Klawchat 7/28/16.

My latest post for Insiders breaks down the Texas/Atlanta swap and the two Toronto trades from earlier this week. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter!

Klaw: See I’m not insane – in fact I’m kind of rational. Klawchat.

FG: Thoughts on chance adams? baseball america sees him as a number 2 down the line. I would think that would get him on some top 100 lists. whats your take? thanks klaw
Klaw: I haven’t seen him yet but reports I have gotten would put him way below that, with questions over whether he’s a starter because he’s barely 6 foot and isn’t getting fastball plane.

CR: Favorite class at Harvard
Klaw: Comedy and the Novel, taught by Donald Fanger. Reading list included The Master & Margarita, Jacques the Fatalist, If on a winter’s night a traveler…, The Charterhouse of Parma, Don Quixote, Huck Finn, Joseph Andrews, and Dead Souls. I asked Prof. Fanger six or seven years later if he had other suggestions in that vein, and he said if the class were a week or two longer he would have assigned At Swim-Two-Birds, which is also on my top 100 and is one of the earliest and best examples of metafiction in literature.

David: How would you compare Bogaerts’ bat and Polanco’s bat at this point? Are they fairly similar with XB having more positional value?
Klaw: I think Polanco’s going to end up with more power in the long run but Bogaerts is the more valuable player due to positional and defensive value.

Chris: Any thoughts on Tomas Nido? Seems Josh Thole-ish.
Klaw: Better defender than Thole ever was.

Patrick: One of DFW radio host was critizing Yu Darvish for being selfish by “striking out too many batters” and not pitching to contact, thus increasing his pitch count. He’s arguing that if he’s good enough to strike out batters, he should be able to get weak grounders whenever he wants. I thought that it was an absurd statement. Thoughts?
Klaw: I’ve said for a while now that there’s a chunk of the DFW media that is positively atavistic in its view of baseball and athletes in general. It’s embarrassing. Your host there doesn’t understand the first thing about the sport and shouldn’t be commenting on it.

Dale: Would you pay Reddick 4 year / $56 million for Josh Reddick. Reportedly that’s the ask and A’s countered 3 yr / $39 million. Cheers.
Klaw: I wouldn’t but i bet he’ll get it in free agency. The FA class this winter sucks and good Reddick is worth more than that.

Dave: I’m a Cubs fan, and I’m bothered by the Chapman trade. When Theo and Tom say they believe Chapman is a changed man, I believe that they believe it. Aroldis probably believes it himself. I don’t think anyone’s lying. But I wonder how differently that conversation might have gone if there’d been some women in the room. We hear about baseball’s struggles with racial diversity in management, but we don’t hear much about gender. Maybe this is willfully naive, but I’d feel better about this whole thing if it were a woman saying she was comfortable with the odds of Chapman re-offending.
Klaw: I think two things on this. One, if someone hits or throttles or otherwise abuses his wife or girlfriend and tells you six months later he’s a changed man, he’s full of shit. Two, there are no women in the room in baseball, and while you can certainly have men in the room who are thoughtful about issues like domestic violence or sexual assault, having a woman in the conversation would certainly change its tenor. I also wonder how often teams looking at acquiring a player like Chapman or Reyes talk to real subject-matter experts about the chances of rehabilitation vs recidivism.

Davis: Buster Olney has been pretty vocal recently about the Pirates shopping Melancon. While they are fighting for a wild card spot, it’s seems like one of those moves that really wouldn’t have much of an impact on that pursuit, and could land them a decent prospect. Would you deal him if you’re Neal Huntington, especially with how inflated the closer market is?
Klaw: He asked me about this on his podcast this morning and I agreed. Melancon’s a FA anyway and I doubt the Pirates intend to re-sign him. Trading him will have virtually no impact on their odds of winning a wild card spot, and with Nicasio pitching fairly well in relief you could argue they have a surplus.

Bret: Hey Keith – just curious who you would have as the Jays #1 prospect at the moment? Seems like there are a few names in that conversation (Reid-Foley, Urena, Alford, Greene)
Klaw: Alford, still.

Ron: Molitor is out of touch writing a line up and his love of bunting and playing gritty, hard nose players that aren’t any good(D. Santana). Last night down by 2 with 2 on in the 8th and no outs, he has their hottest hitter this year (Nunez) bunt and it didn’t turn out(surprise, surprise). The Pohlads scared off all potential GM candidates by saying Molitor is the manager in 2017. Why did they do that? I don’t think he will work with the young ones. Will you please take the job, Keith? They need a complete house cleaning, don’t you think? Thanks!!!
Klaw: I don’t understand why owners do this with their managers. The GM should have full autonomy to hire the manager he thinks is right for the job – and in Molitor’s case and in Counsell’s case in Milwaukee the evidence we have before us said that those guys were NOT right for the job. If I were GM there, I’d hire a manager who has actually managed somewhere before in pro ball. Novel concept, I know, but I’m way out the box like that.

Anonymous: Is John Coppolella in the top 5 GMs in baseball? Care to rank top 5?
Klaw: No, I do not care to rank the top any number of GMs.

Mike: Thoughts on Dylan Bundy’s return to the rotation? He seems to be showing good velo, three pitches and is generating lots of swinging strikes.
Klaw: Velo’s good. Curveball isn’t close to what it was. Arm swing looks more restricted than it did way back in HS. I’m just hoping he stays healthy – I think they’re asking a lot of a guy who hasn’t had a full season since 2012.

Ben: Keith, any thoughts on how MLB is handling the Jung Ho Kang Rape allegation?
Klaw: I don’t know anything about how they’re handling it – do you? We’ll see what comes out of it and how the league and team react.

Dave in Irvine: Royce Lewis. Is he probably drafted in the top half of the first round pick next June, the lower half of first round pick next June, or is going to end up at UC Irvine due to his advisor (Boras) thinking he could go higher in the draft in three years?
Klaw: I think he’s a first rounder right now, but wouldn’t get more specific than that. Remember Daz Cameron was a first-rounder, not a top 10 talent, but ended up with top ten money as a later pick.

Daniel Wexler: Keith, a prominent MLB pitcher voiced being pretty salty about being left off of prospect lists and critical analysis as a HS player/minor leaguer. What is your take on this? Have current/ex-players ever contacted you in regard to their displeasure with things you have said/written?
Klaw: A few, but the majority understand that what I do is not that dissimilar to what scouts do, and that a ranking or an evaluation is inherently impersonal. The players who do speak up about it tend to be immature, failing to understand that they are being evaluated all the time by lots of people they never see.

JB: A colleague of yours at ESPN wrote an article this week about each team’s “most untouchable players.” And while he limited it to minor league players for contending teams, he listed Bickford as the Giants untouchable player. Sorry for the roundabout way of asking, but does Bickford have any real trade value to headline a deal for a mid-level starter or corner outfielder for the Giants? Between the velocity drop and his issues in college, I don’t see him being very highly sought after
Klaw: That’s just wrong. I know from other teams that Bickford’s available right now.

JD: Have you gotten a chance to read Lila yet? Obama’s speech last night reminded me of Marilynne Robinson, with its quiet, homegrown patriotism and faith in humanity — I see why he has such an affinity for her. And Lila may be the best of the trilogy, IMO — looking forward to your review.
Klaw: I did and didn’t like it – worst of the trilogy IMO. Robinson’s prose is such a joy but she lost that in Lila’s voice.

Patrick: Keith, finding my balance with a Brewers question. Moving two former SP’s down to AA from Colorado Springs–smart move to help them mentally? Or false reinforcement for facing lower-quality hitters than they were facing in the bigs?
Klaw: Smart move. I said on Twitter to Tom Haudricourt that I bet they’ll reconsider sending top pitching prospects to Colorado Springs going forward.

Brad: Gleyber, Mateo, Judge, McKinney, Severino for Sale. Who says no?
Klaw: I hate these fake trade proposals in general, but why on earth would the Yankees do that?

Marco: Velocity is definitely an indicator of success for pitchers, however….while guys are running it up there 95-100, it seems the best guys, the ones who last a long time and provide a steady level of excellence, sit around 90-93 and ramp it up when they need it. Of course, they also have great command of many different pitches. Shouldn’t that tell teams that big strong oxes are great, but they need to spend more time evaluating the pitchability of guys, since there is already a glut of middle relievers with great arms, but not enough starters who can actually pitch?
Klaw: I think the missing variable in your statement is that guys who throw 95-100 can be extremely effective in short periods of time. They don’t last, but while they’re around, they tend to be really good. So if you’re focused on winning now, you don’t mind investing in assets like that. If you’re thinking long-term, then yes, maybe look at guys who aren’t blowing gas all the time, or who aren’t pitching at 100% effort, because it seems more and more like the hardest throwers are at the highest risk of injury.

Daniek: I saw your recent chat comments on Chris Shaw after he was promoted to Richmond. Want to know if you also paid much attention to Hinojosa and/or Duggar – two underperforming college players who’ve had early success and were promoted at the same time. Anything stand out or catch your eye?
Klaw: Not a big believer in any of those three.

Adam: So from what I gather…..Demerritte has Joey Gallo’s swing and miss without his power?
Klaw: No one has Gallo’s power. Demeritte has probably 70 power, and he can play second which Gallo could not.

Kurts: In a top 200 prospect list, off the top of your, about where would Szapucki rank?
Klaw: He’s probably going to end up on the top 100 this winter although I haven’t done any real work beyond the top 50 or so yet.

Alan: Can Dustin Peterson be an every day LF for Atlanta? He’s still just 21, hitting .293/.352/.442 at Double A in a pitcher’s league.
Klaw: I think he can hit. I don’t know if he’ll have quite enough power for everyday in LF but he’s good enough to give him that opportunity. Maybe he’s a high-doubles 15 HR guy who has a high enough OBP to make it all add up to regular status.

Jack: Has Lance McCullers’ dominance of late made you change your mind about the possibilities of him as a starter?
Klaw: No because it was never about his stuff, ever. People who think that was my concern on him either never read what I said or just made shit up.

Doug: Since he wasn’t worth a mention in you’re Upton trade write-up, did Padres pay too much of Uptons contract for Hansel?
Klaw: I thought so. Hansel’s 89-95, below average secondary stuff, good delivery, looks like a starter.

Drew: With Corey Ray’s recent struggles in Hi-A, how do you rank Ray, Senzel, Collins, and Groome for fantasy purposes?
Klaw: Probably right in that order top to bottom. Ray and Collins went right to high-A which is pretty unusual for college guys right out of the draft.

Jesse B: Strahm, Russell, and Blewett. Who looks the best? Who’s got the most upside?
Klaw: Strahm looks the best. I’ve heard Russell’s looked awful and Blewett not very good.

Nick L: Does Oscar De La Cruz have TOR upside? Your protege Eric L over at Fangraphs says future reliever, while some others have talked about a possible ace.
Klaw: Definitely not possible ace. Some starter potential. I’m more in line with Eric than the wishcasters who think he’s a top of the rotation guy.

Scherzer’s Blue Eye: Can you please inform people why don’t trade the #1/#2 prospect in all of baseball for a closer? Thank you, kind sir.
Klaw: If the Nats trade Giolito for a reliever when they already have a reliever of that caliber in Reynaldo Lopez they have lost their damn minds.

Ryan: How likely is it that Atlanta’s rebuild ends in disappointment, seeing that their #1 prospect has a limited ceiling, and all of the pitching prospects have some questions regarding either health or walk rates?
Klaw: Do you complain about the air pressure on a cloudless 78 degree day? Jeez.

Mike: Is Jahmai Jones MLB regular good, or are Angels fans just clinging to any prospect who might be even MLB worthy as a reserve?
Klaw: More than that. Potential star.

Josh in Vt.: Thank you for not sticking to baseball! Your recommendation of “Undeniable” is one everyone living in the real world should follow. Nye doing his own narration of the audiobook adds his incredible passion to the words.
Klaw: You’re welcome and I totally agree. Listening to Dan Barber’s The Third Plate now, also narrated by the author, which is definitely to the good.

Tom: Why is Jose Berrios still in AAA? Duffey was destroyed by Atlanta last night while Berrios had another QS in AAA.
Klaw: I don’t know. Their handling of Berrios has been baffling. Their handling of Buxton has been baffling. They are baffling.

Lyle: In 2015 under JackZ the Mariners farm system had a universally terrible year both in terms of team performances and individual performances (with maybe a couple exceptions). In 2016 under JerryD, the Mariners farm system is putting out playoff teams at virtually every level with a few pretty solid individual performances as well. So my question: how much of this attributable to the change in administration (including the difference in philosophy of promotion) and how much is attributable to just the randomness of a new year? (Feel free to expand as necessary.)
Klaw: The farm system isn’t that much better or even different than last year so I’d say it’s mostly randomness.

Tyler: Have you started The Night Of? I really like it so far through 3 epiosdes.
Klaw: Yep, I think it’s outstanding. I could do without the eczema storyline because it seems irrelevant and frankly doesn’t play well as humor. (I know it’s adapted from a UK series and the storyline was in the original.)

Mike Sixel: Would you rather have Kyle Gibson or Shelby Miller going forward?
Klaw: Miller. I’d absolutely see if the Dbacks would sell low on him now, try to reestablish his 2015 delivery, and recapture his value.

Anonymous: Hey Keith. I know you listed a while back an acronym to deal with anxiety/depression. (Involving a routine and medication if I remember correctly.) Would you mind sharing that again? Thanks.
Klaw: EMMET: Exercise, Meditation, Medication, Eating, Therapy. That’s not in order – therapy might be the most important of the five – but TEMEM doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Judlow: Thoughts on story Eireann Dolan posted re: brother? For dad like me of young autistic son, emotional roller coaster.
Klaw: I retweeted it because it was a great story, well written, and highly relevant with the Republican candidate for President finding it appropriate to mock a disabled person.

TJ: Am I the only person who loves seeing someone not on the top prospect lists make it and become an outstanding MLB player? Not because I like to see the experts look bad, but because it shows to other players not on those lists that it can be done…
Klaw: You’re not the only one. Seeing a low draft pick or Latin kid who signed for peanuts become a star is one of the joys of this business. You’re watching some 8-year-old’s backyard dream come true.

Drew: What kind of ceiling do you put on Delvin Perez?
Klaw: If the makeup improves he’s a potential All-Star. Defense, speed, we think some power, maybe not much OBP.

Raphael: How exactly did Mookie Betts end up being a fifth rounder? What’s changed for him since he was drafted?
Klaw: Multi-sport guy without a ton of baseball experience or present skills at the time of the draft. Great job by Red Sox scout Danny Watkins to know the kid well enough to say he’d learn quickly once he committed to baseball full-time.

addoeh: Your thoughts on Tim Kaine? He seems smart, reasonable, experienced, without any big controversy. Should he be at the top of the ticket?
Klaw: I just wondered how anyone smart, reasonable, experienced, and without any big controversy has lasted this long in politics.

Carl: Austin Riley has improved in recent months since the bad start. When you’re a guy that doesn’t have much bat speed, what are some ways to fix that? It can’t just a death sentence to a career, right?
Klaw: Don’t see a lot of guys with slider bat speed in the big leagues. I’d say you’re hoping that I’m wrong about him, not that his bat speed will suddenly improve.

Tom: Christin Stewart seems ready for a new challenge, any reason he’s still in A+?
Klaw: I’m not sure as most of the other high 2015 draft picks from college are in AA or higher already.

John: Do you think we could see Randy Arozarena in top 100 in near future (next preseason)?
Klaw: Next year? No.

Brandon: Is Brevard a better placement for Erceg? SSS and all, but he commented that he didn’t feel challenged in rookie ball.
Klaw: Yes, I think so. College product. Yes, NAIA, but still, college product, too old for rookie ball.

Ben: Saw you dig the new Jeff Beck tune. Who are some of your favorite guitar players?
Klaw: I’m all over the place. Beck, Page, Vai, Hendrix, and of course Prince.

Zac: Manuel Margot. Do you see him growing in to some home run power? I know i’m scouting the stats, but he only has 4 HR in the hitter friendly PCL (albeit with 10 triples which is amazing).
Klaw: No, not particularly, but I don’t think he’ll need HR to be valuable.

Andrew: Are you still as high on Brendan Rodgers as you were at the beginning of the season? Seems as though he has been struggling for Asheville as of late.
Klaw: He hasn’t played as well since the hamstring injury. I don’t think his outlook has changed.

Tony H: I know you said you saw Lynchburg recently. I’m curious what you thought of Yu-Cheng Chang and Francisco Mejia
Klaw: Mejia didn’t play; he was sick. Chang was a little disappointing at the plate.

Drew: Do you see Alec Mills’ stuff playing up in relief, or is he still on track to be a solid #4 starter?
Klaw: I didn’t have him on track to be a 4.

Pat: What is your preferred exercise for both keeping depression at bay, and generally staying in shape?
Klaw: Anything works for the brain. You just need to exercise to produce more endorphins and norepinephrine, both of which may improve mood.

Peet: What happened with Szapucky that he went from 149th pick to possible top-100 prospect in a year?
Klaw: Pitchers, dude.

bo: If Hillary Clinton were a man, she’d be up 20 points on The Donald right now, no?
Klaw: Probably. She’s not exactly problem-free as a candidate, though. She’s just running against the favorite of the Aryan Nations crowd.

Tom: As someone who works in the area of criminal law, the statistics (which I sadly don’t have at my disposal) are pretty clear that the recidivism rate for someone who commits a violent crime of the sort that Aroldis Chapman did and then is subsequently not punished are very high.
Klaw: Right, and my understanding from psychology research is that it’s even worse for sexual assault, which may be the result of a paraphilia for violence or coercion. But hey, he throws hard, so let him play!

Nick: Alex Reyes would be devastating in the bullpen right now correct? What is the holdup, the wildcard race will likely come down to 1 or 2 games
Klaw: Sounds like they think they might need him to start. I worry about the third pitch with him but his FB/CH might just be so good he can turn a lineup over twice anyway.

Sam: If Gary gains momentum and gets into the debates, would you consider voting for him? Frankly, I think Hillary wins no matter what, but I personally will vote Gary because I’m somewhat sick of the two party system and its movements towards the extremes
Klaw: I would have gladly voted Johnson in most years, but I’m specifically voting against Trump this year, which means voting HRC, even though in my state it’s essentially meaningless. I’ve never been one to claim that the country was in great peril if so-and-so didn’t win – we survived 8 years of Bush and 8 years of Obama and whatever you think of them the two couldn’t be more different – but this time I think the possibility of disaster (if Trump wins) is very real. And I won’t sit idly by and watch it happen without doing whatever little I can.

John: Can the Phillies get a prospect that will have more value than the potential draft pick they’d get for not trading Hellickson? Thanks.
Klaw: I would be afraid he’d take the QO. He’s not getting $16 million a year in free agency.

sean: O’s got anyone in their system that can help this year? Looking pretty thin (thanks Obama!).
Klaw: Don’t think so. Love Sisco, not a position where they need the help. Everyone else of note is farther away.

John: Is Blake Rutherford a GUY or just a guy?
Klaw: He’s a GUY.

Bob: I’m a guitar player who does not have a fraction of Prince’s talent, but I don’t think he’s the guitar player some give him credit for. He is flashy and has incredible speed but his solos are a bunch of intense bursts searching in vain for a cohesive musicality.
Klaw: Oh, I think he could do things with the instrument others couldn’t. The outro to “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” isn’t a function of technical virtuosity, but it’s more compelling than any of the shredding he did on other tracks.

Theo: Isn’t it likely that Gleyber is the #1 prospect in baseball soon? Seems like a steal for the Yankees even without the filler prospects.
Klaw: Likely? No.

Pete: How does Michael Fulmer compare to the up and coming prospects (Glasnow, Giolito, Urias) is his ceiling high enough to be considered as valuable?
Klaw: I’m a big Fulmer fan and he’s probably worth more right now than those three because he’s had 100 successful big-league innings, but bear in mind the .252 BABIP is probably not predictive.

Dave: Cleveland is looking at the Twins Nunez. Would Mike Clevinger be enough for him? Probably a low floor but should be a starter with 6 years of control. Twins need pitching and we won’t miss him.
Klaw: All-Star Eduardo Nunez! … who is hitting .269/.295/.394 since june 1st, because he’s not very good and my word he cannot play shortstop. Take whatever you can get.

Ian: It’s horrible but why can’t Theo simply say that he got Chapman b/c if the Cubs win the World Series it will put him in the HOF and immortalize him among front office names. It’s likely that Chapman can stay on the straight and narrow for a few more months and then he is someone else’s problem.
Klaw: We need a sea change in how executives and managers discuss players with DV incidents behind them. Even well-intentioned folks seem to struggle with how to talk about the players and the accusations. I’d much rather see people be more forthright: “We’re aware of the accusations that Aroldis Chapman hit his girlfriend and fired a gun into his garage wall. We as an organization do not condone this behavior in any fashion and we have made it clear to Aroldis that we will have zero tolerance for it while he is playing for us. We believe he can help us win a World Series, which is our goal here in Chicago and the main interest of all of our fans, but want to be clear that this in no way condones what Aroldis did. We will be working with such-and-such shelter for victims of domestic abuse, both financially and with our time, to reinforce our commitment to these ideals.” Maybe that’s not ideal but I think it stops dancing around the subject.

Frank: When do we shift our expectations for what Buxton will be? Which isn’t a way of saying we should now, but rather, how many more seasons like this before we settle on “rich man’s Rajai Davis”; 2? 3?
Klaw: I’d like to see him get an opportunity to play in another regime, in Minnesota or elsewhere, before I walk away from the immense natural talent here.

Marcus: So is Demeritte now the Braves’ best chance at producing a legit power bat? And can he challenge Albies for the 2B job?
Klaw: Albies is a much better prospect and is closer to the majors, but if he doesn’t work out for whatever reason, at least now there’s someone behind him with potential. And if Demeritte can cut his K rate to maybe 25% (a LONG way from where he is now), his bat would play anywhere.

Scott: Do you think there has been improvement in curbing antiobiotic use for meat production, or is it still as bad as its always been?
Klaw: I think we’re seeing improvement in the west but not globally.

Cole: Do you think there will be a time where we go back to seeing relievers throwing more than 100 innings a season? Even pushing upwards of 120-130 innnings? or is that just overworking them at that point?
Klaw: It’s not overworking them if they’re going 2-3 innings an outing and getting 2-3 days of rest between. But that’s a different pitching paradigm than the one under which we’re operating now.

X: Most of the best guitar players probably play death metal which none of us really want to listen to.
Klaw: I listen to quite a bit of it; those guitar players might be the fastest, but that’s not always the best.

Johnny: I’ve seen you refer to Richard Russo books in other reviews, but I don’t recall you reviewing his books. Which are your favorites?
Klaw: I’ve reviewed them all on the dish. Empire Falls, Straight Man, Nobody’s Fool, and The Risk Pool are all wonderful. I haven’t read Everybody’s Fool yet.

Nick: any thoughts on Brady McConnell at the UA game?
Klaw: Didn’t like his swing, late trigger. Flew out to right and then struck out on a fastball up.

Nick: Rangers have interest in Velasquez – is there any incentive for the Phillies to trade him other than being blown away by an offer?
Klaw: Yes, because he has literally no history of staying healthy.

Ken T: Late to the chat today and I just saw your comment about the best guitar players. Your list was good, but how could you leave off Eric Clapton? I’ve heard him in concert and left knowing I could just listen to him play for hours on end.
Klaw: I’ve just never particularly liked his output post-Cream.

Marshall: Daniel Palka…any chance of being even a solid starting big leaguer, or just a 4-A type of player?
Klaw: I think he’s an up and down guy or bench player.

George: Derek Hill has been healthy and has put together a season that has been a huge improvement over the previous two. Is he figuring out how to hit at the professional level, or is his improvement more due to being healthy? Also, can we expect him to advance rather quickly toward Detroit if he continues to hit, since his glove is already big league quality?
Klaw: He hasn’t, though; his season looks a lot like 2015’s, and after a little streak of success in June he’s reverted to not getting on base and of course isn’t showing power. I don’t know that he’s made any progress at all this year, and that’s unfortunate because I like his swing a lot and as you said he’s a legit CF.

sean: Remember when Adam Eaton stabbed himself in the stomach opening a copy of Happy Gilmore? Is that, or Glenallen Hill falling down the stairs running away from dream spiders, the weirdest baseball player injury?
Klaw: Didn’t Rich Gossage throw out his back sneezing? And I remember something about Kevin Appier having a weird reason for the fall that injured his shoulder.

Nick: Is the price being paid for relievers a market inefficiency? It seems fairly easy to create good relievers with failed starters and then flip them 2-3 years later for good prospects?
Klaw: I guess the counterargument would be that teams like the Cubs or Nats need those guys NOW and can’t wait the 2-3 years. You pay the farmer in June for the strawberries he planted in April.

Marshall: Debates about “best guitar” player are always entirely subjective. Is anyone going to claim that Yngwie Malmsteen is the best guitar player ever because he could play really fast and technically perfect?
Klaw: George Lynch is kind of pissed you went Yngwie instead of him.

Mike: Jorge Mateo ends up at short or 2nd base?
Klaw: I think the bigger question is how much he’ll hit.

Jon: Any chance we see Jorge Alfaro in the majors this year?
Klaw: I think so since he’s already on the 40-man.

Ron: How much do you think Brunansky and/or Molitor have screwed up Sano and Buxton at the plate. Just leave them alone to get comfortable in their own way. It looks like Sano has regressed this year. Seems like all their rookies have a better track record in the minors and then lose it at the Major league level. Is it the coaching at the MLB level? I hope they leave Kepler alone and just let him develop. Mauers toast.
Klaw: Yes, I think it’s the coaching staff, which is yet another reason I don’t like the owner saying Molitor etc were staying. If the new GM walks in and says, hey, these guys are actively hurting our organization by mishandling players, then you freaking fire them.

Derek: Any thoughts about why Giolito didn’t miss many bats in his 11 inning MLB stint?
Klaw: It’s 11 innings.

Jon: I am thinking about making Thanksgiving dinner for my extended family this year. How difficult (and how many days of prep) is it to pull off the entire meal?
Klaw: I’ve done this many times. I usually start stuff on Monday, do the majority of the prep and cooking Wednesday, and set it up so that I’m not doing much on Thursday other than the final cooking and reheating. Then I take a nap.

Steve: 30 year old investing for retirement. Best best is just indexing funds with a mix between a US Stock market tracking, Int’l market tracking, and a broad bond fund? Weighted more toward the equity funds for now and shifting over time towards bond fund?
Klaw: I’ve always gone with index funds because that’s what all the research says to do. Paying anyone to pick stocks or funds for you is just money down the toilet because no one seems to be able to beat the market consistently. (I suppose if you’re very wealthy and have access to private equity investments or arbitrageurs that may not be true.)

Miguel: I respect your stance on DV. Do you think that it precludes you from realistically worjking in a front office again? You are essentially enforcing a lifetime ban for an accusation, no less a conviction.
Klaw: One, I don’t care if it precludes me from anything. Two, I’m not enforcing a “ban” by saying I wouldn’t sign such a player. I don’t smoke; that isn’t enforcing a ban on tobacco.

Cole: Do you think AJ Reed has quick enough hands to be successful at the MLB level?
Klaw: It’s a concern. I think he can do enough else that it won’t matter, but it is his one real weakness at the plate.

JDinHtown: Francis Martes, still a potential #2 starter or has his up and down year dropped him in your estimation. Still pretty young for AA.
Klaw: Don’t think it’s changed the evaluation other than that he might be further away from MLB value than I thought.

sean: What about that guy that made his guitar talk? His guitar SPOKE ENGLISH!!!
Klaw: wasn’t that Steve Vai?

Joe: Remember when you said Trevor Bauer would be better than Gerrit Cole? You stink. Oh wait, that was just everyone scouting the UCLA stats, my bad.
Klaw: People got angry over that one.

Danny: People vote based on emotion and their money. If wages don’t jump significantly over the next few months and ISIS keeps attacking people, we are going to have President Trump…..meaning, we are going to have President Trump, and the only people to blame for it are Obama and Hillary who messed up the middle east so much that Trump could create that fear among the masses.
Klaw: I agree with the first half of your statement, but US policy in the Middle East has been bad for probably 40-plus years now. And the invasion of Iraq in particular has been a giant fiasco for us across the board, financially and politically, and probably contributed to our unwillingness to act quickly in Syria. I’m nowhere close to an expert on this stuff but pinning our Middle East failures on the last 8 years seems awfully shortsighted.

Kyle: Any chance Heyward becomes a defensive replacement in Sept / Oct if he can’t manage to show some signs of life at the plate? If you have him and Montero / Ross + a pitcher in the lineup that’s three free outs.
Klaw: I don’t know if they’d do it but if he can’t start to drive the ball at all they should consider it.

Zapp: Would you say Profar is fully back? Obviously he missed two years of development, but did all the tools survive the injuries?
Klaw: The bat is certainly still there, although playing inconsistently isn’t helping.

Darryl: Is Bruce still on the Reds come next Tuesday?
Klaw: I can’t imagine he is. That would be a failure.

Johnny: If Tim Raines gets into the Hall next year, who is the #1 injustice among those not in the HOF?
Klaw: Lou Whitaker. Raines had better get in though.

Jason: Do you get extra enjoyment when you are more right about a prospect then any of your fellow prospect writers?
Klaw: Nah, guys like Callis and Mayo and Longenhagen are my friends and we all know we’ll get some guys right and some guys wrong.

Fito: Does Isan Diaz have all star potential?
Klaw: Best case scenario, sure. Not his most likely outcome.

Dallas Comegys: Apologies. It’s only 26 games and he’s older than the competition but Cody Thomas has 8d, 2t, 10hr plus at BP there is video of him beating out a routine GB to SS. Have you heard anything new about him since this performance. The lack of prior playing experience makes me ask the question despite the caveats
Klaw: He’s 21 in short season. Ignore it.

Alex: What are your thoughts on Ronald Guzman-could he be something special? Seems to be having a breakout year
Klaw: He is, now that he’s healthy, and apparently he’s developed some real patience at the plate too. Good chance for an everyday 1b, maybe a very good one.

Anonymous: What is your scouting report on Thomas Szapucki?
Klaw: He’s 92-96 with a plus curveball. I’m glad they started him off slowly but if he keeps missing bats like this they’ll have to move him up to challenge him and develop his command.

YMan: Have you watched Dylan Cease pitch in person this year? Reports are he’s lighting up the radar gun, but without much control. Do you have a sense on his realistic potential now that he’s pitching again?
Klaw: I haven’t in part because he’s hurt again.

Jason: Should I be down on Glasnow after his first 2 starts?
Klaw: You shouldn’t be down on any prospect after two starts, because it’s two starts.

Klaw: That’s all for this week – thank you as always for all of your questions and for reading. I’ll be in Bristol on Monday for the trade deadline TV special. There may not be a chat next week but if there is I’ll post it on Twitter and Facebook. Thanks again.