there for anyone who comes into the fray with questions. Otherwise they'll just hear the idiots.

Matt

1:49

If Judge and Stanton can't hit a baseball 565 feet, can we stop pretending that Mickey Mantle did it?

Keith Law

1:50

I said this on Twitter the other day and it applies to Josh Gibson too. Unless the winds were 40 mph blowing out or the ball wasn't actually a baseball, then no, it didn't happen.

Nolan

1:50

Here's something that's been gnawing at me: as good of a job as the White Sox seem to be doing of facilitating their rebuild, how in the holy hell did the Shields/Tatis swap happen? Reports on Tatis seemed positive almost immediately after they traded him, and now he seems to be a budding star. Shouldn't the Sox have had the best read on him? It's not like they were going after a huge trade target, and had to include him. They gave him up for a starter who is essentially cooked now and was essentially cooked at the time.

Keith Law

1:51

I think that if Tatis had just started playing anywhere before the deal they wouldn't have done it. He slipped through the internal cracks, which isn't an excuse, but it's a reason.

Chris

1:51

Now that the Chicago teams set a price, is Gray for Fisher, Perez/Whitley, plus a low end lottery ticket too heavy, too light, or juuuuuuuust right?

Keith Law

1:51

That's an awful lot.

Brian

1:51

Now that's he's healthy, what kind of player can chavis end up being? what does he need to continue to work on?

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