Klawchat 4/19/18.

My updated ranking of the top 50 prospects for this year’s draft is now up for Insiders.

Keith Law: All kinds of mind distortion. Klawchat.

NV: Hello Keith, where in your current top 100 prospect list would you slot Bohm & Madrigal? Thanks!
Keith Law: I really don’t like ranking guys until they’ve played somewhere in pro ball; before then, I tend to be very conservative with rankings, because we have no performance data and pro scouts haven’t seen them. I don’t think either guy would be a top 50 prospect in the pros right now. Madrigal suffers from a terrible lack of comparably-sized players in the majors.

chito: Who would be the better player 5 years from now…albies or swanson?
Keith Law: Probably Swanson, as the sure shortstop. Both are good. I haven’t heard from Atlanta fans who were killing Swanson last fall lately.

Brady: I know it’s been only 4 starts, but Jose Berrios has been absolutely filthy so far. Is it likely he’s taken the next step and will be the #1 type starter the Twins have been looking for since Johan left?
Keith Law: His stuff doesn’t seem to be any different; he’s had an extraordinary rate of generating popups, which can be a skill (but maybe not to that extreme), and of keeping flyballs in the park, which is sometimes a skill but rarely. So I think there’s some regression coming here.

Tony: Hey Keith, I’m someone who wishes they read more but truthfully barely reads. Currently, I’m thinking through how to best build it as a part of my routine. How many days and for roughly how long would you suggest in read per week? Thanks
Keith Law: I read every day, at least an hour. That is probably too extreme for most people, but I greatly enjoy reading and it works for me like meditation (keeping me focused and present). Find material you like, and see how long you can read without feeling distracted or like you want to run screaming into the street.

Kruker: Hey Keith…always appreciate your thoughts on prospects. Have you seen Blake Rutherford hit this year in person? Stats read well so far – 7 2Bs and a decent SLG. But he had issues last season making consistent hard contact. Can you project him as an MLBer or think of an MLB comp for him?
Keith Law: It’s ten games.

Brian J: Big 2, or SSS? BOS/HOU: 27 – 9. NYY/CLE/WAS/CHC/LA: 41-42
Keith Law: SSS.

Kruker: Is Teoscar’s surge just a fling? Also, what do you think of the name Teoscar for a baby
Keith Law: It’s 20 PA. But Teoscar was on my preseason breakout candidates list, so I was already optimistic about him producing more this year.

fhqwgads: Can someone from the A’s please get a clip of Homestar Runner saying: “Matt Olson… or Matt Chapman?”
Keith Law: That works shockingly well. #cerebellum’d

Saul: I know it’s a sss, but Reggie Lawson seems to be pitching well @Lake Elsinore- lower walk totals. Still an under the radar prospect for SD?
Keith Law: Never under the radar – he was a potential first rounder after his junior year & summer, and I wrote about a month ago about how good he looked in spring training.

Sam: Of the three current NL division leaders (Mets, Pirates, D-Backs), which do you think is most likely to win their division?
Keith Law: If you give me odds on four choices – Mets, Pirates, Dbacks, or none – I would still bet on ‘none.’ But I would bet at least one of those four teams makes the playoffs.

Ben: It’s only 4 starts, but when someone like Gerrit Cole switches teams and immediately becomes better than he ever has been, do we assume the new team knows something the old team didn’t? In your experience, do teams target players that they believe other teams aren’t using properly and/or they can quickly make better. I.e. a mechanical change
Keith Law: I think that’s exactly what happened here. It seems like the Astros told him, you’re not a groundball pitcher, stop throwing two-seamers, just attack with four-seamers up and sliders down. His flyball rate has soared, but so have a bunch of positive indicators, even without a real change in stuff quality.

Jim: How close were the W-S Dash to making your most stacked minor league team list? It would have helped to have Burger and Robert on the opening day roster, but if Rutherford and Basabe bounce back, and Adolfo continues to improve they might have 3 OFs who play in the majors.
Keith Law: Not close at all.

Ricardo: What was Price doing wrong as Reds manager?
Keith Law: He’s definitely the reason the pitching staff had a 5+ ERA and the offense has a sub-.300 OBP. It’s totally him.

addoeh: If the Marlins are going to claim they are a British Virgin Islands company to avoid paying the city of Miami money they are owed, shouldn’t they also play a few games there?
Keith Law: I’m volunteering to cover that series.
Keith Law: Also, I love that Marlins Man flew there and found their “office” is just one of those stores where you rent a mailbox.

PJ: The Reds are focused on developing players, not winning games. What players have developed on Price’s watch? Obviously not all on the mgr, but Hamilton, Peraza, Stephenson, Lorenzen, DeScalfani… nada. Iglesias as SP didn’t get a chance. As a Reds fan, I’m 100% ok with the firing. I think you should be too.
Keith Law: Iglesias couldn’t start. Who among those players you listed should have been much better? Stephenson, yes, but he started to run into trouble in AAA, before Price ever touched him. Lorenzen was never going to be a starter. Hamilton has always had trouble making decent contact – but he has become an elite CF under Price. (I’m not giving Price credit there, but it happened.) DeSclafani gave them 300 above-average innings before he got hurt. Winker only has about 60 big league games, but he’s done well on the whole. Suarez came over and turned into a great player. I am not seeing this track record of failed development that you are. And, again, there is nothing true today about Price’s tenure that was not also true on November 1st, when the Reds could have gone out there and hired the best available manager on the market.

Dante: Anthony Rizzo thinks there are too many games in the MLB season. There is no way the league lowers the number of games any time soon, right?
Keith Law: Games are money. If the union fights for a shorter schedule, MLB will insist on steering less money to players. That is not a tradeoff the union should make right now.

Dave: I know that you hold no illusions about the reality of climate change. I was just curious if you have looked into solar panels at your place of residence or an electric car and why/why not you have gone that route. Just interested in your perspective. Thanks.
Keith Law: I have driven a hybrid for years now. I have looked at solar panels, but the up front cash outlay has deterred me – among other things, I have a daughter who’s a few years from college.

Sally fan: The Delmarva Shorebirds have an incredibly strong rotation. But for the higher round college arms (and Bishop) what’s to be gained by keeping them at lo A? Shouldn’t a high round college arm be expected to start at Hi A?
Keith Law: Bishop didn’t pitch at all last spring in college, which is part of why he’s an Oriole today. Lowther could probably have started with Frederick, but the Keys have a couple of guys in their rotation now who are on that starter/reliever bubble and I assume the O’s were giving them that last shot before replacing them. I’d be surprised if the Shorebirds still have this rotation on June 1st.

PJ: Shane Bieber… 20 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 23 K’s. Are the scouting reports as strong as the results? If nothing else, I have to think he’s ready for AAA. Right?
Keith Law: Ready for AAA, yes. It’s not great stuff, it’s a lot of average, with ++ control.

Bored Lawyer, Esq. : At what point does a slow/bad start get concerning? If Lutz and Jhailyn Ortiz (for example) are still struggling to make contact in 25 games, is concern valid? 50 games?
Keith Law: Both play at 19 this year; Ortiz won’t turn 20 until November. So I’d say no number of games will concern me with those two. And it is fucking FREEZING in the northeast and upper midwest.

Andrew: Buddy Reed is in fuego. Which of these three prospects ends up contributing the most for the Padres? Buddy Reed, Franchy Cordero, or Michael Gettys?
Keith Law: Buddy Reed is a 23-year-old in high-A in a great hitters’ environment. Cordero is the only one of those three I’d call a prospect.

Frank: What’s STL going to do with all the outfield surplus? Feels like Bader and Oneil deserve an everyday job somewhere. What do you think?
Keith Law: There has to be a trade at some point. They’re going to have a need – rotation, I’d guess – and they have the parts to go get pretty much anyone.

Nate (in Seattle): Klaw, thanks for the mlb draft primer. Wondering what you take on Corey Ray’s start. Is it SSS or living up to previous promise?
Keith Law: I know he’s gone back to a small stride/tap to get his weight transferred again, so that’s a big positive; I thought that was the #1 difference from college when I saw him last year. Curiosity in his stats: In the first four games of the season, all vs montgomery, he punched out 10 times and went 4 for 18. Since then in ten games, he’s punched out just 5 times, and is hitting .410/.425/.667.

Rob: Kohl Stewart has put up K numbers in his first two starts that he hasn’t shown in pro ball yet. Being left available for the Rule 5 and being passed over by everyone light a fire, or some sort of adjustment?
Keith Law: Or he faced an atrocious Birmingham lineup and struck out 9 guys in 5 innings because they’re terrible.
Keith Law: I mean, here’s . Courtney Hawkins and Keon Barnum each had the golden sombrero.

Dante: I’ve heard Nick Madrigal is being considered by the Phillies. Does he remind you at all of Scott Kingery based on his tools? Any word on his makeup?
Keith Law: Madrigal is in the mix for a bunch of teams up top – I don’t think he’d get past the A’s – and the Phillies are sort of on everyone except Swaggerty (can’t do yet another CF, right?). Kingery is substantially stronger than Madrigal.

Chris: Would cutting Reyes and bringing up Cecchini or Guillorme be worse for their individual development? Or is there not much left to prove for those guys?
Keith Law: Cutting Reyes makes the team better AND opens a spot for someone younger. Guillorme would also give them an elite defender at short for when Rosario doesn’t play.

Kevin: Thanks for the rankings, Keith. Curious if you heard what the White Sox are thinking at 4? Best player, arm, bat? What would you do if you were in their position with the stable of young arms and outfielders they already have in the minors?
Keith Law: Other than a few random connections – A’s with Bart, Reds with Singer, Mariners with Xavier Edwards – there isn’t much out there because no one really knows what teams up top, including Detroit, are doing, and because players/advisers mostly haven’t put bonus expectations out there. I don’t believe the White Sox would take a prep arm at 4, though. My answer for what I would do for every team is best player available, always and forever, amen.

Bucs666: Mr. Law, how signable is Kumar Rocker. I know that he is committed to Vanderbilt, but I was hoping that the Pirates would have a shot at him. Thank you.
Keith Law: I believe he is signable where he’s going to be drafted.

Craig: Scouting question. Brent Suter has shown that he is at least a mediocre MLB pitcher and possibly more. He doesn’t throw hard and none of his pitches are amazing, he just mixes and matches pretty effectively. He was a college senior draftee and I am pretty sure that guys like him are a dime/dozen and most top out around AA. When scouting a guy like him in college, is there anything you can look for to see a future major leaguer or is it just pretty much luck?
Keith Law: I don’t think it’s all luck, but he’s a lefty throwing in the mid 80s with some deception and good control. Those guys are a dime a dozen, because they tend not to pitch very well in the majors (and I don’t think Suter is anything more than an up-and-down guy).

Jed: Has the quality of this year’s draft diminished in your mind after seeing most of the top guys fail to meet what was expected of them coming into the spring?
Keith Law: I think it is as deep as I thought in February, but the top ten is worse than I thought it would be.

Andy: I watched the Red Sox- Yankees fight. The commisioner should know that fighting on the field is a HUGE delay. If you want to speed up the game, suspend anyone who charges the mound 25 games. Managers who argue calls after replay? 10 game suspension. Those are pace of play things that I can get behind.
Keith Law: And the guys running in from the bullpen like the Kool-Aid guy? Come on. I agree – baseball fights are stupid, and when one happens at a game where I’m in the stands, that’s generally when I pull a book out of my bag, because I’ll probably get a chapter or so in before they’re done.

Garrett: Keith you mentioned in a write up at the end of Spring Training that Austin Riley might have a grade higher of power than you previously thought. Have you seen/heard anything else to change your opinion on his other tools? I know you have had questions about his bat speed in the past
Keith Law: Still do. I doubt the .500 BABIP is going to last. He has really done a great job with his body, though – if he’d looked like this in high school, he probably would have slipped into the first round as a two-way guy who showed more athleticism. (Not relevant now, but I wonder if he would have been a better prospect on the mound too with this physique.) He deserves a lot of credit for transforming his body like he has.

Joe: Keith, I saw the Tampa Yankees in Fort Myers last week. Two guys caught my eye, Jonathan Loaisiga and Isiah Gilliam. You have written about Loaisia before, but what kind of prospect is Gilliam?
Keith Law: Tools guy who never hit, not really even in HS. 36% K rate so far this year.

Joe: Keith, could Nick Decker out of New Jersey be a day one pick?
Keith Law: I expect that he will.

Marc: Is Kopech ready for the show or do they need to give him a couple more months to refine command?
Keith Law: I may have answered this two weeks ago – I think his stuff is ready, and he’ll miss a lot of bats, but walk more guys than you’d like, and that’s part of his development.

Kevin: How far from the big leagues is Casey Mize?
Keith Law: If healthy, and we assume he doesn’t pitch at all this summer, I’d say by the All-Star Break next year.

Scott: Mac Williamson changed his swing with the help of Justin Turner’s swing coach. He hit well in spring training and is on fire in AAA so far. Do you think he can be a solid regular in the majors?
Keith Law: I think a fringe regular – bat speed has never been very good, always a power over hit type, with some athleticism and the ability to play that difficult RF in San Francisco.

Lilith: Are teams drafting in the top 5 going to be more cautious about drafting Madrigal because of his injury?
Keith Law: Doesn’t sound like it. He may be moving up relative to other college bats because so many of them are underperforming while he’s out.

Matt: How excited should Phillies fans be about the foursome of Sixto/JoJo/Ranger/Adonis? Because the names alone are enough to make me dizzy.
Keith Law: I saw a bad Ranger start, although it was 40 degrees at first pitch. I’m hoping to see him again on Saturday vs New Hampshire. Anyway, yeah, that’s a good group. Kilome belongs in the same discussion.

Jacob: What kind of tools does Jarred Kelenic possess? I am trying to understand what kind of upside he could have and having difficulty.
Keith Law: So is everyone else, since he’s played something like two games outdoors so far. I don’t believe he has any 70 tools, but it’s a lot of above average – hit, field, throw, run – and the potential for above-average power.

Marc: Given the current prospect mix for the White Sox, what area would you target at #4?
Keith Law: Best. Player. Available.
Keith Law: You don’t draft based on what you have, unless you really, really want to be unemployed. You take the best guy out there and figure out the fit later.

Tommy: How long until we see Juan Soto somewhere other than Hagerstown? This guy rakes.
Keith Law: He only played about a month there last year. I’m assuming he’ll be out of there by their All-Star Break.

Aaron’s Greenies: Griffin Canning aggressively moved to AA which was expected, but a bit surprising to see Jose Suarez (at 20) moved to AA as well – anything more than a 4/5 for Suarez?
Keith Law: I think Suarez might be more like a mid-rotation guy.

Rick C: Do you think it’s reasonable for the Braves to hold Acuna down until he’s hitting a little better?
Keith Law: I do. He’s been swinging out of his ass lately.

NB: Were you involved with the ESPN 1-100 player rankings? Always a tough thing to nail, obviously, and perhaps it’s recency bias considering his torrid start, but Mookie Betts at 17 seems… low.
Keith Law: I was not.

Mike: If you had to guess, do you think Jordyn Adams will sign or will he end up at Carolina?
Keith Law: Carolina. My understanding from scouts is that he is committed to football. And there is no way I’m paying him seven figures to go get his brains scrambled every fall and spring.

JR: Vegas resident. Any local draft prospects worth checking out for this years draft?
Keith Law: Isbel at UNLV.

Kevin: Buy or sell: MLB isn’t serious about fixing length of game issues until they force hitters to keep one foot in the box between pitches.
Keith Law: Soft buy. That’s an issue, but not the main one (commercial breaks).

Wahoo: Keith, I have great respect for your opinions, even if I might not agree with every one (I am in outspoken agreement on the importance of vaccines!). I had a respectful chat-disagreement with Kiley M. a week ago as he made it clear thinks programs like UVA and Fullerton do their kids a disservice by the way they play/coach — suggesting that he isn’t sure why truly good prospects would even go to those programs. He also made reference to UVA pitching, something I know you have commented on as well. I am a big UVA guy, but I would like to think I can look at things objectively. I know there have been injuries and “questions” about mechanics. Fair share of small ball as well. However, is there truly evidence that warrants this kind of criticism? UVA has not only built a respectful program – they have sent their share of players to the MLB including high draft picks. Certainly some pitcher injuries, but where is this not happening?
Keith Law: The track record of their pitchers in pro ball is awful, and it’s because they force every pitcher to pitch with ‘their’ mechanics. For all their success and high picks, the most WAR any UVA pitcher draftee has accumulated in the majors is 8.1 … by Javier Lopez. Teams have spent a lot of money and high picks on UVA pitchers for naught, and we are way past calling it a coincidence or saying this happens at all programs (hint: it doesn’t).

Sriram: Here’s what I don’t get. The Reds are rebuilding. So you know they will lose a lot. It doesn’t make sense to grade Price on that. So then Price has non-winning metrics (player development progress, whatever). How do you get any read on THAT from 16 games?
Keith Law: You don’t. They didn’t. This was a “DO SOMETHING!!!!?!?!?!!” move.

Roger: Is Taylor Clarke close enough that Arizona should bring him up in place of Walker? Can Braden Shipley still be a viable starter?
Keith Law: I am not sure in which piece this was – impact prospects? – but I think I said Clarke was ready and would probably end up with 20 starts or so this year. Walker’s injury might be the opening. I don’t see how you can start Shipley unless he’s regained his lost velocity.

Andrew: I read a story about the A’s maybe moving to Portland. The story also said expansion could bring a team to Portland. Is expansion a good idea considering how many teams feel the need to tank in a desperate attempt to acquire talent? Or is the size of the league not a problem related to tanking?
Keith Law: I don’t think tanking is about # of teams, but about the current CBA. I do worry about getting enough pitchers to fill two more rosters since everyone insists on carrying umpteen relievers.

Brett: I thought for sure you were going to be Michael Cohen’s third client. Was sure of it.
Keith Law: I pulled his ear close to my lips and whispered, “Privilege.” So I’m good.

Joe : Any players being connected to the Braves yet in the draft?
Keith Law: I heard them with Vasil. Again, this is all very early, speculative stuff, and something random could happen and suddenly Carter Stewart is staring at them at pick 8 and they change their plan.

Draft guru: Top high school players who have a shot to be top 40 picks out of the North East for ’18 draft?
Keith Law: I just put up that draft top 50 today.

Gabriel: Is it too early for a mock draft?
Keith Law: Yes. It would be farcical.

Joe : Have you heard of the Braves hiring any international scouts after the basically fired their whole department this winter?
Keith Law: No, they can’t really sign anyone signifcant anyway, and Anthopoulos came in so late that restocking the department would have been difficult. I expect that will all happen later this summer.

JSC: Do you have any recommendations for sci-fi or high fantasy fiction series you have read?
Keith Law: The Magicians, by Lev Grossman. The NK Jemisin Broken Earth series is good, although I haven’t cracked The Stone Sky yet.

Jesse: Any rumors on who the mets might be on in the draft?
Keith Law: Today I would bet college bat.

Adam: Is there a chance that maybe, just maybe, the Padres are rushing Tatis Jr? His very slow start at AA seems to indicate that.
Keith Law: Or it’s April 19th.

Jacob: Joey Bart seems to be raking in terms of avg and power. Does his hit tool make the 50-55 grade and could his ability to call games combined with his tools mean he could be a fast riser through the minors?
Keith Law: I don’t think he has an average hit tool. He’s the best catching prospect in the class by a mile, though, so he’s going to go off the board pretty early, and I would guess he’s a two years to the majors guy.

Skip Donahue: Which of the pitchers down at Delmarva is most likely to help Baltimore the soonest – Baumann, Lowther, Dietz, Hall, Bishop, Hanifee?
Keith Law: Baumann might be the closest, but none of those guys is close.

Eric: Have you heard much about Jeren Kendall this year? Does he have an improved swing?
Keith Law: I’ve heard nothing good about him this year, and he’s struck out in 43% of his PA, so there you go.

Ryan: Which of the big Vanderbilt commits do you think have a decent (>30 percent) chance of coming to campus?
Keith Law: Austin Becker seems most likely. I don’t know what Hankins’ actual injury is at this point, but I could see him choosing Vandy over taking a fraction of the bonus he might have expected with a healthy spring.

Sriram: Obviously the Red Sox aren’t going to keep this pace up or this level of run prevention going. But it’s not unreasonable to think this version of Betts and Devers can’t hold up to some degree, no?
Keith Law: I agree. Also seemed like Bogaerts was making hard contact again now that his hand is healed.

Alex: just a heads up – Bottega Americano in your San Diego eating guide closed
Keith Law: That’s a shame. Looks like it just closed two months ago.

Ed: To an untrained amateur (me), Brendon Little appears to have similar tools to Jose Quintana. Where am I wrong, and how wrong am I? Thanks Keith!
Keith Law: I don’t see that at all.

Slick Rick Hahn: Thanks for the memories Courtney Hawkins. With his official release, what do you think of the Sox basically doing a 180 on draft strategy since drafting him, targeting colllege performers with good bat to ball and plate discipline? I know people liked Hawkins at the time, are they limiting themselves too much by avoiding toolsy high schoolers?
Keith Law: He is the best example I can think of in the last decade of a team screwing up a player’s development with a too-aggressive promotion. He was a raw HS hitter whom they sent to high-A in his first full pro year, at age 19. The disaster never ended.

Jacob: What is the issues going on with Nander De Sedas? Is he looking like a 2nd or 3rd rounder now?
Keith Law: Hasn’t hit. Second round perhaps on name value.

Todd: Brad Hand to the Indians for Shane Bieber, Nolan Jones and Wil Benson. Who says no?
Keith Law: Padres fan, eh?

Matty: What do you think a good season would look like for Braxton Garrett?
Keith Law: Get him healthy with his old velocity back. Don’t worry about results until next year.

JSC: Favorite Caribbean Island to vacation to?
Keith Law: My sample size is small, but Aruba couldn’t have been any nicer or easier.

Jacob: Jose Suarez looked fairly decent in his AA debut at age 20. Does his uptick in velo give him the tools to be a top 100 guy this year?
Keith Law: Uptick? Don’t think that’s the case. I saw him in March and was bullish on him thanks to the deception & plus changeup.

Matt: Which is closer to reality — Cora has changed team culture pushing all the right buttons OR Farrell was a drag on the clubhouse morale to the detriment of team performance(though they did win 93 games).
Keith Law: Or it’s 17 games and they’re largely healthy.

Paul: I believe you said you saw Brandon Nimmo as a 4th outfielder. Is his strong start (and strong finish last year) enough of a sample to indicate there might be something more there?
Keith Law: He has 27 PA this year, all but one against RHP. If he can’t hit lefties, which has been true in the past, he’s not a regular.

Brian: When was the last time we saw a rotation as good as the Astros this season?
Keith Law: The Nats have rolled Scherzer/Strasburg out there for several years, with assorted pretty good pitchers behind them.

Jeff: Does Heimlich get drafted this year? Seems like he’s not pitching as well now which may give teams an easy out.
Keith Law: I asked around about him, if scouts/execs thought someone would do it, and most people said “yes.” (not that THEY would take him, but that some team would.) I still think no – no one will want that PR backlash.

Nick: When will you be doing your first mock draft?
Keith Law: 3-4 weeks before the draft itself.

Gregg: Heyman floated the idea of a Conforto for Realmuto trade today. Does that make any sense? If not, what’s a realistic Realmuto-Mets trade look like? Thanks!
Keith Law: That would not make sense for the Mets.

Drew: I am curious as to why Hoskins didn’t really appear on any top 100 lists during his time in the minors. What did scouts miss with him?
Keith Law: First baseman who was held back in low-A his first year, and played in a very favorable HR park in AA. I liked him, thought he could be Goldschmidt Lite.

TK: Just want to say thanks for your weekly “Stick to Baseball” links. They’re always informative, and even clued me in to the Fireball Island Kickstarter. I played that with my brothers all the time as a kid and recently backed them. I can’t wait to play the new version with them.
Keith Law: I don’t remember that game at all, but I did play Stop Thief, one of Restoration Games’ earlier re-Issues, all the time.

Zac: Is the service time manipulation unfixable or will the owners use this as the ultimate bargaining chip to screw over the MLBPA is the next labor bargaining?
Keith Law: Whatever rules the CBA sets, teams will quickly find the best way to take advantage of them.

Gilbert: Greyson Jenista did not make you updated top 50. What do you see that is keeping him from making that list?
Keith Law: He’s not very good.

David: Does Peter Alonso overtake Dom Smith as the Mets future at 1B ? Or are they both trade bait for a catcher?
Keith Law: If I’m Smith, I’m showing up early every damn day, because Alonso is legit. He can really hit and he’s showing more power than he did as an underclassman.

Jason: Thanks for the chat. I’ve seen Kelenic mentioned as a possibility for the Tigers first overall. How bad would Mize’s medical have to be for the Tigers to turn in another direction?
Keith Law: A cold weather HS bat first overall, a kid who’ll play just a handful of games outside all spring … I can’t say it’s wrong, because maybe Kelenic is the next coming of Mike Trout, but whoa boy is that a risk I could not stomach.

JP: take on the Pitching Ninja .gif controversy? MLB has been overly protective of their media rights forever, but in their defense they built up a huge media business by being that way.
Keith Law: Would love to see them work more with people like Rob on GIFs, which I don’t think negatively impact the market for MLB’s product *or* damage the MLB brand in any way at all, while continuing to enforce their rights on longer videos of game action, which do.

Justin R: How do you find new, good books to read? Best seller lists tend to be a lot of airplane-read potboilers.
Keith Law: Lot of reader & friend recommendations, bookstore browsing, often asking (indie) bookstore employees what they’ve liked. Sometimes I just pick up a book because the cover speaks to me and the description sounds interesting.

Dave: Dont know if you caught the articke about Armor Field in Chicago, but when will MLB teams realize smaller stadiums may be the way to go?
Keith Law: That was in my Saturday links post. Great work by Dayn there. Smaller parks don’t bring in more revenue.

Archie: Is your ranking of Madrigal a reflection of his potential to be a solid big leaguer, or because so many of the other top guys have gone backward?
Keith Law: More the latter. He’s still a tiny college 2b who’ll probably never have power.

Chris: Did you like Soundgarden at all?
Keith Law: Loved them.

Daniel: Is Acu?a ready ? Was he ready in Spring Training ?
Keith Law: He was ready, but like I said above, he’s trying to hit everything 500 feet right now.

Jeff: Likelihood that Lucchesi has a better MLB career than Quantrill?
Keith Law: Not crazy. Might be 40%.

Peter: Worried at all about Marcus Stroman? I know SSS, but concern is always there for me with a guy with that small of a frame.
Keith Law: He’s short but he ain’t small.

Peter: Is Zack Godley for real?
Keith Law: That CB is a knockout. As long as he has that, he’s for real.
Keith Law: OK, that’s all for this week. Thanks for all of the questions, as always, and for reading. I’ll have a draft post up in the next few days on Cole Wilcox (who was excellent on Tuesday night) and Carter Stewart (whose stuff was down last night, although the CB is still ridiculous) and a few more day one names. Enjoy your weekends!

Comments

  1. Where’d you stay in Aruba? Did you do a write up of your trip? Looking to visit there myself sometime soon.

    • The Marriott. Never wrote up the trip; we didn’t explore anything on the island beyond the hotel, beach, & the shops/restaurants right there on Palm Beach (Irausquin Blvd.) We liked Che Bar, an Argentine place very close to the hotel, and the arepa place in Paseo Herencia.

    • Thank you!

  2. “And, again, there is nothing true today about Price’s tenure that was not also true on November 1st, when the Reds could have gone out there and hired the best available manager on the market.”

    To be fair, the Reds can still go out and hire the best available manager that was on the market in November.

  3. Marlins Man calling out corrupt MLB Ownership. This feels *very* 2018.