Klawchat 1/28/21.

My ranking of the top 100 prospects in baseball is now up for subscribers to the Athletic.

Keith Law: But the names you drop are secondhand. Klawchat.

addoeh: If Heston Kjerstad had a couple rock umlauts in his name, like Motörhead or Sp?n?al Tap, would he rank higher?
Keith Law: I feel like I burned my best Kjerstad joke in the draft writeup last June.

Jackie: As someone who watched Scott Rolen every day for six seasons in St. Louis, I say this:  he was not a Hall of Famer.  You can very easily tell the story of Major League Baseball in the 2000s without mentioning his name.If you have to explain to me why he deserves enshrinement, then he doesn’t.
Keith Law: I checked the rules for the Hall of Fame voting process. It turns out we do not have to explain to you why a player deserves enshrinement for him to be voted in.

Pierce: When the voting results were announced the other night, I said to myself, “Well, if Curt Schilling can keep his mouth/twitter account shut for one year, then he’s in.”  He only missed by 364 days, 23 hours, and 40 minutes.  I have to admit, a perverse part of me is saddened to miss out on his induction speech — it probably wouldn’t have been boring.
Keith Law: I don’t think we need to give any more platforms to white nationalists or insurrectionists right now.

Alex: I’m probably not the only crazy Braves fan on the internet with a Drew Waters question — nevertheless, what would he have to show you with his hit tool in order to merit a top-100 ranking? *If* he started to show you, how much time would it take for you to be convinced that he was for real?
Keith Law: He wasn’t on the top 100 last year and it’s not like we have new data or information to say he’s a different player now than he was in 2019.

Frank: Thank you for the rankings.  Always a must read.  With so much of the MLB season up in the air, what is the outlook for minor league baseball in 2021?  For development of talent alone they cant repeat what they did last year.  What should we expect to see for the minor leagues?  Oh and thanks as always for still hating my team!!!
Keith Law: I have said a few times that MLB may have to subsidize some minor-league operations this year to allow teams to play without fans or with limited attendance just so the prospects have a place to play.

Alex: It seems highly likely that some teams handled the development of talent much better than others during the pandemic especially for players who were not at the alternate site last year.  Do you think we will see that play out over the next 12-18 months and do you have any insight into which teams did more than others for their younger players?
Keith Law: We will probably see some of that this year, but i have no idea who actually handled the layoff better – it’s all just talk for now.

Jackie: Still waiting for Roger Clemens to fail one drug test, ever … but at least Bud Selig, the guy in charge during the “Steroid Era” got inducted into the Hall of Fame a few years ago.  Gotta draw the line somewhere.
Keith Law: Selig and Kuhn are embarrassing selections for the Hall, as are Bill Conlin and Bill Madden (who won the Fink Award), but they were all voted in by groups other than the BBWAA. It’s not quite equivalent. The real hypocrisy will be when writers who refused to vote for Bonds (zero failed tests) or Clemens (also zero failed tests) do vote for David Ortiz (one positive PED test in 2003).

Brian: Keith, thanks for the Top 100.  What does Leody Taveras being the only Ranger in your top 100 say about their system?  Have they just missed on too many of their recent draft picks and trade targets?
Keith Law: Jung was just outside the 100 – I’ll do a just missed column next week – but their biggest problem has been a horrendous run of pitching injuries. Whatever they were doing, and I sort of have an idea, it not only didn’t work, but it probably contributed to the blowouts of at least four of their pitching prospects.

Matt_: I have a question not related to the Top 100 prospects.  For the last few years I have noticed my interest in baseball draining away.  I’m a diehard Cubs fan, and even when the team was awful in 2012-2014 I read fangraphs every day, listened to baseball podcasts all the time including EW and your short-lived ESPN show.  Now I just don’t really engage with baseball content much.  I’d blame the general malaise surrounding the Cubs franchise the last few years, the utterly odious Ricketts family running the team, and what seems like a larger phenomenon that teams don’t really care about winning all that much in a way that makes analysis of transactions almost seem beside-the-point.  As you can imagine this offseason has been extremely demoralizing.  My reaction to the Ricketts fam selling off the team for parts has been less anger than apathy.  What do you recommend I do to reignite my interest in baseball?  Who should I be following that could help spark joy in following the sport?
Keith Law: That’s a tough question to answer without knowing more about what you personally enjoy(ed) about baseball, but I at least get the most joy from watching the best and most entertaining players doing their thing – players who aren’t just talented, but play with enthusiasm, style, panache.

Chris: I saw this question on Reddit a few weeks ago, but with your prospect rankings dropping today, now feels like the time to ask: If every pro baseball player were suddenly entered into a draft today (but their contracts moving forward would stay the same), what round would Franco get drafted? What if contracts didn’t matter?
Keith Law: Franco would probably go in the first round because you know you’re getting all of his prime years (assuming that the six years of team control still existed).

Bob Wagner: Is there a basic reason why MLB has much more labor strife than other professional sports?
Keith Law: MLB’s union is much stronger, and has done a better job representing the interests of its members, than the unions in the NFL or NHL have.

MannyKay: Did Ryan Mountcastle graduate from prospect status or do you not like his profile much?
Keith Law: Still eligible. LF only with no real history of patience or plate discipline before 2020.

Bill G: Keith – No questions, just a comment.  Excellent job as always.  It is also obvious that the listing is abnormal, in that there appears to be a higher percentage of players on the list with MLB experience.  That does contribute to some prospects being left off the top 100.  I would assume your just missed list could be a bit longer!  Thanks again for all the work you put in to create this list.
Keith Law: I have to talk to my editor about it but I had ~14 players on the just missed list right now.

Jake: Spencer Howard dropped quite a bit from last year. Your report focuses on location issues, but doesn’t mention in game velocity loss noted in other places. Do you feel that was mostly just health related? We’re there any signs of that being an issue previously in the minors?
Keith Law: The velocity stuff was a symptom of the shoulder issue that eventually shelved him. I saw him twice at the end of 2019 and he didn’t lose velocity in either of those starts.

Guest: Hi Keith, is there any reason Nick Gonzales was not ranked in your top 100 when players you ranked lower in the 2020 Draft top 50 (Hassell, Kjerstad, Detmers, Crow-Armstrong) were included?
Keith Law: Because they’re not the same list. I don’t just take the draft rankings and plug them into the pro list. I start the top 100 from scratch every year. And in this case there will be more variation from the draft ranking to the pro ones than there would be in other years, since I only saw a half-dozen draft guys before the world ended, and the industry didn’t get a lot of looks at these players either.

John Olerud: Thanks again for the chat. And congratulations to you and your family! I don’t think I’m alone when I say that the world of international signings is still somewhat confusing to me (not to mention cringe-worthy and concerning in many regards). But can you quickly remind us why some teams seem to always sign the elite prospects? And why others never seem to? Specifically, as an Ms fan (sigh) should I be “mad” that they never seem to contribute any of their budget towards signing the elite prospects (especially in recent years when they are trying to rebuild and have less budget going towards their MLB roster)?
Keith Law: That’s a philosophy – the new hard cap on international bonuses means all teams have essentially the same opportunity to sign the elite players, and some teams will want to spend all of it on one guy each year (e.g., Jasson Dominguez) while other teams say those players are so high-risk that it’s better to spread it around.
Keith Law: Also, thank you!

Tim: New to espresso making and got a good quality breville. I’ve found that even while using the same grind/volume settings merely a different type of coffee will drastically change the pressure settings. Do you know why? And where can I get some damn good beans?
Keith Law: Different beans will indeed require different grind settings and even slightly different amounts to get a perfect shot. It’s an iterative process each time I get a new bag. For beans for espresso, I love Re-Animator’s Foundation and Archetype’s Espresso.

Ben: No Adell? I realize his ML.debut didn’t go as planned, but really? Have his tools and ceiling just vanished since this time last year?
Keith Law: Not eligible. I explain the eligibility rules in the intro.

Bobby Higginson: One word to describe the depth of the Tigers farm system.
Keith Law: Top-heavy.

Rob: For the angels, would you rather have odorizzi and quintata, or bauer. I’m trying to rationalize their inaction on above average starters…again.
Keith Law: Signing two second-tier guys may make more sense for them given their current rotation and lack of depth in the upper levels.

Mark Shapiro: Was Groshans left off the list due to injury concerns? If he has a good 2021 would he be back into the top 100?
Keith Law: He’s just barely played – last game action was May of 2019, I believe.
Keith Law: Still a good prospect. Please bear in mind that omitting a prospect from my top 100 is not tantamount to saying that he sucks.

Billy: Really enjoyed the Top 100 this morning!  It seemed like more draft picks jumped right into the list this year.  Is that more about the quality of the last draft, or about you having better more up to date information for many of them?
Keith Law: Lot of graduations this year too. I actually think the number of draft picks going into the top 100 is about average. Have had as many as 15 in past years, I think.

Jon V.: What do you think the strategy is in Cleveland? They appear to be trying to walk a fine line of staying marginally competitive while building for the future.  For example, they have an abundance of prospects at 2B/SS but then get Rosario back in the Lindor deal and resign C Hernandez.
Keith Law: I think the strategy is dictated by ownership refusing to spend, so they have to play this weird game of competing while constantly planning to trade players before they leave as free agents or just get too expensive for the owner’s tastes. I do think that Rosario could move to CF there.

G: Did you have a difficult time weighing reports from instructs vs being able to actually see guys in games? Quinn Priester in particular seemed to be getting almost hyperbolic praise from scouts
Keith Law: I would say that actual games > instructs > alt site. It was just a worse process this year all around and I tried to make the best of what I had.

Mike: I assume the Dodgers end up trading Keibert, but what happens with Will Smith and Diego Cartaya when hes ready? Can either effectively play another position?
Keith Law: Got at least two full years before we come to that and a lot can change before then.
Keith Law: I don’t worry about those situations until they’re imminent. When CJ Abrams is banging on the door in San Diego, they’ll decide if Tatis stays at SS and Abrams goes to 2B/CF, the reverse, or if Abrams becomes a trade piece for another ace or a star at another position.

Steve: Keith: You seem to be higher on Jazz Chisholm more so than other outlets/rankings. Most have seemed to indicate his potential will hinge on his contact ability. What gives you optimism he will be able to do that/reach his ceiling?
Keith Law: Don’t know about other outlets but I see electric bat speed, an inexperienced hitter with an idea at the plate, and a guy still growing into his frame and I think working on coordination. I’ve seen him before and he’s not hacking, or unable to pick up spin, to think of two possible red flags I don’t see here.

John: Apologies if you’ve covered this before.  I’m just starting to grind my own coffee and use a French press.  Do you have any suggestions on how to get started in finding coffee beans locally?  How do you find a good source?
Keith Law: There are some great lists and sites online (sprudge is one), but you can also just google “third wave coffee CITYNAME” and you’ll find some good guides for any decent-sized town in the country. When you’re in one, chat up the barista – tell them what you like in coffee, that you’re using a French press, and listen to recommendations. They will probably also be able to tell you what other roasters they like in town.

Dr Bob: Congratulations on you recent marriage and felicitations to your new bride.
Keith Law: Thank you! For those who missed the news, I got married earlier this month, and wrote about in my free email newsletter.

John: Keith, thanks for the chat. Love your work. Wondering if you could give us some names of players who “just missed” the top 100 list?
Keith Law: Next week, I believe.

Ben: Did Ryan Pepiot come into consideration at all? If not, what were the reports you heard on him?
Keith Law: Not a top 100 consideration but definitely a prospect who’ll be in my Dodgers top 20.

TinCaps: What would keep Gore out of the Padres rotation this season?
Keith Law: They don’t need him right now, at least, and if he has any issues throwing strikes, which he did in 2018 when he had blisters, they’re clearly not going to rush him.

Joe Random: Will there be follow up breakdowns on individual teams/divisions?
Keith Law: In the intro to today’s rankings, I explained that top 20 lists by team would appear in early February, likely the week of Feb 8.

Mike: BlueJays questions – Simon Woods Richardson not on the list due to a higher reliever risk? Groshams drop off because of injury and low activity, do you see him with potential to be an everyday MLB 3B?
Keith Law: Significant reliever risk there. His arm is extremely late relative to his front leg landing.

Miguel: Are teams evaluating prospective catchers knowing that pitch framing eventually will have limited or no value w “robot umps”? How does that change the importance of the catcher moving forward?
Keith Law: That came up a lot the last two winters. There are certainly some catching prospects who’d see their value jump quickly if we get the automated strike zone, like Tampa’s Ronaldo Hernandez.

CP: Kumar Rocker a lock for Pirates at 1? And (I apologize in advance but this is all we have): Who are top contenders for first overall in 2022?
Keith Law: Not a lock at all; I’d bet on the field rather than Rocker. I’ll do a draft ranking towards the end of February but right now my entire focus is on the pro stuff.

Santaspirt: Serious question Keith. Do you want to start a band? It’s like impossible to be in a band and social distance. You record the guitar/vocals, then send to me to record drums. It’ll be like the Postal Service but through the internet.
Keith Law: I’m in. I even got a bass guitar for Christmas so I’m ready.

Guest: Most Braves fans want Ozuna back because he was awesome last year. However, even setting aside the DH/LF thing, his OPS+ was 175 in a short 2020, 149 in 2017. In his other 6 years, he’s averaged a 103.5 OPS+. Seems kind of crazy to assume he’s going to be above average, let alone great. Thoughts?
Keith Law: There were some differences in 2020 that I think can carry over – I’d bet on a 110-120 wRC+ the next couple of years.
Keith Law: I detailed it in my free agent writeup of him.

Jake: Could Wander Franco start on day one of this season? Should he?
Keith Law: Probably could but no reason for him to be in the majors now or for the Rays to rush him.
Keith Law: If we have the minors, let him go smash AA/AAA pitching for a month to make sure he’s good to go.

Jeremy: It seems like everyone agrees we should keep the DH in 2021 and beyond. Are the owners really willing to hurt their own game just for the extra leverage? (rhetorical)
Keith Law: The owners have limited points of leverage and this is one of them. I hate it, but thinking of it as if I were a lawyer on their side of the table, I’d say this is the right negotiating strategy.

Jay: How to you balance injury risk, development path, and speed to majors with two way prospects?  I ask because it seems like guys like McKay, Greene, and even Ohtani, could’ve contributed more WAR to their team by skipping the pitching development part entirely and focusing on the position part.
Keith Law: Disagree on Greene – he was way behind as a hitter vs as a pitcher – and not even clear that’s true of McKay, who at least needed more time as a hitter.

Jay: Of the recently collected prospects by PIT, who’s the most likely to become a star? Or did they just get a bunch of future regulars for a 78 win team 4 years down the road to repeat the process all over again?
Keith Law: Hudson Head, who just missed my top 100.

Kevin: Happy with Biden 2 weeks in (I am ecstatic)?
Keith Law: Yes. Could always ask for more, but this is a good start. He’s going to spend way more time unraveling the mess he inherited than a lot of people want to accept.

BenL: Thanks for all the hard work on the top 100.  Much appreciated, as always.  I know comps for prospects are crappy to do, but I’ll ask one anyways because you hate my team… or something… Am I wrong to hope that Dylan Carlson ends up being Miami-Christian Yelich? Can play all 3 spots, CF while younger and will age into a corner, doubles high OBP guy.
Keith Law: who could come into power in his mid- to late 20s? Sure, I’m in.

Robert: I just re-listened to a White Sox podcast you were on when they signed Luis Robert.  You took some criticism at the time for being low on him.  At the time you indicated that you heard concerns on the swing, but that he had elite foot speed and bat speed and that if everything “clicked” the White Sox could have a superstar.  That projection seems to have held up pretty well.
Keith Law: Thank you. There was some talk about Robert being the best prospect in the world when he signed, but you should automatically be skeptical when you hear hype like that on a player who’s never played pro ball and has only been scouted in workouts. Robert is a hell of an athlete but you saw last year that he has real vulnerabilities at the plate he has to address.

Marc (DC): What do you think about the future of the sport where there are 200+ FAs and less than a month before pitchers and catchers report? Also, without telling teams if there will be a universal DH, again, with less than a month to go?
Keith Law: We’re heading for labor strife. I hope it’s not an actual work stoppage, but this CBA negotiation will be the most acrimonious in 20 years.

Mntwins21: How close was Larnach to being in your top 100?
Keith Law: Not very.

Marc (DC): How many more wins do you think Bauer would mean for a team?
Keith Law: I’d say about 4. BTW, I know there was some contention about the article Ken Rosenthal wrote about Bauer’s free agency and his behavior on social media. I thought Bauer did not come off particularly well in there; he gave a statement that he’s “not a bully,” but Rosenthal gave direct evidence of Bauer bullying a college student on Twitter, and there are many other such stories out there in the open, which all says to me that Bauer isn’t taking responsibility for his own actions. The easiest thing in the world for him would have been to say he was sorry, and seeks to learn from his experiences so he doesn’t repeat them. Instead he’s acting like they never happened.

Frank: Oneil Cruz dropped out of your rankings- is any of that due to his unknown legal status or merely because there were more deserving players?
Keith Law: More deserving players. As far as I know his legal status is clear.

JeremyK: How does age factor into your prospect rankings? Is it basically a depreciation on your projected upside?
Keith Law: Yes. Arozarena being in the top 50 despite being age 26 is a reflection of just how good he was in a tiny sample, and the possibility that he hits for ++ power on a regular basis now.

Carrett Grochet: Assuming no Crochet on your rankings is because you see him as a reliever (so do I), but were you as surprised as I was to see him pumping 102 and looking super sharp in MLB last year?
Keith Law: No, not surprised – he’d hit 100 in college, at least, and the White Sox used him very gently. He hasn’t shown us an above-average secondary pitch yet and has some health issues in his history.

Tom: Is it fair to say that if anyone is withholding a vote for Schilling for a non-baseball reason is due to “character” and not “politics” – as if some belief in trickle-down economics is what the voters detest?
Keith Law: When someone says Schilling is being punished for his “political views” or for voting for Trump, don’t even engage. It’s a bad faith argument.

Appa Yip Yip: If a player struggles to catch up to velocity, is that something they can work on or is it an immutable characteristic?
Keith Law: If it’s a slow bat, it’s probably not fixable. If it’s bad timing, or a noisy approach, that you might be able to fix.

Andy: How do you think teams will approach workloads for pitching prospects this year (assuming we have a relatively complete MILB season)?
Keith Law: It’ll depend on how much those guys were able to throw at alt sites/instructs. Some guys did log 50+ innings that won’t show up on Fangraphs, but do count in terms of building up arm strength.

addoeh: I know teams are claiming the loss of gate revenues last year is impacting teams payroll this year.  But there could be something else going on.  Teams could be hoarding cash because there may not be a ’22 season.  It doesn’t fill me with a lot of hope.
Keith Law: That’s a perfectly reasonable concern.

Michael: When working with Schilling did you realize he’s this batshit crazy? It’s one thing to be “conservative” but to support an insurrection, openly racist, etc???
Keith Law: I never had any issues with Schilling while we worked together. In his last year at ESPN he began sharing offensive content on his Facebook page, including the Islamophobic and transphobic memes that led to his dismissal, but he never brought that into the office, so to speak. If he always held those views, he kept them to himself.

Chris: How would you describe the difference between linear and rotational hitting? Is there a player that comes to mind for each type?
Keith Law: There may be exceptions but pretty much any guy who hits for power has a rotational swing – rotating his hips, using his lower half, getting loft in the swing finish (for an optimal launch angle). Linear hitters often make a lot of contact but not much hard contact. Any guy you think of as a slap hitter is probably ‘linear,’ hitting mostly with his hands and not using his hips or legs.

Andy: I see Detroit, Boston, and the White Sox all trying their 1B prospects at 3B. Given there’s a very low chance any of the three stick, is this worthwhile? What about preparing for 3B defensively translates into improved 1B defense?
Keith Law: I don’t see any harm in trying it. I might even argue it would encourage those players to work on their conditioning so they stay more agile for workouts at third, even if that’s not their ultimate position.

JR: What, if anything, should the Mets have done in their vetting of Jared Porter? I highly doubt this was a one time incident from Porter, but also not sure what they could’ve done differently , or what they should do differently going forward.
Keith Law: I liked Hannah Keyser’s question – did they ever ask a woman in the industry what her opinion of Porter was? The answer was no. Maybe that should be an essential part of the interviewing process for everyone.

Andy: Which players outside of the top 25 would you say are most likely to top your list in the next year or two?
Keith Law: Orelvis Martinez, Jasson Dominguez, Robert Hassell could all make huge leaps.

KC: If Gilbert comes out this year with an above-average change, does that change his outlook to more TOR, or would it not enough to move him off MOR?
Keith Law: Hard to see him as a #1, but I could see him having a long career as a 2/3 where one day you look up and say, holy shit, Logan Gilbert has 35 WAR?

Nolan: I’m curious about Chris Paddack. If you talk to your average Padre fan, they think he should just be released, but based on the fact that he’s still in silky PJs I have to assume the front office has faith? I refuse to believe the Rays/Cubs didn’t ask for him in their trades.
Keith Law: Oh I’d hang on to him for sure.

JG: If Royce Lewis doesn’t pan out at SS and moves to CF, Twins have to trade Buxton right?
Keith Law: That could be.

DJ: Thoughts on this GameStop/Reddit situation?
Keith Law: I don’t really know enough details about it to have a worthwhile opinion, other than that short-selling has a pretty long and controversial history and I’m not sorry to see shorts get squeezed. Profiting off someone else’s misery like that isn’t ethical and isn’t necessary to the proper functioning of a marketplace.

Pat D: If there is any kind of limitation to this year’s minor league season, in the sense of limited games played at any level, is there any chance this manifests at the Major League level at some point?  Like is there some time within the next few years where there’s a clear decline in talent and/or quality of play because of missed reps?
Keith Law: I think so. Especially hitters – pitchers will probably mostly be OK, but a lot of hitters’ developments will be slowed by a second lost season.

chauncey: who do you think will be voted in the hall next year?
Keith Law: My guess is Ortiz gets in, and maybe Rolen, but that’s it, and there’s a chance nobody gets in at all.

j: I know you didn’t like Fetch The Bolt Cutters, but can you appreciate the artistic value? Or do you think it just sucks?
Keith Law: I thought it was incredibly boring. I have no idea why it was so acclaimed. “Sucks” is a strong word especially for a work of art, but I can say I don’t see the artistic value you cite.

JR: Will you be writing a report on Matz trade? If not, thoughts?
Keith Law: No because despite all the tweets about “three prospects” going to the Mets, it was a replacement-level major leaguer and two guys who weren’t on my Jays top 20.

Chris: If Rolen is a HoF player, what criteria is he meeting that Murphy and McGriff aren’t?
Keith Law: Elite defense at a skill position.

Evan: Julio Rodriguez is not a top 20 prospect. Discuss.
Keith Law: That is a statement of fact, so I’m not sure what there is to discuss.
Keith Law: He was not on my top 20.

Keith: Keith – there are now gluten free oreos.  I believe you’ve posted something about avoiding gluten before, and you’re a known oreo lover.  Will you try the gluten free ones, or are you an oreo purist?
Keith Law: I can’t get over the texture of gluten-free versions of regular cookies.

addoeh: Should players accept that the luxury tax is going to act like a hard cap and work towards getting a hard floor?
Keith Law: Or they should push back on the luxury tax.

Key Flaw: I believe you said you had an Ooni outdoor pizza oven. They seem awesome, but how much do you use it? It seems like you have to heat it up and use a lot of propane or wood pellets for just a couple pizzas, or does it turn on and heat up quickly? I want to justify purchasing to my wife one and need your help!
Keith Law: Heats quickly, would take me a year to go through a bag of pellets most likely, but cools off quickly so if you’re trying to make a lot of pizzas or roast something (which would be odd, since it’s a small oven and gets up to 800+), you would go through a lot more. A pizza cooks in 90 seconds in mine.

Rodney: Triston McKenzie is obviously a pretty unique talent and physical profile. Your analysis of his ability is awesome to read – is there anything you could expand on about any concerns that exist related to his velocity drop, or his ability to be a top-of-the-rotation starter?
Keith Law: I feel like his velocity drops were a bit overplayed – for one thing, this was such an abnormal year, and the fact that he just stayed healthy through it is a win for him, and for another, he can pitch at 90-92 and still be really, really good.
Keith Law: At some point he’s going to put on some weight.

Brodie Van Wagenen: Is there anything I can do to not fail up?
Keith Law: I had that exact thought yesterday.

John: Any quick thoughts on Jack Kochanowicz and Gunnar Henderson? Thanks in advance!
Keith Law: Both will appear in their respective team reports in two weeks. I have a lot more prospect content coming, so please be patient with the roll-out schedule.

Joe: I know it’s said every year…but I’m shocked that there are still so many Vizquel voters who don’t vote for Rolen and/or Jones. Vizquel was a great (but not quite elite) defender and was an average hitter at his absolute best. Rolen and Jones actually were elite defenders at their position and would have fringe HOF arguments even if you just looked at their hitting.
Keith Law: Baseball writers love and overrate Vizquel as much as they love and overrate Bruce Springsteen.
Keith Law: Vizquel’s defense was not that good and we know this because the data tell us so. There are otherwise intelligent writers who just won’t hear it because they think they know what they saw. Now, this probably becomes immaterial in light of the very serious allegations of domestic violence against him, but before that, I think he was on a path to get in.

Dallas: Jays signed Marcus Semien to play 2B. Keith, I don’t think the Jays think Biggio is as good as you do. Wait, hold on a second …
Keith Law: I was actually surprised they didn’t sign him for SS with Bichette going to 2B. That would be a hell of a defensive middle infield.

xxx(yyy): from a travel standpoint, where have you considered honeymooning? not asking for specific places unless you want to share but regions/countries/events?
Keith Law: We have a plan but are waiting until it’s truly safe to take a long flight somewhere.

Turner: Thank you for the rankings and the chat. I’m probably overthinking this, but when you describe a player as having good hand acceleration what are you referring to exactly?
Keith Law: That’s for hitters and I’m talking about how fast they can get the bat moving forward from their loaded position.

Will: Keith, love the chats.  Do you see Deivi Garcia as a top of the rotation SP or will he eventually be relegated to high leverage bullpen because of his frame?
Keith Law: Not a top of the rotation guy – can’t imagine him going 200+ innings and maintaining those K and BB numbers.

Mike: Due to no MiLB last year, was it harder to do your list? Especially since you couldn’t see guys who were at teams complexes, but didn’t pitch in the majors.
Keith Law: I answered that in the intro too.

Chris P: Nick Madrigal had 35 hits and only 3 of those were for extra bases (all doubles). I know this is the type of guy you said he would be, but at what average/obp would say that he needs to stay at to be a viable big leaguer? Or is the total lack of power just too strong?
Keith Law: If he really hits .340, sure, that’s valuable, although even that couldn’t get him more than a .376 OBP. But how does this guy become a star? I don’t see it, and I don’t think he hits .340 forever, especially if pitchers realize they can pitch him anywhere without worry about giving up a homer.

barry: It seemed like there were a bunch of older players on your list this year – ages 24+. Is this due to the minors not having a season last year or am I just wrong about prospect ages? Also, do you have an age cut off to be considered a prospect? Thanks.
Keith Law: You are correct. Arozarena and Puk might be the two oldest players ever to make my top 100.

Mike: Surprised to see Julio Rodriguez so low on your list (I know you pay no mind, but other publications have him higher, some have him above Kelenic) when I know you value potential a little higher than most. Is the hit tool and eye that concerning with him?
Keith Law: I don’t think there is any way to justify Julio over Kelenic. Julio has real hit tool concerns, and he’s a corner guy all the way.

Brad: I just wanted to thank you for an amazing job and wish congratulations to you on your nuptials. Your writing is enjoyed and appreciated in my household.
Keith Law: Thank you, to all of you who offered best wishes and congratulations. We couldn’t be happier.
Keith Law: That’s all for this week but I will chat again once the team reports start running, which is tentatively scheduled for 2/9. I also joined Eric Longenhagen on the Fangraphs Audio podcast, running Friday 1/29. Thank you all for the kind words and for reading. Stay safe.