JotCast | Klawhat 4/18/24

Klawhat 4/18/24

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Keith Law

1:05

I need to lighten my load. Klawchat.

Hogie

1:05

You said during spring training that you didn't think James Wood was ready for the majors. Have you changed your mind at all given his start in Rochester?

Keith Law

1:05

No, because it's April 18th. It's a minuscule sample.

Guest

1:05

have you seen Cade McGee at Texas Tech. Saw him the other night against Arkansas. Good power, looks athletic, been hit by a pitch 20 times this year which has, along with 31 walks really helped his OBP which is around .500

Keith Law

1:06

I haven't seen Texas Tech, but McGee isn't showing much power or hard contact in games. I also don't view high HBP totals as a particularly valuable skill.

1:06

Is Pages ready to stick at the major league level or do you anticipate this will be a short stay for him and that he needs more time at AAA?

Keith Law

1:07

He was really good in the 50 games he did play last year and this year around the shoulder injury, with what looked like a more advanced approach than he'd had in 2022. "Short stay" is really about team needs, but if they're willing to give him the time to adjust I think he can have a positive WAR this year.

Taylor Swift

1:07

Will you be listening to the Tortured Poets Department tonight?

Keith Law

1:08

I didn't know that album was coming out tonight. (I knew it was coming out at some point.)

1:08

18 year-old Nelson Rada is at AA for the Angels for no discernible reason. Why is Nelson Rada at AA? Why skip High-A? Why?

Keith Law

1:08

I have no idea.

Lucas

1:09

If I remember correctly, Jordan Westburg was seen as a little bit of a gutsy pick in 2020 because there were some swing and miss issues at Mississippi State. How has he gotten better in a relatively short period of time?

Keith Law

1:10

He was a COVID year pick, and was off to a good start at MSU. It's quite possible he'd already started making that adjustment and we didn't see it in enough of a sample because the world ended.

Drew

1:10

As a Cleveland fan, it seems like there's separation between Condon and everyone else. How worried should I be they'll cut a deal with a lesser player in a draft that seems weak for overslot guys later?

Keith Law

1:10

Very.

Guest

1:10

What should we make of Jackson Hollidays slow start at the plate?

Keith Law

1:10

Nothing.

Mike

1:12

Mike Trout is good at baseball.

Keith Law

1:12

He is. But go look at what he did in his first call-up.

1:12

With Morel playing improved defense at third recently, is there still a path to the Cubs for Matt Shaw this year?

Keith Law

1:13

Improved defense? He's already at -2 OAA and it's not even May. Come on.

Nervous Flyball Pitcher

1:13

Matthew Etzel showed up in your Orioles prospect honorable mentions - so far he's had a handful of multi-hit games (admittedly aided by miserable MiLB infield defense), but do you have any read on his CF play?

Keith Law

1:13

No idea, haven't seen him or much minor league stuff yet while I focus on the draft.

Derek

1:13

Hi Keith, been following your work for years and why I paid for ESPN and now the Athletic. Surprised to see you venture to more in front of the camera with Stadium. I’ll admit I haven’t had a chance to watch your show yet and didn’t seem like I could go back and watch it. Curious what made you decide to work with Stadium? Will it impact any of your writing with the Athletic?

Keith Law

1:14

They approached me. It won't affect my writing - they're two separate deals.

Heston Kjerstad

1:14

Would I be a better piece in the O's lineup right now than, say, O'Hearn or Mountcastle?

Keith Law

1:14

I think so.

Jason

1:14

Does DL hall profile more as a reliever long term?

Keith Law

1:14

It's a real risk. I'm surprised that his issue has been lots of contact versus him just not throwing strikes.

1:15

Brandon McCarthy was talking about the Pirates' handling of Skenes thus far at AAA, saying, "what are we doing?" Jared Jones was pulled by the Pirates after 59 pitches and 5 innings. At what point do teams stop 'building' pitchers up, and let them pitch? Not overworking young arms is one thing; this feels preposterous, counter-productive, and not based in anything but fear. Sorry if the actual question got lost in the shuffle, but I suppose it's: When will this stop?

Keith Law

1:16

I really think we have enough evidence to say that limiting pitch counts reduces the incidence of shoulder injuries, but that limiting them to this extent doesn't reduce the incidence entirely and it doesn't reduce the incidence of UCL tears. I haven't asked any Pirates people what's going on, but I have the same question from afar. Let them pitch reasonable workloads and respond accordingly if they report pain or discomfort or fatigue (or if pitch data shows it).

Gordon

1:17

Didn’t think Michael Busch would be this good this quick. Does he really have this much power or is he still a 20 hr guy?

Keith Law

1:18

Still think he's a 20 homer guy ... I mean, maybe he's a 24 homer guy, there's always a range around those estimates, but I wouldn't overreact to a hot start. He's a good player. If he's a superstar, I'd be surprised.

Justin

1:18

Obviously baseball is a very dangerous workplace as far as injuries go. If any of our workplaces caused ligament surgeries every day, I'm not sure they'd still exist. What is it about baseball and sports in general that make it ethical to continue subjecting people to activities that are clearly awful for the human body? Informed consent?

Keith Law

1:18

The potential for seven- or eight-figure salaries.

1:18

Matt Shaw crushing AA (SSS and all that). Odds he makes the bigs this season? Before September?

Keith Law

1:19

I said before the season I thought he'd be up to play third base at some point - I still think more like midyear, and that they'll push Shaw to AAA first.

Garrett

1:19

What's your take on how CJ Abrams has looked so far?

Keith Law

1:20

Also a SSS, but I'm at least happy to see that he's doing what I said he'd do and making much harder contact. There's something sustainable here.

1:20

Do you think lack of sticky stuff is contributing to arm injuries as some pitchers have said?

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