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Klawchat 8/9/18
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Keith Law
1:01
People give your ears, so I be sublime. It's Klawchat.
addoeh
1:01
Remember how excited you were as a kid when you opened a pack of baseball cards and saw a Doug Harvey or an Eric Gregg in there?
Keith Law
1:02
I have a complete set from 1985. I think it's worth like three or four dollars now.
Andrew
1:02
So Jayson Werth said this, in his diatribe about how "nerds" are killing baseball: "... I think it's killing the game. It's to the point where just put computers out there. Just put laptops and what have you, just put them out there and let them play. We don't even need to go out there anymore. It's a joke." Do people really misunderstand the purpose of analyzing data to this degree? Isn't this the baseball equivalent of science-deniers discrediting evolution because "I've never seen a monkey turn into a human"?
Keith Law
1:03
I knew Werth a little in Toronto and was kind of shocked to see him go full denialist like that. He was one of the friendliest players to me at a time when I was quite an oddball due to my role (and probably due to my personality). I can only assume he's just frustrated that his career ended before he was ready ... but he made a lot of money because those same 'nerds' he decried pointed out how valuable he really was.
Meeeeeee
1:03
Hey, Keith...  Given that Bellinger was never a huge power prospect in the minors, is it likely that his 2017 HR total was an aberration and that this year's output is more likely to be what he produces in the future (with more batting average)?
Keith Law
1:04
Bellinger was always a huge power prospect.
Zach
1:04
Is Lucas Sims similar to two of the Reds' existing former top prospects Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed?
Keith Law
1:04
No, I'd put him behind those guys today or if I were trying to rank them all based on where they were as prospects.
Matt
1:04
Dark Helmet is tweeting about "Space Force all the way!" Not like there's anything important to tackle like climate change,  fires in California,  Flint, refugees, etc.
Keith Law
1:05
I can only assume the Gorilla Channel aired a marathon of V yesterday.
Scott
1:05
I will be in Pittsburgh next month (yes, going to PNC as part of trip) and looking for some restaurant recommendations if you have any good ones, thanks.
Keith Law
1:06
I haven't been there in almost ten years. I believe two of my old favorites are still open though - Pamela's (greasy spoon breakfast place) and Spice Island Tea House.
Rich Bower
1:06
Brendan McKay has looked great pitching - does he project more power on the batting side? Thanks as always!
Keith Law
1:06
I've talked to three scouts who've seen him recently. All have him rated very highly as a pitcher and say he should give up hitting just to focus on the mound now. Not that he couldn't hit but he's farther behind that way.
RK
1:06
I know you expected Royce Lewis to be a CF when he was drafted, have you changed your stance on that or no?
Keith Law
1:07
No, not sure why I would. Reports I've gotten are that his bat is incredibly advanced, he's every bit as smart and instinctive on the bases as advertised, but that he's got a long way to go to be passable at short.
JR
1:07
What are your thoughts on Tyler Mahle?  He's been great in some games this year and awful in others?
Keith Law
1:09
He's been extremely homer-prone at home, which is unsurprising from the ballpark but still bad (16 in 52.2 IP!). The part that shocks me is that he's walked so many guys, and weirdly enough is doing that more on the road (probably a sample-size fluke, but still, why?). He was always a command guy where you hoped the stuff was enough to make him more than a 4/5.
Bren
1:09
Do any of the more powerful FO executives like Theo have any kind of decision making power written into their contracts? The Mets desperately need to hire a strong GM/VP, but is there any way they can ensure Jeff Wilpon doesn't end up undermining them constantly?
Keith Law
1:10
I don't think so, but I haven't seen any of those contracts, either. I can imagine that the Cubs know that if Theo were to get undermined by one of the Ricketts' kids (when they're not busy propping up the kakistocracy), he'd quit.
Rick Sanchez
1:10
What kind of power ceiling do you see for Bo Bichette? He hasn't produced many homers throughout his minor league career, but I've seen his power rated as high as 70.
Keith Law
1:10
I don't know who rated him there - no scout I've talked to, certainly. I've seen Bichette a ton since HS, and I could see a future 70 hit tool, but with 55 power.
Stan
1:10
Have you ever been approached with an opportunity to teach at the university level? You are an Ivy League grad, have worked successfully in a high level industry, are very well written and spoken and, most importantly, can find racism in even the most benign of situations.
Keith Law
1:12
I've never understood privileged people like you who think there's value in claiming there isn't racism in situations where other people believe it exists. If you can't see the microaggression in, say, publicly questioning whether a Dominican prospect has lied about his age, or why a panel of six members of the same organization from the same time period that excludes all players of color (when that team included current employee Fred McGriff) poses huge problems of representation and signals to people of color that their views aren't valued, well, maybe sit this one out.
TC
1:12
Is there still hope for Rosario becoming an impact player? .273 OBP in 153 career games suggests he has a long way to go.
Keith Law
1:13
wow, 153 whole games.
NYTT
1:13
What's the next step in Ian Anderson's development? Where do you see him settling in when he gets to Atlanta?
Keith Law
1:13
Just promoted to AA yesterday. I assume you're asking his ceiling - I think a #2 starter, maybe more. Heard nothing but great things from his recent outings.
brian
1:13
simple rule change -- only the crew chief can throw out a player... if crew chief sees player arguing balls and strikes or throwing at a batter - so be it... will at least limit the umpshow!
Keith Law
1:14
I think last night's incidents with Soto and Justin Turner highlights the problem. If Soto gets tossed for calmly pointing out that a call was wrong - you have to see Jerry Layne's postgame comments, it's so clear that he values the umpires' egos over getting the call right I wanted to throw up just reading them - while Turner acts as he did and doesn't get run, well, we have a pretty serious problem of inconsistency.
Andy E
1:14
Hey Keith, I just have to ask why you are such a nerd and love being such a NERD?!?!?!?!

Actually no real question, just wanted to say I love your work.
Keith Law
1:14
Thanks. I am a nerd and do love it.
Scott
1:15
Luis Garcia continues to rake in High-A at 18 years old.  If he finishes out this year in similar fashion, does he have the potential to be a top 50 prospect heading into next year?  Or is his ceiling not that high?
Keith Law
1:15
He's certainly a top 100 guy. He's blown past Antuna, who got 3x the money and was the higher ceiling guy, but whose body has gone totally south on him.
Billy
1:15
If the season ended today, who is your NL MVP, and who do you think would actually win?
Keith Law
1:15
deGrom. No clue who'd win.
Nick
1:16
Have you seen Jake Holmes (Phillies ‘17 11th rounder) this year? Numbers look good and wanted to see if your observations match up.
Keith Law
1:16
I haven't. He's 20 in short-season.
brian
1:16
Your ESPN brother posted an interesting article today that wins on a year to year basis are worthless BUT a good marker for a career review... any thoughts?
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