Klawchat, 8/26/16.

Starting at 1 pm ET. Questions go in the frame below, not in the comments!

My latest boardgame review for Paste looks at Tak, a game derived from Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles novels.

Klaw: Singing love songs can’t begin to fill your day, so try Klawchat.

Aaron C.: Apologies if you’ve addressed this already, but do you have a vote in any of the BBWAA awards this year?
Klaw: I have NL ROY again. Which is fine – it fits my job, certainly – although I think it’s funny that I’ve been sequestered from other votes.

Dave: I see you linked to the boardgame based on the Kingkiller books – have you read them? Thoughts? Personally I dont see any way there can only be 3 books…..
Klaw: No, I haven’t. Overlong fantasy novels are generally not my thing. But the game, Tak, is good, especially for something that was designed out of someone else’s fictional concept.

Steve G.: Hey Keith, so far, the results have been kind of OK for Dylan Bundy, despite the condition of his shoulder. What would you do if you were the Baltimore GM? Just have him start for as long as he can, knowing it might only be a year or two? Try to keep him in the pen? Thanks!
Klaw: I don’t know the correct answer for keeping him healthy, but I’ve noticed the last few starts that they’ve pushed him harder than I would have, and his stuff in his last three outings hasn’t looked like it did in the previous three or four. Perhaps the answer is he will always be plagued by arm trouble and they should just get what they can out of him. I think they are also so short of starting pitching – aside from whatever you’d call Bundy, they have one effective starter healthy right now – that they may feel they have no choice.

Alex: Gary Sanchez, is he for real? What can we expect from him going forward? Is he the next Posada?
Klaw: For real as in going to hit 9 homers every 20 games, probably not. But I have ranked him I think four straight years on the top 100, once pointing out that if he could stay at catcher he’d have MVP upside. That appears to be happening now.

Greg: One of the big bugaboos for Dom Smith until now (aside from lack of power) had been that he simply did not walk enough. That being said, he now has 11 walks in his last 11 games. This all aside from the fact that he’s mashing everything in sight. How excited should we be getting for him? Has he finally reached his potential?
Klaw: The amount of stat-line scouting on Smith the last few years was just comical. He was a young HS senior with a great swing, great feel to hit, and plus raw power. The Mets put him right into full-season ball, and he didn’t put up huge numbers right away, so the fake-scouting started – but he was never overmatched, never really struggled, always made contact, and if you saw him or talked to folks who did you knew he was working on going the other way because his pull power wasn’t resulting in HR. I could rant for a while but I’ve always thought he was at least an above average overall player at 1b and I still think that’s what he’ll be.

Michael Easter: There have been a lot of critical articles written about Jeff Luhnow and the Astros lately. What is your take on the Astros front office and the decisions they have made?
Klaw: He’s an easy target, especially since they’re playing well but not playoff well. They’re also a very young, very inexpensive team that is going to be highly competitive for several years to come.

Bill Center: Pads Luis Urias the next Altuve?
Klaw: Don’t see it. I like Urias but his body type is nothing like Altuve’s.

Biscuit: Read a few reports last year that Adam Engel had made some swing changes in the AFL with great results, allowing him to finally unlock some of his hit tool. Have you heard whether those changes have stuck? Stat line does not seem to indicate any sort of improvement.
Klaw: I thought it was a dubious claim and that his tools overall were too light for him to have any impact.

Derek: Scouting report on Trea Turner in CF?
Klaw: If you can run like that, you can play CF. And his routes have looked good so far.

Eric: With Duda likely to be non-tendered, do you think Smith will be ready for 1B for the Mets next year?
Klaw: I think that would be aggressive.

Biscuit: Given how far medicine has advanced it still amazes me how little recourse we have against common cold viruses. Is this truly an inability to develop treatments, or simply a decision to allow our bodies to fight them naturally in order to minimize viral evolution (like how we minimize antibiotic use).
Klaw: I think the problem is that there aren’t just a few common cold viruses, but three species with over a hundred serotypes. You may have more distinct viruses in your nose in one infection than there have been primate species in the entire history of life on earth. So, between that and the fact that colds rarely kill, it’s not going to be an efficient use of research time or money.

Timmy: It’s only 10 IP in the bigs, i know, i know, but Matt Strahm looks great. He’s only thrown a few changeups – understandable in a relief role – but those few have looked pretty good including the whiff of Realmuto last night. His fastball is leading MLB in whiffs/swing, the curve looks nasty and his walk rates in the minors and MLB this year have been strong. Can he hold down a rotation spot next year, and what should reasonable expectations be?
Klaw: I think he has the three pitches to start. Saw him in Wilmington last year and while it’s a little funky for the rotation I’d absolutely let him do it.

Matt: Any idea around what date Crawford and your draft top 30 is coming out? -Padres fan
Klaw: We’ve had to push it back a little with other stuff running on the site.

Chris K.: Michael Kopech is on a pretty ridiculous run right now. What are the odds that he remains a starter long term (putting injuries aside)?
Klaw: How many guys who throw that hard – okay, almost that hard – have lasted as starters? Syndergaard has. Strasburg didn’t maintain his fastball although he’s worked out very well. Eovaldi throws that hard and needs a whole new arm. So you can argue that Kopech has so few comparables that we don’t know, or that the few comparables we have say he’s at very high risk if he remains in the rotation. But I’d still rank him fairly aggressively even with the risk because it’s an 80 fastball and he’s athletic enough that I think he can improve in other areas to at least profile as a starter.

Brent: Is there something fundamentally flawed with Minnesota’s player development (looking at Berrios, Sano, Buxton, etc.), or is this just normal growing pains / the inherent unpredictability in prospects. I know projecting prospects is inherently a difficult task, but it just feels like there’s got to be more here…the player development seems fundamentally flawed. Thoughts? How do you even go about fixing something like this?
Klaw: I think the hitters’ issues are more the coaching staff – and I’ve mentioned that before – but with Berrios, look at all the pitching prospects who’ve come up this year and struggled out of the chute. It’s not just him and not just the twins.

Will: Brando Nimmo is scorching lefties at Triple A this year. Now we’re talking about 116 plate appearances in Vegas, but have you heard any reports that this aspect of his game has improved?
Klaw: It’s Vegas. Someone pointed out to me on Twitter that Nimmo’s AAA stats were better than Seager’s. The ballpark destroys any value in the stats.

Jesse: I know you’re not a football fan, but do you have any thoughts on the Joey Bofa situation?
Klaw: You really think I just fell off the turnip truck?

John: Anything to the s guys the Braves got in the Francoeur deal?
Klaw: Nope, org guys.

Chris: Can’t make it to the chat today because of work, but should the Angels trade Andrelton Simmons this winter? I imagine there would be a lot of interest, and it logistically makes more sense than trading Trout.
Klaw: If the mandate from the owner is to build the best possible team around Trout, then no.

Marty: Who do you take going forward, Gary Sanchez or Willson Contreras?
Klaw: Gosh, I like both. A lot. Probably Contreras because he’s the better athlete and I think will end up the better receiver, but Sanchez’s bat is pretty special and he wouldn’t be the wrong answer.

Dave M: Who are your top 5 current contenders for NL MVP?
Klaw: Right now I think it’s Bryant or Seager.

Nelson: Just statistically speaking, there must be some pitchers today that can handle Cy Young’s workload (400+ IP) over a career and not have any injuries, right?
Klaw: Doubtful given how much harder pitchers throw today.

Eric W: Addison Russell has tapped into some major power in the 2nd half and is now on pace for around 25HR. And he’s 22. What do you think his power ceiling is at this point? Has he raised it?
Klaw: Given his hand strength 25 HR/season would not surprise me. I think overall he’s developing into the player I thought he’d be (I mean, he’s doing it NOW).

JWP: Any guesstimate as to when/if Shoehi Ohtani comes to MLB?
Klaw: Absolutely none. I assume he will because it’s in his financial interest to do so, but he could choose to stay home as long as he wants and I wouldn’t question it.

Michael Conforto: Why am I in Las Vegas? And why would you put me at first base or centerfield?
Klaw: You’re in Vegas because the Mets’ manager hates youth so much he watches the Little League World Series and boos the television.

Bruce K: My kids are 7 and 13. Can you recommend some board games that will be simple enough for my youngest but still challenging for the rest of the family? Its tough finding games the whole family can play together.
Klaw: The 7-year-old is the gating factor here – but I think there are plenty of good Euros that someone that age can handle. I always suggest Ticket to Ride to start. I think Splendor is simple and elegant enough for that age – the rules are 2 pages, which is a great sign.

Eric W: Have you gotten to vote for CY Young since your somewhat famous (and correct) 2009 vote?
Klaw: Nope, ROY every year since but one (Manager). Never had an MVP vote.

Kevin: Do you think David Ross has what it takes to be a solid manager without getting coaching exp first?
Klaw: I would answer that by asking how big league managers without any prior managing experience have fared overall.

Anonymous: Kyle Higashioka has had a breakout season for the Yanks. Has he turned into a real prospect or is it just a case of being old for his level?
Klaw: Where does he play? He can hit some but I don’t know at what position.

CL: Hey Keith, lot of talk about figuring out ways to make baseball relevant/interesting for young people. What would you do to generate more appeal for the game (both the sport and MLB)? Thanks.
Klaw: The one thing I wouldn’t do is start changing the core product. That will just start an endless cycle of trying to predict consumer tastes. I think getting players out there more in marketing efforts and in the community is huge – MLB has long had trouble marketing its stars, and when it does so it often focuses too much on one or two players. Of all of the ideas Manfred floated recently about altering the game itself, the only one I liked was reducing pitching changes, because they create so much dead time and I’m not even sold that they’re an effective strategy on the whole.

Lyle: I saw where a sportswriter was advocating that the Olympics should be cancelled just a few weeks before they were due to start. Given the lack of disasters related to Zika, sewage, etc. what would say to that sportswriter now?
Klaw: If you saw the VICE piece on what a disaster the Rio Olympics really were, you’d say he was right. Brazil would be better off if the games had never happened. I hope we never have another Olympics here in the US unless the IOC wants to pay to build everything.

Brian: Desmond Lindsay has a 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio and an OPS near 1.000 for Brooklyn. Does he project as a big league regular? What is his ceiling?
Klaw: That’s a long way off to be focusing on his stats but I happen to think he is a future regular with a star ceiling because of his speed and athleticism.

Ben: Did your pitching tools piece get posted yet? Realize I may have just missed it.
Klaw: Yes, it’s up.

JP: Reds fans are drooling over Senzel’s performance in Dayton so far. But isn’t this what he SHOULD be doing against A-ball pitching?
Klaw: Yes, exactly. It’s great to see, but I don’t think it tells us anything about him we didn’t already know. Dude can hit.

Brian: I asked you this on Twitter last night prior to Loney being unable to put his foot on first base last night. How many would Conforto have to be defensively at first to be a worse all around player than Loney? Would he have to drop 50% of the balls thrown to him? Tackle Thor mid windup?
Klaw: It doesn’t matter. Terry won’t play Conforto unless he can show a birth certificate that says he’s 30.

Tom: Keith, the government (FDA) advises that American’s eat too much sodium. I recall you writing years ago that sodium is not harmful. How do you choose to follow science in some areas (global warming), but ignore it in other areas (nutrition)?
Klaw: I love these questions. Your mistake is that you assume that what the government (FDA) says is founded in science, when it’s not. There is no scientific research supporting the position that consuming salt is harmful to people with normal blood pressure. The government (FDA and USDA, I believe) also claimed for years that a high fat diet was harmful in spite of evidence that it’s sugar, not fat, behind our rising incidence of heart disease, obesity, and possibly (although it’s very complicated) certain cancers.

Archibald Meatpants: How long until you are in Williamsport, analyzing the slash lines of 12 year olds and giving up future projections for them?
Klaw: When is hell scheduled to freeze over?

Colin: On twitter you expressed disdain for xFIP. What’s the problem with it?
Klaw: Doesn’t work. It’s an experimental (x) stat that has not panned out in reality. It doesn’t predict what it was supposed to predict. Don’t use it.

Tom: Do you get to watch a lot of Cubs games? If so, what are your thoughts on Baez v. Russell at ss? I swear that Baez has better range and a much stronger arm, and that Russell should move to second instead. I acknowledge that they are both very very good, but Baez makes some ridiculous plays.
Klaw: Russell’s less flashy and more consistent. Baez does have the better arm. At a position that handles that many balls in play, I’d rather have the guy who’s probably going to make more plays in total.

Petey: Has there been anyone since you have been in the business that you saw as nothing more than an org guy, yet worked their way into becoming a big league regular?
Klaw: Oh yes, probably quite a few. Think of it this way: I rank 100 players in every draft class, but no draft that I can remember has produced even 40 big league regulars … and that list always includes a few players taken beyond the fifth round. So right there you will have players I know and chose not to rank who ended up several grades better than I said or implied they would be.

Philip: Quantrill or Puk at this point?
Klaw: I talked to two scouts who saw Quantrill in the last month, and based on that, I’d take him. But I have not seen Quantrill, ever, so I’m comparing scouts’ reports on him to my own looks at Puk (too many).

Scherzer’s Blue Eye: What are your thoughts on Bochy leaving Moore in for 133 pitches last night, chasing the no-hitter?
Klaw: I was asleep, so i didn’t see it and don’t know how he looked or if he was showing signs of fatigue. Given his injury history, I’d handle him fairly cautiously.

Steve: Does a team like the braves have any sort of impetus to keep the “rookie eligibility (under 130 abs?)” intact for a guy like swanson so he could potentially be ROY in 2017? Marketing opp?
Klaw: There’s a disincentive to do so because a player who wins ROY gets paid more in arbitration.

Frank: What do you make of “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings”? Kudos to U of C, right?
Klaw: What they said in their letter was generally positive. Unfortunately it appears that what they say and what they do are not quite the same thing; a former student body president at U of C had some things to say about this on Twitter last night that, if true, put the university in a very poor light on subjects like sexual assault.

Preston: What teams do you think have the most to gain from their September call ups?
Klaw: Who’s getting called up? I couldn’t give you five prospects of any significance whom I think will be recalled next week who haven’t already been up. Most of the guys who matter are up already. Teams aren’t waiting till September for that, and we don’t see many prospects recalled in September if they’re not going to play regularly … so teams just call them up whenever the opportunity arises, September or August or July or whenever that may be.

John: He wasn’t on anyone’s midseason list but Luiz Gohara has some pretty interesting numbers. What’s the skinny on him?
Klaw: Nothing skinny about him. Picture a young CC Sabathia arm with a mid-20s CC Sabathia build. It’s legit though – kid’s got big velo and a potential hammer.

Tom: Britton gave up an earned run — gasp! Should we assume the narrative voters are deserting him now?
Klaw: Plus he’d given up a run in June so the streak was basically accounting bullshit anyway.

JP: Is defensive WAR largely a product of chance, in addition to ability? I see certain guys dWAR fluctuate wildly from year to year, but I can’t imagine their innate skill set diminshes or improves all that much over the course of a year.
Klaw: It’s the product of chance in the sense that the set of balls in play a fielder might get to field in a given year is totally beyond his control, and it will vary from year to year.

A: Help me understand why my Phillies are calling up Alfaro now? I thought they were making it a priority only to call guys up when they could stay up.
Klaw: They only have three catchers on the 40-man. One is Rupp. One is Ellis, who isn’t physically with the team yet. The third is Alfaro, so he gets the call.

Brian: Why did you say Arrieta is second in command? He has been walking a ton of batters this year and I think teams have figured out how to get his pitch count high.
Klaw: Because it’s not a list of who’s done what in 2016 as if nothing before that ever happened. (Also, I thought about making a VP joke here but I figured I should just answer the question.)

John: When’s the next spotify list coming?
Klaw: I do them at the beginning of every month.

Jon: Reds have looked good since All Star break, What do you think are the chances they can compete in 2017?
Klaw: Zero. Less than zero, if that’s possible.

Bruce K: Lewis Brinson has been off to a great start since being traded to the Brewers though he is in a huge hitters park. How do you project him and when will he be in Milwaukee?
Klaw: He’s in a huge hitters’ park and I don’t think anything has changed about him at all. He could debut at some point next year, and I think his defense will carry him for a while but he’ll probably have a year or two of excessive strikeout rates before he becomes the sort of complete player I project, with All-Star upside because he has 30-homer power.

Matt: Faedo or Lange currently top college pitcher in 17 draft?
Klaw: Faedo or Wright or Houck but Lange is not in their class at all.

Lyle: Overall? Sure. The Olympics are a big money drain and the higher-ups are very corrupt. But once you’ve spent the money, it would have been an even bigger disaster to the Brazilian economy to not then hold the games.
Klaw: Would it? They spent a ton of money to operate the games, such as security costs. They would have done better had they skipped the bid and simply handed out the $20 billion they spent to their citizens.

A’s Brand Merlot: A’s got a good return for a pitcher whose name I can’t spell, right?
Klaw: Eh, he’s fine. Nice return for a lefty specialist. Not a significant prospect, more a college guy beating up A-ball pitchers.

Tom: In your opinion, who will make more plays at ss, Russell or Baez? Sorry for the follow-up but your answer was a bit unclear.
Klaw: Russell.

Brian: Do you limit your sugar intake given your love of pies, oreos and dining out?
Klaw: At a certain point the questions about what i eat border on “none of your business.”

Tim: Winker’s power this year is zippo (though he is coming off a wrist injury). Still project him as at least an avg regular in LF or having second thoughts?
Klaw: Wrist injuries sap power. No change.

Brad: I have made several pies now. Fillings always turn out. But I have been hit and miss with the crust. Any tips?
Klaw: Without knowing what recipe you’re using and what kind of pie dish I can’t give you any advice.

Bob: What bothered me about Moore throwing 133 pitches last night is the continued fascination everyone seems to have with the no-hitter. Garbage pitchers have had a great day (along with some luck) and thrown a no-hitter. It ignores walks (Moore had 3 last night). And it forces managers to manage in a way that elevates the stats of one player above the team. That was proved last night when Moore was removed immediately after giving up a hit. Bochy didn’t risk the game last night, but if Moore’s arm can’t recover, he may have jeopardized other games. The goal is to win games not give a player a thrill.
Klaw: Bud Smith! Jose Jimenez! I agree, I love no-hitters as a fan but their importance as entertainment is not connected to their importance as a game in the standings.

David: During this chats, how many questions are about baseball, politics including health policy and vaccination, and just pure hate?
Klaw: The pure hate mostly went away when ESPN ended the chats and I started them up over here.

JJ: Who was your favorite player when you were a kid?
Klaw: Willie Randolph.

JR: Regarding interest in baseball for young kids – I think it’s still very strong. the little league team my son played on last season continues to grow and add more teams/kids. This fall he will be joining a club team and there is tons of interest. One area that should be concerning to MLB is making the game available for minorities/lower income families. It’s expensive. I’m fortunate that I can afford it for my son, but I’m sure many cannot.
Klaw: That’s especially the travel ball problem. You shouldn’t have to spend thousands of dollars for your kid to play baseball.

JR: You still watching “The Night of?” The pilot was excellent, but I feel like the quality has been dropping off each week.
Klaw: I haven’t had time since episode 3. I’ll pick it up again soon.

Brian: Would you trade Trout if you ran the Angels? I imagine a Herschel Walker situation where a star player brings so much in return that it lays the foundation for success? If you can get a TOR pitcher, and four good-great bats, isn’t it a deal you have to do if you aren’t a contender and your minor league roster sucks?
Klaw: If the owner would permit it, yes, because I don’t see another way to make this team good before his contract is up.

Jonah: Austin Meadow or Lewis Brinson?
Klaw: Meadows because I think he has a more advanced feel for the strike zone. Brinson has more power and is the better defender.

Jay: Have you changed your opinion on Chad Kuhl? Seems to be adjusting well to the majors
Klaw: He has a 4.22 FIP and lefties are hitting him hard, so, no.

Chris: How should someone assess a guy like Brian Dalbec, who looked like a solid, if risky and unspectacular, prospect before the year, had a terrible college season in not-so-many at bats, and a terrific start to his pro career in even fewer at bats? Split the baby?
Klaw: He’s changed his swing quite a bit already, so I’m a little more optimistic about him now than I was in June.

Brad: Follow up: I have been using shortening, butter, flour, water recipe for the crust. Switched from glass to metal dishes on the last pie.
Klaw: I prefer tempered glass and Stella Parks (@thebravetart on Twitter) recommends them too. Her all-butter recipe is pretty easy to work with and produces a pliable dough, but I’ve used shortening and butter like you do and have had success. I use the food processor to mix in the fat, then add the water (ice cold) by hand with a rubber spatula. Handle gently and don’t let the fats melt. I hope any of that helps.

Len: You don’t want to answer all food questions? Seems like you want to have your cake (pie) and eat it to.
Klaw: I’m happy to answer food questions.

Elton: Have you ever thought about designing a board game?
Klaw: Yes. I need the time. I have 2-3 ideas kicking around in my head. GenCon was an eye-opener in two ways: on the one hand, there are a TON of games in the market already, but on the other hand, the barrier to entry is as low as it’s ever been.

Biscuit: I feel like water temperature is almost always the issue with pie crust…needs to be ice cold.
Klaw: Yep, no question. And on warm days I will put an ice pack on the part of the marble counter where I expect to roll out the dough.

Dave: Have you ever used a Big Green Egg or other ceramic grill? Thoughts?
Klaw: I have not but Jason Grey (RIP) always raved about his BGE.

Graig, MN: In the past you’ve said you didn’t think Seager was too big for SS and wouldn’t stick; how long do you think he stays there?
Klaw: He’s looked great there. He’s defying history every time he takes the field there.

Albert: Keith, I think the unwritten rule (except in rare cases of total dominance) that the MVP must come from a contender is stupid and unfair. Do you agree and if so would you be willing to write a blistering post about it like your piece about the Diamondbacks front office?
Klaw: I’ve done that. Hasn’t worked.

Harry: If Global warming was proven to be 95% increased solar activity and 5% humans, would you be more upset (because we can’t really change it) or relieved that it wasn’t caused by humans?
Klaw: Woof. I think more upset that we’re kind of screwed.

Josh: Do you think Austin Slater could be an everyday outfielder? Is his recent power surge in Sacramento sustainable?
Klaw: Probably not an everyday guy. Five of his 12 HR in AAA came in a series at Reno, which is 4500 feet above sea level. But I like his swing and think he’s a big leaguer.

Pete: Do you like Josh Bell at 1B? All star potential?
Klaw: All-Star potential with the bat. Hoping for ‘tolerable’ with the glove.

Matt K: Jake Bauers or Dom Smith? Numbers @ AA this year are nearly identical. 4 months apart in age. Who do you like more and why?
Klaw: Smith. Way better fielder, far more raw power.

Chris: I live in Nevada, a state where there was a civil war last legislative session to slightly raise taxes to help fund education in a state where education is among the worst in the nation. However, these same legislators seem to have no issue giving one of the world’s richest people $750M in tax money on the Raiders’ stadium. Why are our representatives always so bedazzled by building sports stadiums with public money?
Klaw: Because there’s little reward in improved education but big reward in building a stadium. Elected officials will do what they need to do to get reelected. And as long as people vote like they do today this won’t change.

Jack: I am really confused on your opinion on Kuhl. So your saying no chance of sticking as a starter? Not even a No. 5?
Klaw: Why are you confused? If you can’t get lefties out, teams will stack their lineups with lefties, and you’ll end up a reliever.

Jace Peterson: Would the Braves giving Albies a Sept call up serve any valuable purpose?
Klaw: No, since he’s not on the 40.

Gabe: Mr. Law, what do you make of the season that Greinke has had? How concerned, if at all, should Arizona be?
Klaw: Well, signing Greinke, who really relies on his fielders, after Andy Green left for San Diego, leaving Arizona without any plan for another coach to handle shifting and positioning, wasn’t a terribly good idea and isn’t Greinke’s fault.

Anthony: When selecting questions, do you tend to go more for questions posted during the chat or questions posted before? I know you get a ton and there is no way of answering all of them, but just trying to work the odds so my question has a better chance of getting answered. Although, I could always just ask a better question…
Klaw: I look at all of them. It’s much easier in this format than it was on ESPN.

Harold Bloom: Was a little surprised by the title of your book, if only because the snarky sort of “kill the win” stuff seems very 1) Sabrmetric 1.0 and 2) designed to appeal to fans who already think the way you do. Why do that route?
Klaw: The subtitle was the publisher’s idea, not mine, and I don’t think it’s set in stone either.

Rick: But Swanson wasn’t on the 40 man either until they decided to call him up.
Klaw: They needed a shortstop after Aybar was traded.

Scrapper: What would you set the over/under at for Steven Matz’s innings pitched next season?
Klaw: Probably 125. He has great ability and no history of staying healthy for full seasons.

A’s Brand Merlot: Hope Solo suspended and fired for calling opponents “cowards.” Your thoughts? Would a man be suspended for such?
Klaw: Actually she was fired for multiple violations of team policies, after something like five or six warnings.

Mike: Think the Rangers catch lightning in a bottle with Carlos Gomez? What happened to that guy?
Klaw: His approach melted, and he got thicker. The former can be fixed – stop swinging out of your shorts every time – but the latter isn’t changing before the end of the season.

Lee: What’s the typical recovery period for an ACL/ MCL tear? Worried that Benintendi could be out a lot of next season as well.
Klaw: I think about nine months but I still don’t see anything about him having a ligament tear.

Franklin: Have we reached the point in our society that Ben Franklin predicted: When elected officials utilize their influence to create more power for themselves, the whole system will crumble?
Klaw: I think we reached it a little while ago, at least the first half of it.

Mike: Would you put Reyes in rotation or leave him to the bullpen for the year?
Klaw: A few starts in September wouldn’t be a bad idea if they have the flexibility to do so (e.g., they’ve already clinched a wild card spot). It can help set him up to start for them next year.

Mike: Any hope that Bird can learn to play a ‘tolerable’ first base with major league coaching?
Klaw: He was really bad there before the injury. I thought he was far more likely to end up a DH.

Rick: The Braves could have played any combination of d’Arnaud, Jace, and Beckham at SS, as they had been the many times they sat Aybar. If it doesn’t make sense to bring up Albies just because he’s not on the 40 man, I’m not seeing how the logic is any different with Swanson.
Klaw: Except none of those guys is even a remotely capable shortstop. You’re running young guys out on the mound; you can’t put a 40 defender at short behind them. And if you want Swanson to be your OD shortstop in 2017, you call him up now to get him some reps.

Mike: Another thing regarding Hope Solo. Sports teams are really good at making a stand when they no longer have any use for the player that they are making a stand against.
Klaw: True dat.

CB: Re: The Ben Franklin question. Please. The love of power is hardly new among politicians. Boss Tweed (to take one example) was at the height of his power 150 years ago.
Klaw: Or the girth of his power.

Bob: Are you surprised what Taillon has done? Seems to be a future Cy Young contender
Klaw: Not entirely surprised. I was surprised when he came out like he did in AAA, but after talking to scouts and to Taillon himself it made sense – his delivery’s streamlined, he’s definitely thinking much more like a pitcher (he had a bit of a “thrower” mentality before) and he had more time to recover from TJ than most guys get. I do think there’s some Cy potential there, yes.

JR: How much of writing a book is a passion project vs money grab (not judging anyone looking to maximize revenue – I would do the same). It just seems like most successful sports columnists write a book at some point, so I’m curious what the main motivating factor is (mine would be the $$).
Klaw: For me, writing a baseball book is about learning to write a book, period, and I hope allowing me then to write books on other topics in the future. The money didn’t hurt, though; it paid to remodel our two full bathrooms, which turned out to be good timing since we learned that the wall between them was floating rather than sitting on a joist.

Tom (not the other Tom): And lastly on Hope Solo – based on comments by the players’ rep, does it boggle your mind how many people do not understand what constitutes First Amendment violations?
Klaw: It doesn’t because I know how little civics education I had at any point in school. In a related story, if I hadn’t made it part of my major in college, I would not have taken a single economics class anywhere in my life. And Americans as a whole suck at those topics.

Rick: The Braves also could have called up Daniel Castro, who is certainly a capable SS.
Klaw: Except he has a .239 OBP in the majors for his career, .266 in AAA this year. That doesn’t accomplish much.

Jonathan: Your answers re: Swanson since he was called up have been consistent and mirror what Atlanta FO has said. The “We want Swanson to be our 2017 OD Shortstop so bring him up now” answer completely ignores the fact that bringing Swanson up now makes him a FA after 2022, whereas bringing him up in mid-April next season makes him a FA after 2023. The Braves stink now. They are going to stink in 2017. The club control over Swanson in 2023 is far more valuable than anything else in the equation. The “we want him to be OD shortstop in 2017” rationale is cheap cover for “We need to market Dansby to sell tickets to our shiny new stadium in 2017”.
Klaw: Does that really matter that much? Do we know that he’s going to be so good that his free agency is going to matter? That he won’t sign a long-term deal? That giving him an extra 200 AB between now and next May 1st won’t make him a better player by 2018-19, when they hope to be more competitive? The overemphasis on what is essentially just money at some date six years in the future baffles me. It’s not the only variable in play, and perhaps not even the most important one.

steve: I know you have advocated for relief pitchers having little or no chance for a cy young award. I believe you advance ( and rightfully so) that since a starter pitches so many more innings that relievers can’t compete. I agree with you mostly. But I think a reliever who transcends the normal year as Brittan has done so far ( what will happen in the future will mostly likely fall apart) I contend that a starter pitcher only pitches in 28-32 games with his 190 -220 innings while a reliever can pitch in 70 innings and save 60 games. ( not that Brittan will) But that reliever is affecting twice the games sans the less innings. All things being equal the starter wins but with average starting pitchers and great reliever I say the reliever could win
Klaw: He’s affecting twice as many games but is not affecting them as much as the starter who faces seven times as many batters.

Rob: Have you followed the Epipen disgrace? Can anything be done about such obvious price-gouging?
Klaw: Yep. The feds could enforce existing antitrust laws.

Tom (not the other Tom): The other day on Twitter when you said “oh they read it alright” in regards to the DBacks brass reading your column, were you being mostly facetious or did you actually hear that they did?
Klaw: I know they did. They’ve been bashing me personally ever since.

JT: Is Albies even ready for a major league trial?
Klaw: I don’t think so; he’s still just 19. The silliest question of all is why Swanson (22, with SEC experience) came up and Albies (19) didn’t. I also happen to think that any player with Swanson’s experience should be in the majors in that 14-month range; Bregman and Benintendi are up, and I wouldn’t be totally shocked if Newman came up for Pittsburgh (and then started next year in AAA).

Walter Mondale: Read where you said you’re a Reagan fan. Why? Supply side doesn’t work.
Klaw: Reagan’s legacy is a lot more than “supply side,” and I don’t think saying “supply side doesn’t work” is universally true. Economic policies that work in one economic environment might fail in another. If I learned anything in all those econ classes I took, it’s that treating economics like a hard science is a good way to look stupid (and that’s why I don’t talk much economics outside of baseball).

Frank in Chicago: What has Alec Hansen been doing differently since his college days? I like this version. How many years away is he?
Klaw: Hoping to see him next week if schedule and weather permit. The White Sox sahy they’ve cleaned up the delivery. I was afraid he wasn’t healthy this spring, but so far so good on that front.

Happy: So, Yoan Moncada is confirmed for the AFL, playing third. Who else are you most looking forward to seeing?
Klaw: Haven’t checked the rosters, or decided which week I’m going, but I have been there ten straight years now and don’t think I’ve ever had a bad trip out there. It’s always loaded with hitters if nothing else.

PJ: Thoughts on Jeff Hoffman coming up this soon? Got roughed up and obviously pitching in Coors, but Jon Gray seems to have somewhat figured it out. Bright future for Hoffman?
Klaw: Great arm without deception. Pitches up too often with the fastball. Not the ideal formula for Coors.

Ted: I don’t know if the epipen is patented, but isn’t the point of a patent to share the idea with everyone in exchange for an exclusive right to sell for a period or time? What does that have to do with anti-trust?
Klaw: I believe the patent has expired. The issue is that Mylan spiked the price when their lone competitor had to suspend production.

Niall: What was dodgers offer for Archer? and will Jose de Leon pitch in the bigs this year
Klaw: I don’t know, and yes I believe he will be back.

Archie: Re: EpiPens….the senator who orchestrated the vote on giving one company and exclusive patent to market that type of pen, while also pushing though legislation that schools could only use that type of pen, happens to be the father of the company’s CEO. But, there won’t be an investigation because the senator is from the same team, I mean party, as the sitting president, who has appointed his cronies to the justice department with instructions to look the other way when the Ds do something that might look a little suspicious.
Klaw: Last I checked, the other party controls both houses of Congress and wouldn’t mind a bunch of cameras in a committee room watching them grill the CEO over her company’s price-gouging.

Corey: You’ve said that Moncada probably ends up in the OF. How does Boston handle that given that they don’t need another OF (assuming Benintendi isn’t out the next year with a torn ACL though I bet that’s what he has)
Klaw: I’ve said that I don’t like how he fields groundballs right now, and that it’s not ideal for an infielder. He could change that, or he could end up somewhere else. The latest is that he’s going to move to third, which then blocks Rafael Devers, who can already play third and I think has more offensive upside but is younger than Moncada and lacks the latter’s plus speed.

Jason: Isn’t this also a story of overregulation? The FDA wouldn’t approve competitors, which allows Mylan to raise prices with impunity
Klaw: You’re reaching the end of my knowledge on this topic, so i’m going to post your question and nod like I know what I’m talking about.

Ryan: To follow up on Jonathan’s long comment re: Swanson…if they aren’t going to be good next year, why not just wait until mid April 2018 to call him up then? At some point, you gotta bring people up. Sheesh.
Klaw: That’s a good rejoinder. Atlanta has certainly made mistakes – trading for Olivera was bad at the time and looks a thousand times worse now – but recalling Swanson isn’t one, IMO.

Klaw: That’s all for this week. Thank you all for reading and for your questions. I should be back on target for a Thursday chat next week, barring unexpected travel. Enjoy your weekends; for us it’s the last before school starts and I have to start getting up early on weekdays like a grownup again.