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Klawchat 9/21/17
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Brian
1:52
Does Forrest Whitley see the majors in 2018?
Keith Law
1:52
I wouldn't be shocked at all.
CJ
1:52
I seem to remember you are an Agatha Christie fan. Any interest in the movie adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express? I tend to think her books don't necessarily translate well to movies.
Keith Law
1:52
I'll wait and see the reviews, but that book in particular seems like it won't do well on film.
Darren
1:53
Do you believe MLB has to change the baseball back to previous specifications and provide details in the off season of any new changes to the baseball? Or can they go into next season with more changes, not inform the public, and escape with no blame?
Keith Law
1:53
There's no accountability on this - they don't have to do anything. However, I think the health of the game is going to require them to eventually calm down the ball and raise the bottom of the strike zone (which someone - Hardball Times? - wrote recently has already happened a little bit in 2017).
Nick
1:53
Is there anyone from the 2017 draft that has exceeding your expectations so far or is it too early for that?
Keith Law
1:53
Too early.
Scott
1:54
Duplantier's season was incredible but do his skills match the stat line?  Can he be a front end starter?
Keith Law
1:54
It's not front-end stuff at all; he spent way too much time in low-A even though he was too old/advanced for that level. He is a legit prospect as a starter, but not the kind of starter the stat line might imply.
Tracy
1:54
One more book question: Have you considered uploading your entire catalog of all the books you've read to a site like LibraryThing.com?
Keith Law
1:55
Nah, I just blog about them. I do keep a list for myself, though, which comes in very handy when I'm standing in a used bookstore, looking at Wodehouse or Christie or Greene titles, and can't remember if I've read the one in my hand before.
Harold
1:55
Have Fulmer or Lopez done anything to make you more optimistic about either one sticking as a starter?
Keith Law
1:55
Not really.
Ghost of Connie Mack
1:55
Obviously A's fans are losing their minds over Olson's homer binge. While nice, power has never been the  question with him. The question has been and will be on the contact and bat speed. Have you seen anything from him that leads you to believe those issues have been improved and he can reach his ceiling?
Keith Law
1:56
No, I think he's a low-average, moderate-OBP, power guy who probably ends up a DH, and can be a solid regular there if the contact rate works out, with a decent chance he's less than that.
Brian
1:56
Thoughts on Gohara?  Seems like he could REALLY benefit from developing his changeup, but overall I'm encouraged.  I guess I have two questions - how important do you think a 3rd pitch is for him?  And how likely do you think he can develop a passable one?
Keith Law
1:57
Third pitch definitely important, although his slider is so hard he can work it like a cutter and get some RHB out with it. I do think he's a starter, chance to be a very good one, but I don't think i want to buy call options on his career post age-30 or so with that waistline.
Brian
1:57
If you were the Phillies would you look to trade Cesar Hernandez in the offseason for pitching or look to move Scott Kingery?
Keith Law
1:57
Make room for Kingery. He's a stud.
mike
1:57
Other than Potter and LOTR are there any high fantasy series' you've read that you rec'd for adults
Keith Law
1:59
The Magicians trilogy, by Lev Grossman. Also, not a series, but Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke is a top 20 novel all-time for me, and at 1000 pages it's as long as a series. (The BBC show was fantastic too, especially the casting of the two leads and of the man with the thistledown hair.)
Mike
1:59
Please rank the top contenders for Bryce Harper when he hits free agency next winter.  Please do the same for Manny Machado.
Keith Law
1:59
All of them? I mean, any team with the cash should be interested.
Gary
1:59
Why did Forrest Whitley fall to Houston in the draft? Were there concerns that made him fall there or was it the price tag?
Keith Law
2:00
He didn't "fall." He went in the teens, about where he was expected to go.
Josh
2:00
Bogaerts has to be injured, right?
Keith Law
2:00
Alex Speier came on the BBTN podcast when I was hosting and said X has been dealing with two hand injuries.
Anonymous
2:00
Thoughts on Joc Pederson?
Keith Law
2:00
Change of scenery candidate. Has ability, has not converted it, don't think he's gotten on well with the staff in LA either.
Danny
2:01
How unusual is it for a guy like Severino to develop a plus slider out of nowhere?
Keith Law
2:02
I think it's not unusual, but I have no good sense of how to predict which guy will take a pitch from a 4 to a 6 (or a 7 - that's probably a 7 slider). Aaron Nola had a fringe CH, now it's probably close to a 6. If you just bet on athletic guys with good arms, you'll probably capture all the "new plus pitch" guys, but you'll also get a lot of others in your net you didn't want.
Bob
2:02
You mentioned cooking with your daughter.... do you and your family have a favorite "weeknight" meal you enjoy cooking?
Keith Law
2:04
She likes everything but knife work. I've made breaded/fried chicken cutlets, and she'll do all the steps after I've cut the meat. She loves to roll out dough, too, whether for pasta, pizza, tortillas, or bread.
Biscuit
2:04
Noticed the scouting reports on Nola and Darvish...would you say it is more fun to scout major leaguer stars or budding minor league prospects?  I think of it like mining a rough diamond (exhilarating because of the potential) versus viewing the final gemstone product (admirable in its beauty). That parallel only works if you actually value shiny stones but feel free to apply a corollary as you see fit.
Keith Law
2:04
Much more interesting to watch kids and mull over what they do well, what they need to improve, and how that improvement might come about. Darvish did not excite me. Watching the Phillies' young guys was way more interesting.
Kevin
2:04
I know I am late to the question.  But why don't you do chats on ESPN.com anymore?
Keith Law
2:05
ESPN ended chats in August of ... holy cow, 2015. I can't believe I've been chatting here for two years.
Kevin
2:05
I love your taste in board games and your ranking lists. I'm going on a flight tomorrow, any new/current favorite mobile/iOS board game apps?
Keith Law
2:06
I reviewed Through the Ages the other day, have been playing Alhambra a bit (although I had a glitch the other day), still would go back to my old favorites like Carcassonne, Agricola, Caylus, Ticket to Ride, etc.
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