keith — Page 158

→ July 1, 2016
→ By keith

Music update, June 2016.

I ended up with over 30 songs on the rough draft of this playlist, but cut most of them after a few additional listens – many were from bands worth mentioning, like Sigur Ros or Two Door Cinema Club, but I couldn’t justify including the songs on their own merits. So here are 21 new tracks for June, 20 of them currently on the Spotify playlist with one I’m hoping will return to the streaming service shortly. You can access the Spotify playlist directly as well.

Van William – Fourth of July. Van Pierszalowski, lead singer of WATERS, hardcore Dodgers fan, and serious coffee snob (I say that as a compliment), has a new side project under the name Van William with a different sound than his main band boasts. This is the first single, and there’s a second one I’ve heard via their publicists, both of which are definitely more personal and sunnier than WATERS’ stuff. This song has disappeared from Spotify for the moment, but I’m leaving it on the playlist for what I assume will be a quick return. It was my favorite new track of June, and I’m not only saying that because I’ve met Van (for coffee, of course) and talked Dodgers prospects with him.

CHVRCHES featuring Hayley Williams – Bury It. This is a reworked version of a great track from CHVRCHES’ 2015 album Every Open Eye, with Paramore singer Hayley Williams singing the second verse and sharing duties on the chorus. I’m not a Paramore fan, but Williams’ staccato style works perfectly with the hesitating lyrics in her verse. I think this might be the song that launches CHVRCHES fully into the pop mainstream.

Broods – Heartlines. Broods’ second album, Conscious came out a week ago, and there’s a big shift in sound from their debut, with more songs like “Heartlines” and “Free” that feature electronic sounds and quicker tempos. These are the two best songs on the album, but there are still darker, more … uh, brooding songs here, including “Freak of Nature” (featuring Tove Lo) and “All of Your Glory” that are more reminiscent of their debut.

Dagny featuring BØRNS – Fool’s Gold. Norwegian singer Dagny appeared on my top 100 songs of 2015 with “Backbeat,” and this track has a similar feel, showcasing her lower vocal registers in particular, here in collaboration with Michigan-born singer/songwriter BØRNS, who seems like he should be the Norwegian part of the pairing.

Bat For Lashes – Sunday Love. Natasha Khan, who records solo material as Bat for Lashes, just released a new concept album last week called The Bride, about a woman whose fiancé is killed on the way to the church for their wedding – a classic summer listen, really. The album is uneven, although I think Khan is such a risk-taker musically that this is inevitable for her. This particular track is my favorite, trending toward the electropop style she showed on “All Your Gold” from her last BfL album.

Ladyhawke – A Love Song. Ladyhawke is a singer-songwriter from New Zealand and generally an interesting person, diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrom in her 20s and speaking openly about performing drunk to cover her anxiety. Anyway, this is a great summer pop song regardless of her biography. Her third album, Wild Things, came out on June 9th.

Drowners – Another Go. Drowners’ second album, On Desire, just came out last month, and it’s more of the same jangly post-Britpop as they brought on their self-titled debut. I preferred “Pick Up the Pace” from this album, but “Another Go” would be my choice for a second single over the one they actually released, “Human Remains.”

The Kents – The Stakes. This fairly new Canadian indie-pop quartet just released its debut five-song EP Waking on June 1st, and while I may be succumbing to a bit of availability bias, I thought I heard some real Tragically Hip influence here.

Alexandra Savior – Shades. Savior, a singer-songwriter from LA, has become Arctic Monkeys lead singer/songwriter Alex Turner’s writing partner of late, even co-writing “Miracle Aligner” on the latest album from Turner’s side project The Last Shadow Puppets. Her own debut album remains in the works, but this is the first true single Savior has released herself, with her only previous appearance on wax in a song called “Risk” that popped up in HBO’s series True Detective.

Phantogram – You Don’t Get Me High Anymore. Phantogram is so hit or miss, with “Blackout Days” one of the best songs of the decade so far, especially with Sarah Barthel’s voice so front and center. That’s the same reason I didn’t like their Big Grams collaboration with Big Boi; if she’s the best thing about Phantogram, then relegating her to the chorus behind some of Big Boi’s worst raps ever isn’t going to produce anything worthy. This new track is the lead single from their upcoming album, Three, due out September 16th, and it’s much closer to “Blackout Days” territory.

Phoria – Everything Beta. This Brighton trio’s ambitious spacey alt-rock sound is not terribly conducive to the short single format, but they’re worth listening to even with all of the Radiohead comparisons piled on top of them (and Radiohead comps don’t do anyone any favors).

Bear’s Den – Auld Wives. This British duo gets a lot of comps to folk-rock acts included the dreaded Mumford & Sons, but I hear more mid-1980s “sophisti-pop,” a terribly-named subgenre that encompassed groups like Roxy Music, ABC, and Level 42, in this track from their upcoming album, their first since the departure of one of the three founding members.

The Stone Roses – Beautiful Thing. The second single from the unlikely reformation of the likely lads has more great guitar work from John Squire, yet once again Ian Brown seems to have lost his teeth as a vocalist and lyricist. Brown’s best work on his own and with the Roses was always sneering, sometimes angry and sometimes just derisive, but the two new songs this year are both a little too shiny-happy-people to recapture the magic of old Stone Roses matieral.

SULK – Black Infinity (Upside Down). Now these guys sound a hell of a lot like the early Stone Roses, pre-Second Coming, all the way through SULK’s second album, the self-released No Illusions. I highly recommend this song and “The Only Faith is Love” if you’re an old-time Madchester fan like me.

Jeff Beck – Live In The Dark. Speaking of great guitar work, legendary guitarist Jeff Beck turned 72 last week and has a new solo album, Loud Hailer, due out this month. Vocal duties fall to singer Rosie Bones, but this is entirely about Beck’s fretwork, and he sounds as good as ever.

Wye Oak – If You Should See. This indie duo’s fifth album, Tween, is due out in August, and features a more guitar-driven sound than the minimalist electronica of 2014’s Shriek. The songs are all tracks that didn’t make the cut for that album or its predecessor, Civilian, so the eight songs might be a mixed bag musically.

Troup – Mercury and Gold. Big-time throwback sounds from Alex Troup, formerly frontman for British pop-punk act Crashland, and producer Evan Beigel, with thisi raw-edged guitar track that reminds me of lots of unapologetic rock acts of the ’70s, not least because Troup has a Mick Jagger sneer to his singing.

The Wans – Run Baby Run. Hard rock, borderline metal, with a strong melody, from a Nashville power trio off their upcoming EP of the same title, the follow-up to their 2014 debut album He Said She Said.

Descendents – Victim Of Me. I assumed these guys were defunct, but the pioneering punks, nearing their 40th anniversary as a band, will put out, Hypercaffium Spazzinate their first album in twelve years, at the end of July. The song is 96 seconds long, so I see age hasn’t changed Milo and the boys at all.

Gone Is Gone – Starlight. The debut, self-titled EP from this supergroup, featuring members of Mastodon, QotSA, and At the Drive-In, drops next Friday. It’s heavy, but not metal; funereal, but not stoner.

Monument – Hair of the Dog. I haven’t heard any act so happily anachronistic as Monument in ages; the music is very late-80s speed metal, and the singer is doing his best Bruce Dickinson impression. I don’t even know if I like the song or if I just enjoy the surfeit of nostalgia within it.

Banks & Steelz – Giant. This new project from RZA (of Wu-Tang Clan, although I feel like that’s superfluous) and Paul Banks (of Interpol) is the umpteenth attempt to merge alt-rock and hip-hop, most of which have, to my ears, been somewhere between unfortunate failures and painful trainwrecks. The duo’s first single, “Love & War,” wasn’t any better, but this second release is a lot more on the mark, primarily because RZA just takes over – this song is about him, delivering a vintage performance worthy of classic Wu-Tang material, dropping some comic rhymes early before turning political with a full spectrum of progressive talking points in the final verse.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 2016 in music, Music

→ July 1, 2016
→ By keith

Klawchat, 7/1/16.

Our July 2nd international free agent preview piece is now up for Insiders.

Klaw: My features form with a change in the weather. Klawchat.

Nolan LeMond: With quality arms at every level of the minors, the emergence of Mike Soroka and others, and three more high-upside arms added in the first 2 rounds of the draft, do the Braves currently have the best collection of arms you’ve ever seen in one organization at one time?
Klaw: No, I think we’ve seen other teams do this before, like Kansas City a few years ago. The attrition rate is going to be high, unfortunately, unless they’ve figured out something we haven’t about arm health. But I think overall they’ve got the right idea and have a chance to be an absolute powerhouse MLB team in about 3 years if they deploy these assets the right way.

Brad: Atlanta blowing way over its budget has been expected for a while for July 2, but it seems like the Padres are going to get the better haul. Is the group Atlanta is expected to sign the second best?
Klaw: Atlanta is getting the best overall prospect in Maitan, but I don’t think their group beyond him is any better than those of other teams going all in this weekend, other than San Diego, who appear willing to give $400,000 to any random kid walking down the street in Santo Domingo.

Greg: You’ve been pretty clear that Boston shouldn’t trade Moncada or Benintendi in a deal for Teheran. If that’s the case, am I wrong for thinking there isn’t a match between the two teams? Sure seems like Coppy wants bats in the upper levels of the minors.
Klaw: I would agree, at least in that Teheran’s value is probably more than the Red Sox could provide if they won’t trade any of the big 3 prospect bats.

Nick: Have you seen/when are you planning to see some of the 2017 prep guys? Seems like a lot of good ones so far: Brady McConnell, Jordon Adell, Hunter Greene, etc.
Klaw: Saw Adell last summer, will see others later this summer. Greene has definitely jumped out early.

JV (Cleveland): Any early reports on Triston McKenzie, Brady Aiken or Juan Hillman as their pro careers get underway?
Klaw: Yep. All good. Hillman especially good early. Aiken’s healthy with good velocity so far.

Samwise: How bad is Candelario’s glove on 20-80? I’ve seen you say it’s abysmal while others have said average or even slightly above?
Klaw: Unplayable at third base. No idea why anyone’s called it average or slightly above. I’ve seen him a ton over the years.

Tom: Is Baltimore for real? Can the Orioles win the AL East?
Klaw: Of course they can – in fact I’d say they’re the odds-on favorites by virtue of the standings today. For real is another question; I killed them preseason because their rotation looked terrible, and it has been terrible. They have a starters’ ERA of 4.95, fourth-worst in the AL, and have basically one and a half non-replacement-level starters in their rotation. They could ignore the problem and maybe still win the division, but it’s not a great formula for now or for October.

Joe D: Keith, is Dovydas Neverauskas any kind of RP prospect or just a good marketing ploy by MLB to add him to the futures game? Also, is Europe the next untapped market for MLB?
Klaw: I wrote about him in the preview – he’s a good relief prospect, but of course he’s there because he’s Lithuanian, and I think MLB should always try to include as many countries as possible in the Futures Game. Maybe his inning ends up on Lithuanian TV and a bunch of kids see it and want to pick up a baseball.

Samwise: Could Eloy Jiminez be a GUY?
Klaw: Absolutely.

Anonymous: Thamas Szapucki and Andrew Church have both had very good starts to their seasons (Szapucki with 19 k’s and 9 baserunners in 10.2 innings). Should Mets fans be getting excited about these guys. Are they legit?
Klaw: Szapucki’s been legit, plus FB plus CB so far, throwing strikes. Didn’t offer much projection in the draft but the tradeoff is that it’s now stuff. Church I liked in the past but has no history of health, and now that I look he’s not even pitching that well.

Andy: For me, the biggest issue with all the Mets Rights Asshats, Jose Reyes hit 274/310/378 last year while playing in Toronto and Colorado. This is the guy you want to ignore ethics for and put at 3B? We’re not talking forgetting about in-prime Miguel Cabrera drunk driving. So they’re taking the public relations hit, looking insensitive, and putting someone with zero ML innings at 3b, all because they don’t want to throw some cash for Matt Dominguez, Will Middlebrooks, or someone similar.
Klaw: I chose not to discuss the baseball merits of the move at all in my piece on the signing because I thought it would diminish the core issue of whether teams should take a stance on players who’ve committed an act of domestic violence (in this case, a very serious one). It doesn’t seem to me like a sliding scale, where we’ll accept more violence if the player’s better. For me, at least, I would simply say no, this is not who we are as an organization, regardless of what he can do for our team – and if my bosses said, sign him anyway, that’s when I’d walk away from the job.

Jeremy: What were your thoughts on the Giants allowing Madison Bumgarner to bat instead of using a DH? My general thought was that even if he was a better hitter than the alternative (doubtful) the risks associated with him batting as far as injury, tiring him out unnecessarily, etc, were unnecessary and foolish.
Klaw: I think Bochy probably looked at the lack of any RHB on his bench other than Trevor Brown and figured Bumgarner (a RHB) was a better option anyway than the LHB available. I don’t agree with this at all – Bumgarner, for all the HR he hits, has a .226 career OBP and doesn’t exactly hit any kind of pitcher well, so it’s not even helping the team. Then you get into the injury issues you raised and, well, maybe they should address the bench.

Anonymous: No question. Just wanted to say I really enjoyed being in Omaha for the CWS but OMG THE BUNTING MAKE IT STOP
Klaw: The series ended yesterday and the Chanticleers are still throwing over to first base.

Andy: Can I read anything in to Austin Hedges start? What kind of power potential do you see for him?
Klaw: Repeating AAA in a crazy hitter’s environment. That said, I do think he has 20-25 HR power if he can hit enough to get to it.

Nick: Ever been to Au Cheval in Chicago? Does a better burger exist?
Klaw: Is it just me or is that a bad name for a burger place?

Craig: What is the earliest age that most teams will start to track/scout players? 14? 15?
Klaw: International guys like Maitan, 14. Draft players, summer after junior year of HS, usually.

Alan: You’ve caused quite a stir with Atlanta fans by talking about the Nationals still pushing for Maitan. Is this something we should be worried about?
Klaw: A few months ago, maybe a year, the Nats made Maitan an offer that he (may have) accepted, after which Atlanta (reportedly) upper their offer and recaptured him. I heard the Nats were still trying to get Maitan to accept a $7 million offer – and there is actually nothing preventing any of these players from breaking an agreement with a team prior to the deadline because THESE DEALS ARE ALL ILLEGAL. The whole system is totally, royally fucked up.

Matt Neffer: Keith, in your opinion, should the Red Sox be penalized for their actions in the last international signing period or are they just doing what every other clubs does but on a larger scale?
Klaw: Most clubs do it. Boston got caught. I don’t think the penalty is that big of a deal, though, as they’re going to lose a handful of low-probability 16- and 17-year-old prospects, none of whom projected (yet) as average or better guys. Maybe it will end up hurting them, but this seems more like a message sent to other clubs not to pull the same maneuver … even though the system provides plenty of incentive for everyone to do this. See my previous answer.

Michael: Sorry if this is obvious, but could you explain what happens to a pitcher mechanically when he throws a breaking ball that doesn’t break (a hanging curveball or slider)? Is it a lack of concentration?
Klaw: Usually he either didn’t get enough spin on the ball from the rotation of his wrist or it slipped out of his hand earlier than he’d wanted it to. Better question for someone who actually pitched, though.

Michael: I was at an International League game the other day and saw scouts from a club with the NPB. Is that common? Have you ever seen Japanese scouts?
Klaw: All the time. Fall League too. Looking for tweeners and 4A guys who’ll go all Tuffy Rhodes over there.

Derek: Has recent performance (12+ Ks in 3 of 5 starts) given you a reason to update your prior on Reynaldo Lopez – your prior being that he’ll end up in the pen? Apart from whether he’s a starter going forward, putting him in the bullpen is the best way for the Nats to improve the 2016 pen, right? He may not be Chapman or Miller, but he may be close and he’s free.
Klaw: The bullpen opinion is about his delivery, not his stuff. I’d definitely look at him as a pen upgrade rather than trading for one of those guys.

Michael: I’m far from an economics expert and I go back and forth on a minimum wage and forced overtime pay. While I thought the bill introduced the other day was an abomination, isn’t low minor league pay an unfortunate, ugly consequence of free-market capitalism?
Klaw: The market for minor league players is not free, though. Movement is highly restricted by the draft and the reserve clause.

Derek: Bone spurs: are the Mets being reckless with Syndergaard and Matz?
Klaw: I think I said they were being reckless on Buster’s podcast yesterday, but if I did, then I apologize for a take that was way too hot. There’s so much that I don’t know here, from exactly what’s going on their elbows to what the probability is of further injury – I thought spurs and chips potentially led to damage to the UCLs, but perhaps that impression is out of date – to what these players, highly paid adults with agency, want to do. I shouldn’t have come on that strongly about the Mets’ plans here. I’m sorry.

Jose: How does Trey Griffey get drafted and Andrew Beckwith not get drafted?
Klaw: Griffey, you know the answer. Beckwith isn’t really a pro prospect of any sort.

Dave: Favorite Chvrches song? I’d lean towards Clearest Blue. Saw them with Death Cab for Cutie in Cleveland and they were incredible.
Klaw: Leave a Trace or We Sink.

Adam: Are you concerned about Manuel Margot’s low OPS relative to his playing environment or am I just scouting the box score?
Klaw: Your mistake is looking at OPS, which is a garbage stat. Margot is 21 in AAA with a .353 OBP. His slugging is low, dragging down his OPS, but he’s not a power hitter and will likely never be one. His game is defense, OBP, instincts, but not power.

Ryan: With half a season in the books, has your impression of Rhys Hoskins’ future changed at all? I know you have previously said he is one to watch, but I am not sure how much he should be considered a real prospect based on the history of power hitters at Reading. Thanks!
Klaw: He’s hit away from Reading, while Cozens did most of his damage at home. I’m more inclined to buy into Hoskins’ numbers, plus I have never been a fan of Cozens’ makeup whereas I am of Hoskins’.

Chuck Connors: With the expected arrival of Braves new international signings, I assume Braves remain #1 (by a wide margin) in your farm rankings. How do you compare the Braves long-term rebuild strategy to similar teams (i.e. Astros) at this point?
Klaw: Yes, they’d still be at the top. The Astros managed to grab more college guys in the draft and more near-in prospects in trades, though, so I think Atlanta’s rebuild may take longer. That’s good, because by the time their prospects are ready in 2019 or so, people trying to get to games at The Big Con in 2017 will have found parking.

Adam: You said Adrian Morejon could have been a Top 5 pick in this last draft. Would he immediately become a Top 3 prospect in the Padres system once he signs?
Klaw: Margot, Guerra, Quantrill, Morejon?

Jeff: Shortly after Austin Meadows was promoted to AAA you referred to him on Twitter as a “budding superstar”, is it safe to say he’ll likely be back in your next Top 25?
Klaw: All depends on who else is up and down before then. Next list is in two weeks. Remember he wasn’t healthy last time I did an update, so he was around #26-28.

Anonymous: Any plans on a Cape trip? Any names there you want to see or feel obligated to see?
Klaw: trying to figure out how to get there with other obligations this month (TV stuff) and family matters. Not sure yet.

Adam: Is Chris Paddack legit or just too polished for his competition?
Klaw: Legit. 90-95, plus CH, breaking ball will flash above average, average command now, comes right down at hitters. Great pickup for Padres.

@RationalMLBfan: While Dilson Herrera toils in AAA, the Mets have given playing time to Matt Reynolds, Ty Kelly, Eric Campbell, and Kelly Johnson, have signed Jose Reyes. Why?
Klaw: I don’t know, but I said earlier this year they seem to be down on Dilson for reasons no one seems to understand.

Andy NMB: Hey Keith, who decides on who makes the futures game? On the USA side just a few outfielders. Wondering why Judge although SSS is maybe one of the hottest hitters. I figured he’d be there. Also after signing 1st pick Rutherford, how is the yanks minor league rankings? New rankings coming soon? Thanks for all the hard work…insider, dish & newsletter. Your the best!!
Klaw: Remember that teams get to say no – for example, I believe the Pirates said no on Glasnow, either because they just didn’t want him to pitch (fearing injury) or because they were looking at calling him up before the game. I know MLB puts together wishlists and doesn’t get everyone they want.

Jim: So, Keith, although his June surge is logically unsustainable, is Danny Espinosa now entrenched at SS for 2016? And what does this mean for Trea Turner? Is the CF “experiment” real, or a blip? Thanks!
Klaw: Yep, I think that’s the rest of the season for them, including Turner in CF. He’s probably an 80 runner and has good instincts; I’d be very surprised if he couldn’t become an average defender there, and they could use his OBP skills at the top of the lineup.

EC: Thoughts on Giolito’s first game?
Klaw: Looked good, not his best. CB was ridiculous. FB command was not great, although I liked how he gathered himself after each of the walks to get back into the zone. Was hoping to see more CH, but he got some quick outs on pop-ups and you’ll take those every time. Promising, but in a way I’m glad he was done after four innings because I thought he was going to run into trouble the third time through the order.

EC: I work for a member of Congress and can tell you that Rep. Boustos revoking her support for the America’s Pastime bill is the quickest I’ve ever seen that happen. Her staff must have done an awful job researching for her.
Klaw: I have a feeling she supported it because her dad was a longtime MLB lobbyist and she didn’t look into the bill. Next we need to go after Rep. Guthrie; perhaps he has an opponent this year who supports basic labor rights?

Josh: Keith, as someone who briefly passed through your world (I did the DodgerDivorce thing), I just wanted to say I’m glad you are getting the opportunity to share your views on things like the Reyes signing. While I don’t always agree with you (although I do here), it is refreshing to see reasoned, thoughtful opinion featured and promoted by your monolith employer.
Klaw: Thank you. My editor actually encouraged me to write that piece after seeing me comment on the signing on BBTN on Saturday. I don’t think that would have happened a few years ago, so there are positive things happening in Bristol that you don’t hear about.

Bob: Are the recent reports on Dylan Cease in the NWL similar to the very positive reports from the spring?
Klaw: I heard secondhand that he hit 103 the other day, so, yeah.

Dan L.: Keith I understand not voting for Trump, but how could anyone vote for a person who used all her power and contacts to try and destroy or discredit all of her husbands victims of serial assault or rape? Seems they get a huge pass from people who are always up in arms about other people who do the same. I personally think they are all scum.
Klaw: You have three choices. One, Johnson, is a protest vote with no chance to win. I don’t agree with Trump on matters of science, gender, race, immigration, taxation, regulation, abortion, gun rights, foreign policy, freedom of worship, energy policy, entitlements … and more. So, unless you’re advocating that I abstain, I think my choice here is pretty straightforward.

Brian: I saw Ashe Russell pitched is first inning of the season the other night for the AZL Royals. Have you heard if he was dealing with an injury this season. I just found it curious that Nolan Watson started at Lexington all season but Russell was left back. Thanks.
Klaw: He was 87-91 in extended.

JT: After a slow start, Tyler Beede has had a really strong June in AA, calling out an improved feel for his change up. Do you think he can keep momentum going and be an solid #3? Maybe a #2?
Klaw: More like a #4-5. Doubt he’ll ever have average command.

Jon: Bo Bichette had unbelievable high school stats and in an extreme SSS he has continued those numbers (obp over 500). Any chance he hits his way to A or High A?
Klaw: It’s 19 AB in pro ball … and this year? He’s 18. If he gets to the NYP league that’s enough.

Ian: Why didn’t the Twins ever send Kepler to the Future’s game?
Klaw: He was on the roster two years ago and got hurt.

Angelo: What’s your favorite “cheap” meat to cook? I’ve been doing pork shoulder lately but need to mix it up while being on a budget.
Klaw: That’s probably my best suggestion too. You can often get less popular cuts of steak for less – flap meat, for example, or sometimes skirt steak.

Sean: Remember when all the experts were having to eat so much crow as the phillies ran away with the NL East. Those were some good times, can’t wait until next May for overreaction theater to happen again.
Klaw: What I really remember is fans asking me if the Phillies would add pieces before the trade deadline. Derp.

Larry: Any word on where Lazarito is leaning?
Klaw: No. I looked into it a little this week, just to see if I’d missed something, and no one had any idea. He’s turned down some decent offers though.

Elton: What did you see in Gregory Polanco to allow you to predict (correctly) that his power would improve?
Klaw: I believed in his swing and hand strength.

Rob: Any chance that Aristides Aquino becomes an impact player at the MLB level. Seems to be holding his own at AA this year but has struggled previous years.
Klaw: Great tools but he’s 22 in high-A (not AA) and I think that’s a big part of why he’s playing well. Would really like to see him get to AAA next summer so the Reds can see how much of this improvement is real, not just age.

addoeh: You seemed to thoroughly enjoy Omaha. What cities (MLB, MILB, College) have most exceeded your expectations from a culinary standpoint?
Klaw: Omaha, Nashville, Charleston, Minneapolis, Atlanta, San Diego, Phoenix (cheating, since i lived there), OKC.

Tyler: Several times this year you’ve advocated for TEX to turn the page on Prince Fielder. At the same time, you are always cautious about SSS when a guy is going good. What is a large enough sample size to determine a player has gone bad and is done? Fielder, for example, was solid last year, so it seems like a decision to dump him is based only on this year.
Klaw: He wasn’t solid last year, though; he had a fluky first two months or so but his bat speed was visibly down and he was getting killed on hard stuff in. Sure enough, he was much worse in the second half as teams changed how they pitched him, and it’s gotten worse for him this year. His bat speed is gone. This is why I watch.

Pat: Keith – Bundy is starting to look good, man. Give me a dose of reality so I don’t get too excited
Klaw: He’s been cultivated so carefully this year that it’s creating unrealistic expectations. He’s still got calcification in his shoulder and his arm swing is so much more restricted than it used to be.

Anonymous: Hey Klaw, teacher here…I’m on summer break and can finally make your chats live! Is Verdugo for Vizcaino about right in terms of value?
Klaw: No, massive overpay for Dodgers.

mike: Help Klaw, yesterday my 2 year old was thrown out of “Dance” instead of taking my wife aside to tell them to leave the instructor did so in front of all the other moms and kids. Im pissed. In the meantime she tells my wife clingy kids never change and come back in 5 years. How can she do this
Klaw: did your 2-year-old start chanting “Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams!” in the middle of “Baby Beluga?”

Harvey: Will Jason Groome really attend Jr College?
Klaw: This is the threat, but I think it’s a poor bluff. Next year’s draft class is much stronger in college pitching, and Groome will not likely be more valuable in that class than he was in this one. Also, the makeup concerns about him are not going to vanish with a year at junior college. The Red Sox can offer him about $4 million without giving up a pick next year and he’d be ill-advised to turn that down.

Jack Burton: Did Arcia just need a change of scenery?
Klaw: Yes – or more specifically he just needed to be left alone to play.

Harvey: Is E Rod tipping pitches just a cover for a bigger problem?
Klaw: My guess is that his knee is still bothering him. Can’t do much as a pitcher if you can’t plant your leg.

Robes: Alex Bregman, better than expected?
Klaw: No, just the power, which could easily be a half-season fluke. Everyone thought he’d hit, even in HS.

Jeff: I am a firm believer in not voting if a worthy candidate is not on the ballot. People tell me, “you can’t complain if you don’t vote” – the hell I can’t. Record-low voter turnout would be a wonderful statement to make, IMO.
Klaw: It’s also how you get extremist candidates elected.

Rob: Do you think Lucas Giolito should continue to start once strasburg returns from the DL?
Klaw: In whose stead? He might be a better option than Gio Gonzalez, but I wouldn’t guarantee that, and they’re not demoting Gio to the bullpen anyway so that’s a stupid idea, Klaw.

Dale: Can you define what you mean by “makeup” when describing a prospect? Is it like “character”? Pedigree? Bloodlines? Thanks
Klaw: Pedigree and bloodlines are irrelevant. I’m talking about the type of person a player is, particularly the stuff that matters – work ethic, aptitude, communication skills, willingness to learn.

MichaelT: Re: Reyes and Chapman, is it fair to say your position is that once a player is accused and punished for DV that no team should ever employ him, or that he needs to do something else (not sure what that is) before he can return to the field? I believe that’s the part of the question that throws some fans.
Klaw: What throws me is fans caring about that question rather than saying, oh, hey, he beat his wife, so fuck that guy.

JG: Should Buxton just be left to play?
Klaw: Yes. And perhaps there’s an issue with the Twins’ coaching staff and young hitters? I’m speculating here.

TedT: Has Trey Ball pitched well enough this year to justify his high draft pick and does he project as a major league starter? Reliever?
Klaw: Stuff hasn’t really ticked up. So projectable but it’s never come to pass as expected.

Ed: You’re talking about Atlanta maybe being a powerhouse if they handle their assets correctly. Are you referring to trades for bats?
Klaw: Some of that, yes. Pick the ones to keep, flip some for bats.

Trey: I believe the gentleman was suggesting you abstain from voting. They’re all terrible, I won’t vote so I can openly criticize them all. 2017-2021 is going to be awfully interesting with either Clinton or Trump at the helm.
Klaw: I can vote for someone, because I think her opponent is dangerous, and criticize her at the same time. People who are saying they’re abstaining this year despite their disdain for Trump seem a bit disingenous to me; there must be some level at which you’d vote for a candidate you disliked simply to try to defeat a candidate who scares the hell out of you.

Luke: You’ve guided me correctly with Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Splendor, what should the next game be for my family with a 7-year old son?
Klaw: You’ve hit the big three for sure. It’s a bit less common but Cacao is a tile-laying game like Carcassonne with simpler scoring and shorter playing times.

addoeh: The folly of the electoral college. Some people, like me, can make a protest vote and it won’t impact the election because they live in an uncompetitive state. If you live in a battleground state, that may not be possible.
Klaw: I’ve actually never voted in a Presidential election while living in a state where my vote might have mattered. Delaware, my current state, hasn’t gone Republican since 1988. Massachusetts, where I voted in five elections, hasn’t since 1984. Arizona, where I voted in 2012, has gone Democrat once (1996) since 1948. So this is all so much talk.

Sedale: Obviously you were as high as anyone on C. Seager, but has his production thus far even surprised you? He’s on pace for a 30 HR/.800+OPS season as a rookie short stop and has been the Dodgers best bat by far.
Klaw: I wasn’t this high on him in the draft – not until he got to pro ball and I saw how advanced the approach was for his age. He also made a really rapid adjustment when the Dodgers saw he was starting to develop a soft front side in high-A; I think players who make adjustments that rapidly are showing you they’re going to be the exceptions going forward too.

Ian: I think you overstate the power Trump would have. He’s an idiot and couldn’t do many of the things he has suggested. But Clinton’s rhetoric on national security should be getting a lot more attention from progressives. This might be a line in the sand moment. Do we want internet privacy to go away? Do we want drones spying on US citizens (or killing them)? Do we want the govt to fight harder against FOIA? I laugh at Trump and his brand of ignorance but Clinton’s more frightening, IMHO.
Klaw: Presenting this for a little balance, since I didn’t address any of what I dislike about HRC’s policies. You nailed some of them; in general, I do not agree with the Democratic Party’s stances on many issues, including many questions of food policy. (Keep the Republicans out of my bedroom and the Democrats out of my kitchen.) On drones, though, isn’t Trump proposing to use them to monitor the border with Mexico? And to step up airstrikes in the Middle East? I’m basically anti-drone, period, but at this point that’s about as politically tenable a position as reinstating the Volstead Act.

James: reyes – I read your article and understand your feelings on those who hit their wives/family members but if reyes would have taken the year off, gotten counseling (not the lip service kind), got a mentor, would you have supported him coming back or is it a zero tolerance policy? Also, how does your opinion change of some hitting their wife vs. someone who beats up a stranger? I am not trying to corner you, just trying to understand a little more.
Klaw: Domestic violence is not equivalent to beating up a stranger. Domestic abuse is an exercise of power and intimidation. I have never said Reyes should be banned; I have said I would not sign him if I were a GM, and I will criticize a GM who does.

Chris: I’m curious about your opinion on redemption for DV and sexual assault perpetrators. Can there be reform for these individuals? Redemption? To be clear, I don’t mean redemption through athletic performance, but perhaps through therapy, and committing oneself to preventing others from committing DV or sexual assault.
Klaw: I don’t think sexual assaulters can be reformed.

Scott: Is the power Marcus Semien showing real? Because with his improvement in defense, oakland might have themselves a player worth keeping.
Klaw: I don’t think he’s a 30 HR guy going forward – if he is, then hell yeah they have something worth keeping – but between the swing changes, the athleticism, and the hints of power he showed in the minors I could see him now being a 20+ HR guy. He’s definitely an asset now.

Munchkin: Besides Amed Rosario, is there any other exciting high ceiling Mets prospect? It seems Dom, Nimmo, etc have mostly been meh and haven’t developed much.
Klaw: Nimmo I agree. Smith is still just 21 in AA, too soon for you to give up on him. I liked Lindsay from last year’s draft quite a bit. Also think they did pretty well with Dunn this year, another very high-ceiling kid, and I mentioned Szapucki earlier as a dude to watch.

Adam: What are your thoughts on Coppy publicly admitting the Olivera deal was a bad one?
Klaw: He’s right, of course, and I applaud him for saying it. It wasn’t just a bad trade, though; it was a bad evaluation of the player, and ultimately, it’s on the evaluators who said Olivera was something more than he actually was as a player to bear responsibility for a bad deal.

Todd: I’m actually very interested in your answer to MichaelT’s question. And I don’t want my curiosity to sound like a judgment of you; I’m trying to figure out how I feel about the subject and why. On one hand, YES, fuck that guy. On the other hand I am wary of the misanthropic implications of essentially blackballing someone (and I have a hard time separating what he did from the professional suspension he already received). While I fully understand the dangerous psychology behind his criminal behavior, I also believe it costs me when I don’t allow other human beings the space to change. In short, I have a theoretical basis for giving Reyes a chance to grow and learn, while I have an emotional basis for wanting him to piss off and die. Maybe if we didn’t have centuries of oppression, marginalization and abuse of women it would be easier to decide what punishment an abuser should get in each realm of his life.
Klaw: Reyes can get on with his life; I just don’t need to see him do it on a major league baseball field. Playing this sport for salaries of six, seven, or eight figures is not a right, but a privilege. You can lose it, and beating up a woman or raping someone is a fairly good reason to lose it. (A better reason, I’d argue, than failing three steroid tests.) He can go find something else to do with his life.

Sean: I think it’s a bit disingenuous to say that every team does what Boston is being punished for doing. The majority of teams have never exceeded their pools, so they could never have been in a position to need to circumvent the restrictions. It’s the attempt to circumvent the punishment that is their “crime.”
Klaw: Most teams arrange deals prior to July 2nd with agents, which in and of itself is illegal. The whole system is screwed up. I’m saying what Boston did is not unique and at worst marginally worse than all these teams cooking up deals before negotiations are even permitted.

Taylor: Has Ronald Guzman turned the corner?
Klaw: Don’t know; he hasn’t sustained the hot start, and doesn’t have much track record of success, but since he won’t turn 22 until October I’m not going to say anything too harsh here. Merely doing what he’s done in total in AA this year is a positive step.

Tony H: Can a player improve makeup? I’m thinking of someone like Carlos Carrasco who some evaluators — including yourself IIRC — dinged for having makeup problems years ago. Did he just become a better person or is his talent just overwhelming his personal flaws.
Klaw: He was immature and grew up. That happens a lot. (And yes, I dinged him AND Gio Gonzalez for it.) Some issues are bigger; some are issues in certain teams’ eyes and not in others (e.g., marijuana use). The ones that bother me the most are players who don’t or won’t work hard, and players who refuse to work with multiple coaches. It’s a hard game when you won’t even listen to help.

Arin, Ca: What happened to Conforto? Did the Mets miss use him?
Klaw: Aside from the wrist issue, benching him vs LHP really seemed to screw up his mechanics at the plate, so he was pulling off the ball more vs RHP and his whole approach went pear-shaped. I really think Collins is the Mets’ #1 problem right now. If he won’t play young players, they need another manager.

Cam: Is Daniel Norris the answer for the Tigers going forward? Is he fully healthy
Klaw: I don’t know about his health but I’d be very happy moving forward with a rotation that has him and Fulmer at the top of it.

Steve: When are you doing your “Best Under 25” column?
Klaw: Next week, probably.

Doug: Was there any thought by you to head up to MSG for the only NA show for Stone Roses last night? Admittedly, pure bucket list in nature for me, but am so glad I made the trek, as they were 10x better than my expectations
Klaw: Had I liked the two new singles more, perhaps. But I haven’t loved them … and by the way, I’ll have a new music post and playlist up in a little bit.

Klaw: That’s all for this week. Thank you as always for reading and for all of your questions. I’ll be back next week, likely Thursday, for another chat.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: klawchat

→ June 27, 2016
→ By keith

Omaha eats.

My column today for ESPN, expressing my disappointment in the Mets’ decision to sign Jose Reyes, is free for anyone to read.

Omaha treated me very well last week, even with the heat and humidity. I’d heard from a few readers over the years that Omaha is a sneaky-good restaurant town – although the claim that it has the most restaurants per capita in the U.S. appears to be unfounded – and that turned out to be the case. I had four outstanding meals there, great coffee, great cocktails, and even managed to check off two more states on my visit list, leaving me with just one left (Arkansas). It’s an incredibly walkable downtown, something I miss greatly as a resident of the suburbs now, and I feel like I could easily spend a week there without running out of new places to eat.

I’ll start with the best lunch I had in Omaha, at Kitchen Table, a recommendation from one of you via Twitter. The co-owner responded with a tweet saying they’d love to have me drop by, and I discovered after I arrived that it’s because the chef/co-owner, Colin, is a big baseball nut and Red Sox fan. Their slogan is “Slow food, fast,” as the menu includes sandwiches, salads, and small plates that either can be cooked quickly or assembled from components that are slow-cooked ahead of time. I went with what is apparently their most popular sandwich, The Whole Bird, a seared chicken breast on toasted, house-made levain bread, with confit chicken-leg salad, crispy chicken skin, a fried egg, and mixed greens, a great mixture of flavors and textures that elevated the chicken breast (which never has much taste in my opinion no matter how it’s prepared) with the sauce from the over-medium egg, the saltiness and crunch of the skin, and a hint of bitterness from the greens. It didn’t hurt that the bread was so good either.

I ended up with two sides, their ‘little salad,’ which is mixed bitter greens (definitely kale and arugula, and I believe mustard greens among them?) with sprouted beans on top and a red wine vinaigrette; and their deviled eggs, a gift from the kitchen that I would never have ordered on my own. The egg yolks were incredibly smooth, seasoned with dill and smoked Spanish paprika, with just enough salt – I’m pretty demanding about eggs being properly salted, because as much as I love eggs, without salt you might as well send them down the disposal. Kitchen Table also serves their own popcorn on the tray with your order and I may also have eaten all of that too. (I didn’t finish everything on the tray, but the salad and sandwich together would have been a pretty filling meal even without the eggs.)

I got more recommendations for one of Kitchen Table’s neighbors, Block 16, than I did for KT, but there was no comparison between my experiences – KT was much better. Block 16’s menu is heavy, full of over-the-top combinations of burgers and sauces and fried things, and I didn’t think any of it worked that well. I chose the Croque Garçon burger, which Alton Brown tabbed as one of his five favorite burgers in the country, with ham, cheese, a fried egg, and truffle mayo, on a ciabatta roll. I hate to disagree with AB, but I can’t see it: The burger was overly salty, and if the meat was any good I couldn’t taste it under all of the toppings. (It probably wasn’t, or I might still have figured it out.) Their seasoned fries were just ordinary; Block 16 is known for a side called “duck duck goose fries” that involves duck confit, cheese, mayo, and crispy duck skin, but that just sounded too heavy and messy to even think about eating. Given the hype and the line out the door, this just didn’t measure up.

Every dinner I had in Omaha was outstanding, so I’ll go in chronological order. First was The Boiler Room, a recommendation from Sarah, our on-site makeup artist and, as I learned, food stylist too. Named for its space, the former boiler room for the 120-year-old building in which it’s located, The Boiler Room’s menu is small and very locally-driven, with six starters and six entrees the night I was there. The braised and smoked pork belly is served with mustard seeds, orange supremes, and a kohlrabi puree, but it’s the preparation of the meat itself that stands out here – I’m not sure I’ve ever had pork belly prepared anything like this, and I mean that in a good way. Pork belly has layers of fat and connective tissue between the highly flavorful meat layers, but this broad slice – like an inch-thick lardon – was meatier with very little of the less-pleasant bits in between, yet without becoming dry from the slow cooking. It may be the result of keeping the belly away from much direct heat that might toughen the meat layers, but anyway, it was superb, especially with multiple acidic elements on the plate for balance.

For the main course, I ordered the grilled hamachi steak, primarily because I wanted to try what it came with – herbed Parisian gnocchi with English peas and rock shrimp. Indeed, the gnocchi were the star; not only was the texture perfect, light but not toothless, but they had huge flavors, with at least thyme and tarragon but probably more herbs I couldn’t pick out. The fish itself was cooked to my idea of perfection, but I think that’s a bit more cooked in the center than many folks would like for a tuna steak. (I am not a fan of seared tuna preparations, where the center is cold.) I also loved the broth underneath the fish, light enough to work as a sauce for the fish while carrying some of the herbs from the gnocchi with it. Seafood in the heartland doesn’t sound like a great idea but this dish absolutely worked.

Dessert was an apricot-cherry cobbler with a shortbread topping, pistachios, and vanilla ice cream, and was also incredible – the topping was like a warm biscuit, and the fruit was tart, so the sweetness of the crust and the ice cream worked to balance it out, instead of the sweet-sweet-sweet approach of a lot of pies served a la mode. The Boiler Room also has an impressive cocktail menu and list of liquors to be served on their own, not just whiskeys but rums, tequilas, and cordials. I had something with two rums in it and I forget what else because I also had some Kirk & Sweeney’s 12-year after that. It had been a long day and I’m not sorry.

Moving along … The Grey Plume is located a bit west of the market district, and chef Clayton Chapman was a semifinalist for a Beard Award in 2015, so it was well worth the short drive. (I rented a car in Omaha, largely because I’m naked without one, but you could easily stay downtown and do without one.) The space and décor all say fine-dining, but the food itself is farm-to-table at heart, perhaps with more emphasis on presentation than you’d find at typical restaurants serving this type and caliber of food. For my starter, I went with the pork belly Dutch baby – a savory version of the eggy pancake, filled with caramelized onions, served with grapefruit supremes, orange puree, and cinnamon ‘snow.’

Pork belly Dutch baby at @thegreyplume in Omaha

A photo posted by Keith Law (@mrkeithlaw) on Jun 24, 2016 at 6:15pm PDT

The pancake and onions were my favorite aspect of the dish, although they needed something like the pork belly’s fattiness to balance it out – I just thought the combination was so clever, like a twist on the Italian chickpea crepe called a socca, but one where the onions get thoroughly caramelized first rather than merely browned in cooking. Also, as is probably clear, I’m a big fan of pork belly served with some sort of citrus element alongside it.

I didn’t want to have meat upon meat, so I went with the house-made agnolotti with chevre, pickled ramps, spring radishes, and asparagus. The agnolotti were strong, with good tooth to the pasta, but the accompaniments didn’t work on their own or with the pasta. That type of dumpling – that’s really what agnolotti is, just another shape like ravioli or tortellini – needs something more with it, whether it’s brown butter, a light broth, perhaps in this case taking the asparagus and blending it for a sauce, but something to complement the tangy flavor of the goat cheese and also allow the diner to get several components into one bite. That didn’t work here, especially not with the pickled ramps, which were huge (I’ve never seen ramp bulbs that size before) and overpowering.

And then, the dessert, the best single thing I ate in Omaha: A brioche donut, fried in duck fat, sprinkled with sugar, served with soft house-made vanilla ice cream and brown-butter crumbs. Words fail me. I ate the whole thing and I would do it again.

This, my friends, is a brioche donut … fried in duck fat. @thegreyplume

A photo posted by Keith Law (@mrkeithlaw) on Jun 24, 2016 at 7:01pm PDT

After all of the gluttony of my first 48 hours in Omaha, I wanted something lighter and went to Modern Love, a vegan restaurant a bit south of downtown. I’m obviously an omnivore, but I eat a lot of plants, and while I’m at home I seldom eat meat before dinner, sometimes not at all – but I’m rarely vegan, since I eat yogurt for lunch almost every day. (I’ve tried alternative yogurts but those are a bridge too far.) My colleague Adnan Virk joined me for the most surprising meal of the trip; everything we ate was savory and filling in ways you wouldn’t expect from food without meat, egg, or dairy.

We split a starter, Modern Love’s twist on deviled eggs, using chickpeas whipped with olive oil, stuffed into hollowed-out cucumber “cups” with pea tendrils on top. No one’s confusing the cukes for hard-boiled egg whites, but the filling itself was like a brighter hummus and it was easy to draw a parallel to deviled eggs beyond the visual, since the garbanzos and the olive oil gave the center plenty of fat.

For the main, I ordered the “mac and shews,” their version of a mac and cheese dish, using cashew-milk cheese for the sauce around the elbow-shaped pasta. The pasta was a little soft – the menu says it’s gluten-free, which is probably the reason – but the flavor was outstanding, slightly nutty, coating the pasta like any good sauce should. I was unaware that you could melt nut cheese to create anything this silky. The dish comes with roasted cauliflower in a BBQ sauce, garlicky kale leaves, spiced pecans, and cornmeal crusted tofu wedges. The last element didn’t add much, but the cauliflower and kale especially worked well to play off the smooth, mild flavor of the pasta. Adnan raved about the pesto gnocchi with asparagus, which looked from my spying of various dishes like the largest entree if you’re concerned about sating your appetite here.

Then the dessert, also Instagram-worthy: blueberry crisp with maple-walnut ice cream (made with cashew milk), toasted almonds, and coconut “whip.” This was also gluten-free, although you’d never have guessed that while eating it.

Dessert from @modernloveomaha – blueberry crisp with maple walnut ice cream. Vegan, gluten free, and still decadent.

A photo posted by Keith Law (@mrkeithlaw) on Jun 27, 2016 at 11:38am PDT

The highest praise I can give this is that you probably wouldn’t have blinked if I gave you this dessert and told you it was blueberry crisp with maple-walnut ice cream, omitting the parts about it being gluten-free and vegan. The blueberries themselves tasted like they were just picked, the crisp was chewy and lightly spiced, the ice cream itself had amazing mouth-feel for something without butterfat. The meal as a whole was incredibly satisfying without any of the things that I’d normally consider essential for satisfaction.

I tried three coffee places during the trip, two in Omaha and one in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The better place in Omaha was Archetype Coffee, in the Blackstone District, a local roaster with many single-origin options and one of the best espressos I’ve ever had – bright without being tart, naturally sweet, with good body. Their espresso blend is 60% Brazilian Nossa and 40% Ethiopian Cochere, and they had a few single-origin beans available as pour-over options and in bags. Their coffee was much better than what I had at Beansmith, located in the Old Market area downtown, where I tried a pour-over Kenyan that was very thin and a little papery, a good sign that the beans were old and/or the roast too light.

The coffee spot in Council Bluffs, drips, is actually an art gallery and vinyl record shop that happens to offer pour-overs of Dark Matter, a coffee roaster from Chicago. They had at least seven options available the day I was there, and the employee who served me spent some time describing the different coffees and notes to me. It’s across the street from a Con-Agra facility, if you happen to be in the area, although I can’t imagine what else would bring you to Council Bluffs.

Omaha’s even hip enough to have a real tea salon, The Tea Smith, with two locations, one in the Old Market area. I went just once, meeting Royals Review contributor and longtime friend Minda Haas Kuhlman there, because nothing suits a humid 90 degree tea like a cup of smoking hot sencha. The Tea Smith has a ridiculous selection of teas available hot or iced and in bulk, and I’d probably be there all the time if I lived nearby because I actually drink more tea than coffee even though I talk more about the latter.

I ate one breakfast out in Omaha, at Culprit Cafe, which is a bit more bakeshop than breakfast spot. I tried their most substantial option, the galette, a savory tart with braised beef cheeks, a poached egg, gruyère, caramelized onions, and a brown butter hollandaise – really a variation on a Benedict served on a pie crust. It was just too heavy for me, but I rarely eat big, heavy breakfasts like this – especially not with beef. The tart crust itself was amazing, though, so if you want coffee and a pastry, this is probably an ideal spot.

In the non-food department, Omaha has an amazing boardgame cafe close to the Archetype location called Spielbound, with food and drink options as well as a selection of what had to be 200+ boardgames, mostly Euros but with a good selection of family and trivia games too. They offer memberships and $5 one-day passes to use games from their libraries, which, given the list prices of many Eurogames, is a pretty good deal to try some out. I browsed for a while and learned that the classic game St. Petersburg was reissued by Z-Man Games within the last two years.

I also spent about an hour persuing the stacks at Jackson Street Booksellers in the Old Market, although I had pretty limited success in finding books to buy. Their selection of old, used, and out-of-print books is enormous, but perhaps even more eclectic and less organized than most large used bookshops I’ve visited; it’s quite possible they had more titles I wanted, but their system of filing them on the shelves is inscrutable and nobody offered to help in the hour I was there. I did walk out with Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead, Philip José Farmer’s Hugo winner To Your Scattered Bodies Go, a Graham Greene short story collection, and a French version of Le Petit Prince for my daughter.

Had I had one more meal in town I would have tried The Local for their selection of over a hundred local craft beers. Oh, and no, I wasn’t interested in Runza or Zesto’s or Sullivan’s. I won’t judge you if you want to eat at places like those, but I do try to aim a little higher when it comes to feeding myself.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: coffee, dessert, farm to table, nebraska, omaha, sandwiches, tea, vegan

→ June 25, 2016
→ By keith

Stick to baseball, 6/25/16.

I wrote two pieces for Insider this week, one on prospects who could be recalled by contenders this summer and one placing thirteen top draft picks (#1-12, plus #16 for obvious reason) within their new organizations’ prospect rankings. I was not able to chat this week due to a lengthy flight delay on Thursday and the chance to hang with a longtime reader and now friend of mine who lives here in Omaha.

Also, with travel and some other stuff, I’m behind on dish blogging, but I finished Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child and it was wonderful.

And now, the links…

I’ve been a fan of and advocate for CHVRCHES since well before their first album came out, but this appears to be the year they cross fully into the mainstream of pop music. Nerdist interviewed the trio at Firefly, including observations on their pop leanings despite their indie status. Personally, I have never disdained pop music for being pop, but disdain some pop music for being vapid. Anyway, if you haven’t heard the new version of “Bury It” featuring Hayley Williams along with Lauren Mayberry, it’s one of the best singles of the year:
The U.S. patent system has been a disaster for about twenty years now, with no sign of it abating. Popular Mechanics followed one lawsuit by an inventor against a big company that presents a balanced look at how the system just doesn’t work.
Why is Estonia, the tiny former Soviet state on the Baltic sea where the people speak a language that isn’t even Indo-European, one of the most tech-friendly nations on the planet?
A burger made entirely from plant materials that looks, tastes, and even smells like beef? I’d try it. I’m no vegetarian, not by a long shot, but my diet is increasingly plant-based these days.
This was good if horrifying: Buzzfeed Canada editor Scaachi Koul wrote about two times she was roofied by men, and how would-be rapists identify potential victims.
Deadspin goes deep on the ugly, crooked business of gambling touts, focusing in particular on RJ Bell and Pregame.com. It’s an outstanding piece of longform investigative journalism.
The Atlantic interviewed the author of a new book, The Poverty Industry, about how private companies are looting government funds intended for foster children and the elderly poor.
I work for a Disney subsidiary, and thus am a Disney cast member, and have some indirect stake in the future of the company – especially as my direct employer’s revenues may be affected by declining cable subscriptions. This interview with Disney CEO Robert Iger was more candid than I expected and had some welcome news about our intentions in the digital, non-cabled space.
Why would a strawberry grown locally cost more than one grown in California? Well, it comes down to economies of scale, cheap transport costs, and, most fundamentally, a question of what we’re paying for when we pay for produce.
The story of the Trump campaign giving $35,000 to a phantom firm called Draper Sterling is more comical than controversial, but still an entertaining read.
A fascinating video on the mapping of Laniakea, the supercluster of galaxies that contains the Milky Way.
A mother whose baby nearly died of pertussis has some things to say to vaccine-denying parents.
Dr. Alice Callahan, a science researcher and instructor at Lane Community College in Oregon, penned a great, unemotional op ed against the vaccine-denier film Vaxxed. If you have (idiot) friends who saw the film, or want you to see it, well, I doubt anything will change their minds but you should send them this anyway.
Could the Orlando shooting lead to meaningful gun control legislation? I doubt it, but this Washington Post op ed argues it might because this time, the NRA’s opponent, the LGBT community, knows how to change the culture.
The nasal-spray flu vaccine was just not that effective in the last several seasons, and the CDC has recommended discontinuing its use in favor of traditional, injected vaccines.
One little-reported effect of the “Brexit:” Spain now wants shared sovereignty in Gibraltar, as the British enclave (which Spain has claimed for 300 years) voted 95% to remain in the EU.
I love this New Yorker cover about as much as I hate the UK leaving the European Union:

I almost never like New Yorker covers. But OK. pic.twitter.com/LLbR69UHHu

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) June 24, 2016

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: food science, rape culture, stick to baseball, vaccines

→ June 21, 2016
→ By keith

The Elegant Universe.

My latest column at ESPN looks at five potential callups for contenders.

Brian Greene’s 1999 bestseller and Pulitzer Prize finalist The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory is more like two books in one. The first half to two-thirds is a highly accessible history of the two main branches of physics, the macro world perspective that culminated in Einstein’s discovery of general relativity, and the micro (I mean, really micro) perspective covered by quantum mechanics. The two theories could not be unified until the advent of string theory, which Greene lays out in still somewhat easy to follow language. The last third of the book, however, delves into deeper topics like the nature of spacetime or the hypothesis of the multiverse, and I found it increasingly hard to follow and, unfortunately, less compelling at the same time.

String theory – more properly called superstring theory, but like the old basketball team in Seattle, the theory has lost its “super” somewhere along the way – is the prevailing theoretical framework in modern physics about the true nature of matter and the four fundamental forces. Rather than particles comprising ever-smaller subparticles that function as zero-dimensional points, string theory holds that what we perceive as particles are differing vibrations and frequencies of one-dimensional “strings.” String theory allows physicists to reconcile Einstein’s theories of general and special relativity with the explanations of three of those four forces (strong, weak, and electromagnetic) provided by quantum mechanics, resulting in a theory of quantum gravity that posits that that fourth force is the result of a massless quantum particle called the ‘graviton.’ Gravitons have not been observed or experimentally confirmed, but other similar particles have been, and all would be the result of those vibrating strings, open or closed loops in one dimension that, under the framework, are the most basic, indivisible unit of all matter and energy (which are the same thing) in the universe.

Strings are far too small to be observed, or to ever even be observed – you can’t observe a string with a particle, like a photon, larger than the string itself – but physicists believe string theory is accurate because math. And that’s one of the biggest challenges for Greene or anyone else writing about the topic: the proof isn’t in experimental results or great discoveries, but in equations that are too complicated to present in any text aimed at the mass audience.

In fact, the equations underlying string theory require a universe of not four dimensions – the ones we see, three of space and one of time, which Einstein treated simply as four dimensions of one thing called spacetime – but ten or eleven. These “missing” dimensions are here, at every point in the universe, but are tightly curled up in six-dimensional forms called Calabi-Yau manifolds, as if they exist but the universe simply chose not to deploy them. They must be there, however, if string theory is true, because the calculations require them. This is near the part where I started to fall off the train, and it only became worse with Greene’s discussions of further alterations to string theory – such as higher-dimensional analogues to strings called 2-branes and 3-branes – or his descriptions of what rips or tears in spacetime might look like and how they might fix themselves so that we never notice such things. (Although I prefer to think that that’s where some of my lost items ended up.)

The great success of this book, however, is in getting the reader from high school physics up to the basics of string theory. If you’re not that familiar with relativity – itself a pretty confusing concept – this is the best concise explanation of the theories I’ve come across, as Greene uses simple phrasing and diagrams to explain general and special relativity in a single chapter. He follows that up with a chapter on quantum mechanics, hitting all the key names and points, and beginning to explain why general relativity, which explains gravity in a classical framework, cannot be directly coupled with quantum mechanics, which explains the other three forces in an entirely different framework. Building on those two chapters, Greene gives the most cogent explanation of superstrings, string theory, and even the idea of these six or seven unseen spatial dimensions that I’ve come across. We’re talking about objects smaller than particles that we’ve never seen, and the incredible idea that everything, matter, energy, light, whatever, is just open and closed one-dimensional entities the size of the Planck length, 1.6 * 10^-35 meters long. To explain that in even moderately comprehensible terms is a small miracle, and Greene is up to the task.

This was a better read, for me at least, than George Musser’s book on quantum entanglement, Spooky Action at a Distance, which covers a different topic but ends up treading similar ground with its descriptions of spacetime and the new, awkwardly-named hypothesis “quantum graphity.” Quantum entanglement is the inexplicable but true phenomenon where two particles created together maintain some sort of connection or relationship where if the charge or spin on on of the particles is flipped, the charge or spin on the other will flip as well, even if the two particles are separated in distance. This appears to violate the law of physics that nothing, including information, can be transmitted faster than the speed of light. How do these particles “know” to flip? Musser’s description of the history of entanglement, including Einstein’s objection that provided the title for this book, is fine, but when he delves into new hypotheses of the fabric of spacetime, he just completely lost me. Quantum graphity reimagines spacetime as a random graph, rather than the smooth four-dimensional fabric of previous theories, where points (or “nodes”) in space are connected to each other in ways that defy traditional notions of distance. This would provide a mechanism for entanglement and also solve a question Greene addresses too, the horizon problem, where disparate areas of the universe that have not been in direct physical contact (under the standard model) since a tiny fraction of a second after the Big Bang currently have the same temperature. I didn’t think Musser explained quantum graphity well enough for the lay reader (me!), or gave enough of an understanding that this is all highly speculative, as opposed to the broader acceptance of something like string theory or absolute acceptance of quantum theory.

Next up: Back to fiction with Eowyn Ivey’s Pulitzer Prize finalist The Snow Child.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: history of science, non-fiction, physics, science

→ June 18, 2016
→ By keith

Stick to baseball, 6/18/16.

No new Insider content this week, although if you missed them you should check out my
American League draft recaps and National League draft recaps. No Federal League draft recaps, though, as the league folded in 1915. I held my weekly Klawchat on Thursday.

And now, the links:

Should pediatricians refuse to treat vaccine refusers? It’s not as easy a question as you might think – and while you (and I) would likely want our kids’ pediatricians to shun patients who might be carriers, there’s a larger social issue at play here.
Oh, hey, the Republican Presidential nominee is a vaccine denialist. Unlike the author of that post, I am a single-issue voter when it comes to science. I will not vote for a science-denier, period.
An Australian mum who went from anti-vax to pro-vax calls the vaccine-denier movement a sort of cult. Hard to dispute that, given the deniers’ clinging to false beliefs in the face of undeniable fact.
Other cult-like behavior from anti-vaxxers: harassing pro-vaccine activists by using sockpuppet social media accounts.
A reporter in Philadelphia – about 30 miles from me – bought an AR-15 assault rifle in seven minutes. No civilian has any need whatsoever for this kind of gun, yet they are legal and available with little to no restrictions in most states.
Oakland cops who were supposed to be working to fight sex trafficking themselves raped and trafficked an underaged sex worker. And that’s just the beginning of the accusations of crime and corruption in the Oakland PD.
My former colleague Bill Simmons gave a great interview to the Boston Globe‘s Chad Finn, who I should mention was one of my earliest supporters in the mainstream sports media, so I enjoyed this Q&A for a lot reasons.
A first-person account from a gay woman and her mother in Iran, where homosexuality is not just seen as a sin, but a crime, with a third offense punishable by death. And, if you were wondering, here’s a world map showing where being gay is illegal.
Oklahoma’s extreme right-wing governor and legislature want public schools to teach a pro-life curriculum. I see no way this is permissible under the First Amendment’s “establishment clause,” as teaching that life begins at conception is fundamentally a religious belief, not a scientific one.
The Brock Turner case highlighted how an entire justice system crafted and run by men fails to serve female victims of sexual assault.
One woman responded to an unsolicited dick pic by sending her harasser a barrage of pictures of penises and outing him. Of course, Facebook then froze her account for posting nudity. The actual back-and-forth exchange, along with this idiot’s comment that “you’re a girl so you should like it,” is posted here.
A US Marine who was working as a bouncer at Pulse nightclub in Orlando is credited with saving dozens of lives by keeping his head during the panic on Saturday night. His name, by the way, is Imran Yousuf.
Jessica Luther, who has done outstanding work covering the Baylor sexual assault epidemic and institutional coverup, writes on espnW about what the 30 for 30 OJ documentary doesn’t say about domestic violence.
More on Peter Thiel’s vendetta against Gawker and underlying attack on the free press: He’s bankrolled other, largely frivolous lawsuits, including a new one against Gawker over their investigative report on Donald Trump’s hair. Within this article is a note on Shiva Ayyadurai, a crackpot who erroneously claims to have invented email.
Still think Gawker had it coming? Read the Columbia Journalism Review on how billionaires are using money and intimidation to silence media critics and tell me you’re not concerned about the state of our free press.
Climate change has claimed its first mammal extinction, as a rodent that lived on a reef island off the coast of Queensland, Australia, has been declared extinct.
I thought this speech on the Orlando massacre by the Utah Lieutenant Governor was moving, well-written, and, I think, unusually sincere for any speech by a politician.
Jezebel interviewed a woman who had an abortion at 32 weeks because the fetus was nonviable. Remember that closing abortion clinics – or shooting at them or blowing them up or merely turning your back when others do so – affects a lot of people for a lot of different reasons.
I found this piece on growing up without the father who left the author when she was seven just heartbreaking from start to finish.
Basra, Iraq, a city run by Islamist politicians supported by Iran, has a rather remarkable Western-style shopping mall that has become a new cultural hub for the city. Where there is life – and commerce – there is hope.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: climate change, links, rape culture, stick to baseball, vaccines

→ June 16, 2016
→ By keith

Klawchat, 6/16/16.

Questions go in the frame below, NOT in the comments. My draft recaps for all 30 teams are up for Insiders, one file for AL teams’ drafts and another for NL teams’ drafts.

Klaw: In this journey, you’re the journal, I’m the journalist. Klawchat.

Joel: Re Nimmo: Is it that you’ve heard that nothing much has changed or that simply put, it’s basically impossible to tell if prospects doing well in Vegas and the PCL are for real (sorta a reverse Savannah problem)? Either way, Nimmo had struggled for a while so it’s certainly nice to talk about him tearing the absolute cover off the ball, regardless of where it is happening…..
Klaw: I’m hearing nothing’s really changed, but the latter point is probably the more important one here. Vegas, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Reno are all such severe hitter’s parks – mostly due to altitude – that it skews the stat lines of lots of players and makes it hard to separate the wheat from the chaff by eyeballing the numbers.

Cedric: I know you’ve always been high on Dom Smith and have said we should just wait till he gets to the normal ballparks in AA…….only he’s been awful this year (at least just by “scouting the statline” standards). have you heard anything regarding him and his struggles?
Klaw: He’s been very disappointing, but he also just turned 21 yesterday and is in AA. And he’s still making lots of contact and is even drawing a few more walks. But yes, to your point, this is below what I expected from him, and no, I haven’t heard of anything like an injury that might explain what’s happened the last few weeks.

John: You mention that moniak will probably never have an average power tool. One of the reasons that’s you say is because of his narrow stance and line drive swing. How often do teams tinker with this? Is it a common thing for teams to change a stance or a swing path?
Klaw: Stance isn’t hard to change, swing path can be very hard to change. Some guys can do it – Ben Zobrist and Jose Bautista are the two best examples I can think of – but far more struggle. Better to take the player based on what he is and will be with his current swing, at least when you’re drafting 1-1.

EC: I haven’t heard much talk about the “inverted W” recently. Was it disproved? Just a silly way to talk about mechanics?
Klaw: A silly way to talk about mechanics. I never liked or used the term and have said that I can make a lot of pitchers appear to do it simply by changing how high I’m standing while I shoot the picture or video. However, the “high elbow” in that position often means the pitcher is pronating pretty late relative to his front foot landing, and that’s generally a bad thing for arm health.

Michael: I love your work and generally agree with your positions, but I am pretty disappointed you have pushed for the judge in the Stanford case to be recalled. While you or I may disagree with the sentence, it is at least defensible given the probation officer’s recommendation and the severity of filing as a sex offender for life. Judicial independence is an important part of the American legal system and for you (or anyone) to advocate the removal of a judge for one decision is unprecedented and dangerous. (Attorneys who have worked with that judge have repeatedly called him impartial) You may have read extensively on the case (actual court documents), but most have not, and to call on the mob is somewhat irresponsible. Judges are independent for a reason: so they purposely do not give in to the whims of public opinion. You have a voice many of us would love to have. Criticize the judge and his decision all you want. But do it through speech, not a recall.
Klaw: He sentenced a man convicted of felony sexual battery to a jail term commensurate with a misdemeanor. The sex offender registration issue is a red herring: California law does not say jail OR registration, it says jail AND registration. If you read the probation officer’s report, it’s a pro-defendant disaster, and the victim has said it misrepresents her wishes for the defendant’s sentence. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to say a judge who treats sexual battery in such a cavalier manner, even in one case, does not belong on the bench.

Eric H.: Realistic ceilings for Christin Stewart and JaCoby Jones, in your opinion?
Klaw: Stewart above average regular, Jones up-and-down guy or AAA player.

Michael: Why did the Rockies wait so long to DFA Reyes? Clearly, that was a PR decision, but they kept him on the club through the winter and let him play in the PCL.
Klaw: I don’t think they would have been allowed to cut him sooner, at least not before MLB or authorities had weighed in on the charges. Also, I’m good with the outcome. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Bruce: I know it’s SSS but do you think Chris Paddack has top of the rotation potential? Did you foresee this when he was drafted in the 8th round?
Klaw: You’re definitely scouting the stat line if you’re taking 18 innings and talking TOR potential. For that to be true, I’d want to see at least two plus or future-plus pitches, a solid third and maybe fourth, a great delivery, size, history of health … a lot that Paddack doesn’t have. He’s 89-94 with an above-average split-change, no real breaking ball, and just missed almost two months with some kind of arm soreness. Good body and delivery. Great pick in the 8th round, but I could not possibly hang an ace ceiling tag on him just yet.

Owen (London): It’s only June and already Dusty is talking about consistency &the importance of being consistent, not to mention clutch hitters hitting clutchly in clutch situations. I live in London and I’m schvitzing.
Klaw: But they’re in first place ergo he must be a good manager!

Fred: How would you rank Thor, Matz, deGrom, Harvey, Wheeler in order must re-sign/not trade?
Klaw: Thor and deGrom at top. Wheeler is an unknown till he’s back. I’m least sanguine about the long-term health and durability of Harvey and Matz.

NickTheStick: If you had an AAA affiliate with an extreme hitters environment, would that change how you move a hitting prospect through the system? Hold him a little longer at AA? Maybe even call him straight up from there?
Klaw: Skip AAA entirely.

TedT: Assuming Jason Groome signs, about where on your list of top Red Sox prospects will he start out?
Klaw: No more than fourth or fifth I’d say. Pretty good system already.

Rick: You had Dylan Cozens as your sleeper for Philly pre-season. He’s roared out to a 19 HR, 13 SB, .967 OPS start with higher walk and strikeout rates than last season. Product of Reading or is this the breakout you imagined?
Klaw: I think it’s a lot of Reading, but also some maturation at the plate. I’ll buy into it more fully when he does it AAA. Hoskins too, whom I like even though he’s not my ‘type’ of player. I think some of it’s legit, but you can’t believe HR totals in Reading.

Adam: You referred to the Padres draft as confusing. Do you generally like the talent they were able to acquire by essentially buyin low or would you have preferred to see them go top heavy like what the Braves did?
Klaw: I would have gone for it at 8, 24, and 25, while the best players were still on the board, and then gone a little cheaper later to overpay those guys if needed.

Nelson: Klaw, do you consider osteopathy a real science or more pseudo? And if so, when would it be better to go to an Osteopath over a MD?
Klaw: There is a lot of pseudoscience within osteopathy. This essay does the best job I’ve seen of breaking it down.

Michael: Jenkins called up by the Braves……in the bullpen now but you still buying him as a starter long term??
Klaw: Yes, but he needs to miss more bats to be a starter, and I’m wondering if he’ll move to the pen and miss more bats straight off so that that becomes his long-term role.

Francis R.: Have you read Sam Harris’ essay “The Riddle of the Gun” His arguments are so reasoned, this should be required reading for all lawmakers and pundits before they start discussing gun control.
Klaw: Yep, it’s outstanding. Highly recommended.

Al: How can the Orioles stay in the race? Is it impossible? Is strong hitting, defense and bullpen work enough? Because they arent going to get quality starting all year….does that hurt the bullpen then?
Klaw: They haven’t been getting quality starting so far, other than Tillman, and are still basically a .500 team since the 7-0 start. If that means they’re heading for 86-76, are they still fringe contenders?

DPF: Could Cutch get 2 top 100 prospects and a MLB regular if traded this offseason?
Klaw: Depends on whether he gets healthy and performs in the second half. I’m sure he’d still fetch something of value even if not, maybe two top-end prospects and that’s it, but teams will be wary of paying up for him if they’re afraid he’s not 100%.

Gary: Do you think Keuchel turns it around? His peripherals seem to suggest he will.
Klaw: Yes. Seems to be way off mechanically. Stuff is fine.

Pete: Hi Keith. Will the Pirates promote Meadows and Keller soon? Would you?
Klaw: No. No rush on either guy. Both young for their levels with minimal experience below.

Joe: Jake Lamb’s power outburst legitimate? Already up to 12 so far this season.
Klaw: Yep. I’m on it.

Pineapple: Are you a Psych fan, Klaw?
Klaw: You know that’s right.

Nate: Does Josh Hader move into your top 50 for the next prospect rankings?
Klaw: No. Delivery issues remain.

Brad Z: Does Beau Burrow’s low K rate concern you?
Klaw: No. He’s 19 with a handful of innings of pro experience.

Brad Z: Matt Hall has pretty good numbers at West Michigan. How do you project him going forward?
Klaw: Non-prospect.

Nelson: How many older guys like Duvall are there in the Minors that can come up and hit 25+Hrs with a .300 OBP immediately. Are there a bunch, or is he really unique?
Klaw: I don’t think he’s that unique. Most teams wouldn’t play a guy with his lack of OBP skills, so we don’t see it happening very often.

Mulechop: Merrifield has looked pretty good so far. Can he be a league average 2B?
Klaw: No. Like, not even sure I’d give him a 1% chance.

I reordered the following two questions for clarity. I have not changed any of the text.

Anonymous: We talked briefly on twitter yesterday about Syndergaard and you said a complete game has no intrinsic value. Taken to the extreme, if pitcher A has 30 starts of 8 IP and player B had 30 complete games and all other stats are equal, nothing differentiates these two guys in your eyes?
Klaw: Well, player B has nine more innings. Whoop de do.

Ben: Keith, Player B would have 30 more innings in that scenario. One more inning for each start X 30 starts=30 innings. That’s a pretty big difference, is it not?
Klaw: Sorry, I totally misread the question and you’re right. Still, the difference is the thirty innings, not the complete games. I guess the better analogy would be Player A makes 20 starts and completes them all, while Player B makes 30 starts and averages six innings in each, so 180 innings each. Is Player A somehow more valuable because he’s completing all of those games? I don’t buy it. How?

Nathan: Logan Shore at #47. Was that a good, safe pick or should the A’s have aimed for a higher ceiling talent?
Klaw: Little safe, but appropriate for the round.

Ray: You believe in science. Are there studies that show one week of pitching too much causes major injuries? I’m against overuse too, but it seems that throwing 250 pitches in 72 hours one time isn’t as big of a risk as pitching itself.
Klaw: ASMI research has consistently shown that pitching while fatigued increases the risk of injury. If you think anyone can throw that much and not end up fatigued, well, we just disagree.

006: Don’t understand why they would activate Willson Contreras at this point….they are 24 games over .500, no? Unless something is wrong with Montero/Ross?
Klaw: I believe Ross got dinged up last night – Ron Coomer apparently floated this on Chicago radio today.

Ben: Is Kendall the best college hitter in the draft next year as of now? What about best overall college prospect?
Klaw: Right now, he’s the best college position player in the class. I don’t know who’s clearly 1-1 if anyone, but I am hopeful this is a 2011 situation where 4-5 players are good enough to go 1-1 and you can’t really go wrong with any of them.

Tom: Josh Bell already has more homers this year than last year, although his K% is up to 17. Is he turning into a power hitter or just a hot streak?
Klaw: Not sure what the “although” is … that’s a comically low K rate for a hitter like Bell. I think he’s pulling the ball more this year, unlocking power he’s always had.

Vin: Why do you think Bryan Reynolds fell so far in the draft? With so much ability, it seems foolish that teams were so scared of his strikeouts, especially considering his awareness of the strike zone.
Klaw: Yeah, the strikeouts, concerns he’ll struggle vs good lefties, better pitching … where the Giants took him, I’d take that toolset eight days a week. I would have taken it 30 picks higher. He’s not hopeless at the plate, but he’ll need to tighten his approach.

Ben: At what point do we become concerned with Judge’s AAA stats, particularly his propensity to strikeout at a high rate?
Klaw: I believe I raised this concern last summer when he was in AA. That said, he’s been cutting the K rate this season – started June 0-8 with 3 Ks, and since then has 9 K in 56 PA, hitting .409/.536/.636 in that 12-game span. Small sample, hardly definitive, but at least pointing in the right direction.

Doug: Are you surprised Cal Quantrill received an above slot deal? Especially considering Pint went well below.
Klaw: Yes. I can’t imagine returning to stanford next year for Marquess to run him into the ground was an appealing alternative to signing.

Ben: Do you think Severino figures out his command issues on his offspeed pitches?
Klaw: I have no way to tell. I think the delivery makes it hard for him to repeat his arm stroke, but that was true last year and his command was better than it was this year.

Andrew: David Paulino has posted impressive numbers in AA, but I don’t know too much about him…is he a potential rotation guy?
Klaw: Bullpen guy. Power arm with delivery/command questions.

BW: You said you were surprised Alex Kirilloff went to the Twins. How good do you think he can be?
Klaw: Only in that I just didn’t have good intel on the Twins this year. That’s my mistake, not theirs. Above-average everyday right fielder with power.

Jack: Why did Groome back out of his Vandy commitment?
Klaw: He was never going to Vandy. I think the ploy was for him to threaten to go back into next year’s draft, but that class is so loaded with college arms that it’s not a credible alternative to signing.

Nate: What do you expect from Tim Anderson this season? 275/300/400?
Klaw: I’d take the under, slightly.

Brett: Keith, are you concerned at all about Rafael Devers season so far in high A? You had him ranked I think #9 in your pre season prospect list. Any concerns long term?
Klaw: None. Again, he’s been much better lately, and he’s only 19 years old.

Scherzer’s Blue Eye: So Bob Davidson tosses Rendon because “he thought he was going to throw the bat at me.” Is there a more ridiculous statement, especially given the player involved. And, why aren’t Umpires held to more public accountability?
Klaw: No idea. That was clear provocation by Davidson, who was confrontational with Rendon immediately after tossing him. MLB should be much more open about umpires who pull this crap.

Rudy: The AZ baseball coach said he’d rather not breathe than lose a game which tells you why he doesn’t give a shit about his players.
Klaw: And adds to the impression that he flunked Anatomy 101.

Tuesday: I’ve got a weakness for mysteries set in another time, if not involving actual people (see Name of the Rose by Eco, Instance of the Fingerpost by Pears, Monaldi & Sorti). Any good ones you can recommend?
Klaw: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (and his other great novel, The Moonstone) are set in the 1850s because that’s when they were written. TWIW is considered the first major suspense novel.

Michael: Why do the PCL and California League exist then? Is it too expensive to start leagues in better environments?
Klaw: Where would you put them? Especially the PCL, which has teams in good-sized metro areas in the west that can by and large support these clubs. There are a handful of A-ball type markets unserved on the east coast, but not enough to add a half-dozen or so AAA teams.

James: Still think Archie Bradley is a starter?
Klaw: Long term, yes.

Donny Baseball: Is it realistic to ask for Schwarber for Miller?
Klaw: You can ask. The worst that happens is they say no. It’s not insulting to ask for that.

Scherzer’s Blue Eye: Scouting the Stat line: Drew Ward is breaking out. True or False?
Klaw: False. Repeating the level.

Jeremy: Zagunis just moved up to AAA. Can he be a major league contributor? He has a .400 OBP at every level in the minors.
Klaw: And has no position. He’ll play in the majors but I don’t see where he’d be a regular.

Matt: Some see AJ Puk as a bargain at No. 6, but with his recent struggles, was he actually a big risk at 6? Or do you think he will get things sorted out being with professional coaches?
Klaw: Not a bargain. About right. Has work to do on the delivery – lower half in particular is not well synced with upper half.

Santos: Serious question – why can’t you trust HR totals in Reading? You generally don’t hear that in the East.
Klaw: Small park that favors HR dramatically relative to other Eastern League parks.

Ignatius O’Reilly: The Rangers have a comfortable lead in the A.L. West, despite getting very little from Yu Darvish and nothing from Prince Fielder. They have a strong farm system they can use to make deadline deals, but other than bullpen help, is there anything (or anyone) out there they should really be giving up a big package for come July?
Klaw: Nope. And really, they could continue to improve by benching Moreland for Gallo.

Kevin: In what round, or specific player, was the first guy taken that you had no notes on or had not heard of?
Klaw: Travis MacGregor was the only day one guy on whom I had nothing. Not coincidentally, everyone I asked called that the ‘worst’ pick of the day – the subset of teams I asked had him either as a fifth rounder or as someone who should go to college.

Jason: Tyler O’Neill is putting up even better numbers as a 20 year old in the Southern League… is he on the rise?
Klaw: Yes – I’m most impressed that he’s not striking out, actually, as that was a real concern I had about him. Power was absolutely there, Cal League or not, but I didn’t know if he’d hit enough to get to it. He’s doing that and more and is still just 21 in AA.

Colin: I know Grichuk can’t tell a strike from his head, but do you like what the Cardinals are doing with Wong and CF. Do you think he can handle it adequately?
Klaw: I haven’t liked their handling of Wong for a while now, going back to the weird (punitive?) demotion … last April? or was that 2014? Either way, moving him off 2b seemed awfully reactive. He was never great there, never bad.

Kyle: Keith – do you think Mengden and Overton can become #4/5 starters in a solid rotation?
Klaw: Yes. Mengden might be a 4. Odds are both are 5s. Above replacement level, below average. Overton I’d like more if the velocity ever gets all the way back to pre-TJ levels.

NEP: Starting tomorrow how would you split up the playing time between the 3 Cubs catchers with Contreras coming up?
Klaw: Start Contreras 4 days out of 5, let Ross catch the other day, give Montero a fruit basket.

Jimmy: I know Adam Duvall is a first half outlier but can’t there be a ‘well that came out of nowhere’ spot on the All Star team or because home field is wrongly linked we can’t have fun like that?
Klaw: It really goes against the original purpose and main current value of the game: Get the best players all on one field at one time for the mass audience to watch. No one but Mrs. Duvall is turning on the game to watch Adam Duvall play. People will tune in to watch a genuine star having an off half-season, like Giancarlo Stanton. If you want to slip in a few guys who’ve come from nowhere, then make them young players, especially rookies, who will form the next generation of stars.

Justin: What is a realistic line going forward for Aledmys Diaz? .260/.330/.400 with average D at SS?
Klaw: I think he’s a below-average defender at short but the triple-slash line is probably right, maybe a little too low in the batting average.

Tom: I recently blew through a bunch of your restaurant recs found here on this very site. I’ve probably gone to about 15 places you’ve recommended and have always like them. No question – this is just a PSA for everyone chatting.
Klaw: Thanks! Glad they’ve worked out. One of the consolations of heavy travel is that I find some pretty fun places to eat.

Paul: Klaw – I know you’ve been buried in amateur prospect coverage the last month or so, but have you happened to catch any recent reports on Touki? I see that he’s still walking a ton of batter, but his last start was streamed on MILB, and good grief he looked filthy. Guess that’s pretty much the MO, though.
Klaw: Yep, stuff is great, still the same great athlete, just raw. Going to take him a while. I think everyone knew that when the Dbacks drafted him and when they gave him away.

FS: if Dunning is ML ready reliever, should Nationals consider promoting him this season? Their bullpen can use the help.
Klaw: No. He’s a starter long-term and I would transition him into that role.

Bret: I know you weren’t a fan of the Blue Jays draft, though in the past few years they have typically had a lot of success (when signing their picks). Do you attribute it to a change on leadership/philosophy, or just a case of not happening to be on the same page with particular player choices?
Klaw: This looks like a new philosophy in the draft and it certainly doesn’t match mine.

Ian: What have you heard on Brandon Marsh?
Klaw: Nothing really, other than that we’re a month from the signing deadline and anything players say at this point is probably codswallop. Perhaps it’s a ploy on his part or his agent’s – I don’t know that, but it’s possible.

Pete: Does Derek Hill’s defense make him at least a 4th OFer, even if he never figures it out at the plate?
Klaw: Yes, assuming he at least can put the ball in play 75% of the time.

Anonymous: I just read that Harris piece. Measured, but flawed. 100,000 people don’t die every year because doctors fail to wash their hands. 100,000 die every year from infections which live in hospitals and when you are cut open, you are susceptible to them. And protocols are in place to reduce that. In the same vein, we should protocols in place to reduce gun deaths whether mass shootings or singular incidents.
Klaw: I agree and favor much stricter laws on who can buy guns and what guns they can purchase. (I do not own a gun and hope I never have cause to change that.)

Busty Taker: Did Dusty Baker kick your dog?
Klaw: No, but he said my cat wasn’t clutch and needed more AAA seasoning. (Grow up already.)

Aaron: How many guys from next years draft class are you familiar with at this point?
Klaw: Twenty guys, maybe? Not enough to really talk in more than general terms. I try not to use any bandwidth on the year ahead until the draft has passed.

Anonymous: Hi Keith, any scouting report on Gourriel? Does he have a much higher floor than so many of the other Cuban players that have defected, given his age and track record?
Klaw: I saw him very bad last summer, but apparently he played much better over the winter. I highly doubt he can come right to the majors and contribute, given his age and time off, but he could be an everyday player next year for someone. I’d be really concerned about investing too much given how slow and old he looked last July, though.

Dan: What is going on with Ronald Acuna? Reports this season have been great but he hasn’t played in over a month and is on the DL but I haven’t seen any details on his injury. Is it serious?
Klaw: Broke his hand, I think. I know some Atlanta blogger(s) tweeted a picture of him wearing a cast.

Dan: What Toni Morrison work would you recommend someone starting with?
Klaw: Beloved, then Song of Solomon, then stop. It’s all downhill from there.

Dan: Brent Honeywell has been out over a month with an arm issue. I’ve heard it’s not overly serious but there has to be some level of concern with a young guy an elbow issues. Have you heard anything about his status and do you think he’s a big injury risk going forward?
Klaw: I think anyone who misses that much time with an arm injury is a risk going forward.

Ed: What does Tom Hatch project as in the bigs? a 4 or 5? Or bullpen? He seems like a solid pick for a college player in the 3rd round.
Klaw: Could be a 3 if healthy but he’s had some real health issues.

Brewersfan: Brett Phillips is striking out a lot… (32%) Should we worry about that? Maybe lost his status as top100?
Klaw: Completely serious question: Why do so many fans assume players jump in or out of the top 100 after 60 games? Is the skill set the same? The swing, the body, the delivery? Is there an underlying explanation, like an injury (remember when Hosmer played half a year in low-A with a broken metacarpal in his hand), that might explain a poor performance? Phillips is still the same guy he was last year. He might just take a little longer than we’d like.

Nationals Review: A few weeks ago when Espinosa was pretty awful at the plate you and I discussed replacing him with Turner (thanks again!). Now that Espi is hitting, at a clearly unsustainable but incredibly awesome 8 HRs in last 70 PAs… Seems silly to replace him with Turnet today, but How much rope should he get?
Klaw: None. I think that’s pure recency bias – he’s the same guy he was in May and April and 2015. What would you project him to be the rest of this year – the player he’s been the last 70 PA, or the guy you and I discussed him being when we talked a few weeks back?

Tom: O’Hearn, Mancini, Healy – are any of them legitimate breakouts? Which one profiles the best?
Klaw: Most hope for O’Hearn. Not much of a believer in the other two. Mancini’s 24 and hasn’t been anything special in AAA.

RP: Jim Salisbury, a well connected Philly writer, says Moniak is getting $6.5-7M and Gowdy is getting $4.5M. The Gowdy number can’t be true, can it?
Klaw: I doubt those numbers are true, sorry.

Rick: How frustrating it must be to offer an honest opinion on a player (McCullers) only to have him totally miss the point and blast you on Twitter as some “crappy” blogger. It’s not even like you said he’ll never be a starter.
Klaw: Also, I said he’d be a closer, potentially, which is like an $8-12 million a year job. It was a childish comment and I did not respond for that reason.

Bill: How does Moniak’s offensive skillset compare to J.P. Crawford’s when he was drafted?
Klaw: Liked Crawford’s swing more. Better runner underway. Didn’t know Crawford was this disciplined a hitter at the time.

Biff: Keith, newly working in the Wilmington metro area, what are your go-to can’t miss local spots?
Klaw: Cocina Lolo, La Fia, Two Stones are our favorites in the area. The best food is in Philly though.

Clem: Do you have a report on Josh Okimey? Tearing up the lower minors with lots of walks…is he a prospect?
Klaw: Yes, he is. Think I mentioned him last week in chat. Got MUCH stronger this winter, body totally changed.

Rob: Rowdy Tellez and JD Davis were once hS teammates. Is there a better chance they play against each other in the big leagues or that they are once again teammates….on the USA Men’s National Slo Pitch Softball Team.
Klaw: The latter.

Marshall: Name the 3 first rounders from last week that you think have the best chance to become multi-time all stars.
Klaw: Not sure I’d put that on anyone in this draft. It was really weak at the top. My top 3 guys were Ray, Groome, and Garrett, so that would be my answer, but even so I’m not sure they have that kind of potential … Ray because he doesn’t have quite that upside as a probable LF, the other two because they’re high school pitchers.

Adam: I am here every week and a big supporter of you and havent had a question answered in months………have I been black balled or just asking bad questions?
Klaw: I get hundreds of questions every week. The software says I have over 400 this week. Can’t get them all.

Chris: Luis Ortiz is holding his own in AA it looks like, but I’m only looking at stats so it could be way off. Is he a Guy?
Klaw: He’s a GUY, but probably not really ready for AA, more there because the Rangers didn’t want to leave him in the Cal League. Kate Morrison (@unlikelyfanatic) saw his last outing. She’d have more for you.

Brian: Do you agree w/the idea that the Phillies system is very deep but has few really elite talents?
Klaw: That’s fair, other than Crawford.

Anthony: Tyler Austin was a guy you liked awhile ago. Then injuries and lack of production struck. He is playing pretty well this year though. Has he made it back on to your radar yet?
Klaw: Really believed in his swing. Was not the same for two-plus years after the wrist injury … and maybe he was never that good before? Long way to go to reestablish himself, since it’s only 11 games in AAA and he’s played at that level before.

James: Would the Padres really trade Wil Myers? How can that be a good move?
Klaw: What if they get back multiple pieces who can help them?

Ben: Six years later I would like to ask it: what the hell were the Yankees thinking with Cito Culver
Klaw: I did not like the pick – he wasn’t on my top 100 for the draft that year – but I believe a lot of it was that they loved the kid, knew him really well because he’d played on their scout team that summer at East Coast Pro and Area Codes, and perhaps overrated him as a player because of his makeup.

jim: Who is the better pitcher out of allard wentz and Anderson
Klaw: Allard, Anderson, Wentz, in that order.

Jeffrey: I think one could make the argument that in some cases, the best players aren’t really “stars” as far as being widely known off the field throughout the country. I’m as big a Reds fan as their is, and I’m not sure anyone outside of Cincinnati cares a lick about seeing Joey Votto take 2 walks. He’s a wizard, but he has the personality of a loaf of bread. So sure, give the Reds token slot to Duvall. Or Bruce. I doubt anyone will care.
Klaw: Actually I’d advocate Finnegan over those others. Always need more pitching in those games and in one inning he’ll hit 97 a few times with a wipeout slider. And he’s been their best starter.

Pat: The closeness of those PCL cities to the MLB team also adds value when adding AAA guys to the MLB team due to injuries. LAD can call up a guy from Albuquerque & he’s in LA in 3-4 hours. Can’t do that with a guy playing on the East Coast.
Klaw: Very good point. Even helps for the Cal League – you can send Puig to rehab in Rancho Cucamonga and, uh, keep tabs on him while he’s there.

Dan: I just finished The Sympathizer and man, was it good. (pun not intended) I was surprised at how easy it was to read given the structure. I read your review before the chat and saw you enjoyed it as well.
Klaw: Yep, totally see why it won the Pulitzer. Oddly gripping given the subject matter and lack of any traditional narrative element like a mystery or concern over a sympathetic main character.

Mike: I’m a physician (MD). I work with DOs (Doctors of Osteopathy). They’re medical training is largely the same as MDs, and they are held to the same standards for board certifications and medical licensure. While some aspects of their training are questionable, a DO physician should not be considered “inferior” to an allopathic physician. I thought it was worth pointing this out to your readers as there is a lot of unfair bias in the medical community against them.
Klaw: Thank you for that. I think it’s doctor to doctor. That raging crackpot pediatrician in Tennessee who came out as a vaccine-denying quack is an MD, so there are idiots on both sides.

Mike: has your perception on aaron blair changed any from his mlb starts? do you think Flowers would help frame more for him than AJ? Thanks KlAw
Klaw: No change. Isn’t AJP the worst framer or one of the worst in baseball? So an elastic net would be better behind the plate.

Karl: Are Mitch Keller and Kuhl org type guys or do they have potential to be #2 or #3 rotation guys?
Klaw: Big gap between those outcomes. I think Kuhl’s a two-pitch reliever. Keller might be a 2. Good athlete, fresh arm, chance for three pitches.

Ridley Kemp: I have a meta-question: Approximately how many Donald Trump-related questions have been asked of you so far?
Klaw: Almost none. Definitely some selection bias here.

Dan: Hi Keith-saw Tim Anderson in his second game. Not knowing his milb stats, I focused on his plate presence–he seemed like a guy ready to swing, very animated. I cd be totally wrong, of course. But do you eval plate presence like you do mound presence?
Klaw: Not really, unless the body language is terrible, like Donavan Tate’s was in HS – totally disinterested.

Jeff: Tyler Mahler was your Reds sleeper this year, threw a no-no this week. So uh, please pick a bunch more Reds sleepers. Thank you.
Klaw: Um …. Jackson Stephens! Aristides Aquino! Nick Senzel! Wait, that might be cheating.

Mike: The Rockies took mostly arms (probably right due to strength of draft and BPA)….will they ruin a few deliveries by tinkering like Matzek and Gray?
Klaw: I get the sense that’s over with now. I hope so at least.

James: Does Kevin Newman have the best hit tool you’ve ever scouted?
Klaw: No, but I think it’s plus. I got some grief over ranking him as high as I did – not just from readers but from friends within the game. Granted, it’s only high-A, but at least he’s played well out of the chute.

Klaw: That’s all for this week; sorry there were some little software glitches and a brain cramp or two on my end. I’ll be back at some point next week, but with travel to Omaha for BBTN it might not be on Thursday. Thank you as always for reading.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: klawchat

→ June 12, 2016
→ By keith

Stick to baseball, 6/12/16.

It’s been quite a week, but the draft is over, finally, so I have some thoughts and analysis on what happened:

• My round one notes
• My round two notes
• My NL team-by-team recaps

I’m still writing the AL recaps and will have those up by tomorrow.

I chatted before the draft and after the first five rounds.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter.

And now, the links…

The judge who gave Stanford rapist Brock Turner six months, saying a longer sentence would have a “severe impact” on this sentient pile of shit, has been the target of threats after the ruling. Here’s the one threat I can get behind: an effort to recall Judge Persky, which I’d hope you would sign and back if you live in Santa Clara County.
Of course, it’s hard to get too optimistic when voters in Orange County re-elected a judge censured for having sex with two law students in chambers, as well as failing to recuse himself in a case where he had a conflict of interest.
There’s a new restaurant in LA called Birdies that sells fried chicken, donuts, and good coffee. Why eat anywhere else in LA?
The Appalachian tradition of salt-rising bread, fermented with Clostridium perfringens, a Gram-positive bacterium that causes food poisoning, is vanishing. Baking kills the bacteria, of course.
Angola’s bushmeat markets are alive and well, even though they’re illegal.
A Twitter user who was harassed by vaccine-denier assholes ended up having Twitter give them her home address as she tried to get the site to take down photos of her infant child that the harassers were using. (I looked up two of the main harassers; one I’d already blocked, the other had blocked me.)
Some actual good news on the vaccine front: researchers have developed the first vaccine for toxic shock syndrome, a dangerous type of staph infection, and the FDA has approved a new cholera vaccine for travelers to affected areas.
Also, we’re cranking up requirements for the meningitis B vaccine, which is particularly recommended for adolescents and college students. If you’ve got a kid going to college, make sure s/he has gotten this shot.
Donald Trump is being sued many times over for not paying tradesworkers and employees, as well as numerous other liens for back pay.
Japanese knotweed is the hot new ingredient in kitchens, and since it’s a destructive, invasive plant, no one has to worry about sustainability.
Some parenting anti-tips on how to teach your daughters that their consent doesn’t matter.
Scientists have found antibiotic-resistant “super bacteria” pretty much everywhere in Rio. These Olympics might be an all-time disaster, and no one who matters seems to be willing to entertain the possibility of moving or canceling the games. Money talks, even if we might get a global pandemic as a result.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: links, stick to baseball, vaccines

→ June 10, 2016
→ By keith

Klawchat, 6/10/16.

Insiders can see my my first-round recap now, and I’ll continue writing throughout the day.

Klaw: One good day of the week and I’ll be up again. Klawchat.

Andrew: What is Thaiss’ position? Seems like the Angels reached (surprise surprise) but is the hope that he can get to the majors quickly in hopes of contributing in that 2018-2020 timeframe before the Trout window slams shut?
Klaw: Catcher who won’t stay there, so I think first base. Fast mover with the bat. Need to see the power going forward. I liked him, mostly because so many people praised the hit tool (I saw him just OK). Feel like he’s high-floor but perhaps more average regular than star?

Kyle: Dylan Carson a reach at 33?
Klaw: I thought so.

Banksy_: Whats the new story on Groome, what got him to 12? Is there a good chance he balks at their offer and he goes to Chippola?
Klaw: I’m sure he’ll say that and will ultimately sign. Slot there is $3.2 million. He’d be an all-time idiot to turn that down – the left-handed Matt Harrington, if you will. (Was Matt Harrington right-handed? I don’t even know. Not like I ever saw him pitch.)

N: Which Kieboom has a better long term outlook and by how much
Klaw: Carter is a regular, above-average most likely. Spencer is probably a good backup catcher with a chance to start occasionally.

Greg: You don’t draft for need and I understand that. But when there is a system like Atlanta with only Swanson and Albies projecting to be above average hitters, don’t you have to start taking hitters at some point? I’m not mad as a Braves fan, I’m just trying to figure out how this team is going to score any runs when they’re trying to compete a few years from now.
Klaw: If the draft is loaded with high school pitchers, don’t force it to give you a college hitter. They loaded up on the draft’s strength.

N: If Dunning were kept a reliever, which I know he’s not, how close would he be to MLB-ready at signing?
Klaw: This year. But I agree, it’s a waste of his talent.

Jamie S.: How did the Mets do in your mind? Seems like BPA all the way through (and that’s perfectly fine to me).
Klaw: Loved the first three picks – mentioned them in my round two recap (which posted after you wrote this question).

Sean: Will the Giants drafting of Reynolds affect their ability to draft more expensive players?
Klaw: If it does, so what? They got a first-round talent in the second round. I’d be ecstatic.

Nick: Can Zack Burdi be transitioned into a starter, or does remain in the bullpen fulltime?
Klaw: I know some scouts thought he could start but I believe the White Sox want to use him in relief.

Nick: Appears Tim Anderson will be called up, does he make an immediate offensive impact and can he keep up defensively at ss?
Klaw: Very skeptical of his ability to make an offensive impact given his plate discipline. Great prospect, most likely not ready today.

Jeff: Hi Keith. What are the makeup concerns about Groome? Is it serious stuff or 17-yr. old immaturity stuff?
Klaw: To me it’s immaturity and idiocy. No violence, no felonies, not a sociopath. I am more concerned about Delvin Perez’s makeup than Groome’s.

Chris: Were teams that concerned about Perez, who you had as high as three at one point, by the PED test? At 17, I guess I think it’d be hard to imagine that PEDs were the main driving force behind his production. What do you think his ceiling is as a player?
Klaw: He showed up this year with more power (oops) and running faster (who knows?). Still a potential ++ defender with bat speed. But I think the PED results confirm earlier concerns about makeup and work ethic.

Nick: Does Nolan Jones sign at 55?
Klaw: I assume anyone taken in the top three rounds will sign if he passes a physical. Most of these picks involve deals or conversations around money before the selection. (Not all, but most.)

Sam: Did Jose Miranda drop out of the top 100 for an interesting reason?
Klaw: No, he was literally #101, took him off when I added Will Smith to the middle of the list when I suddenly got a slew of positive reports on Smith. I like Miranda a lot as a hitter, think he has to move to 3b.

Anonymous: What round do you think Lasky (Haddon Heights, NJ) will end up being drafted? What about Tyler Mondile? Excited to see several south jersey guys in your top 100.
Klaw: I believe Laskey ends up at Duke. He’s not getting $2-3 million after his velocity tailed off at the end. He’ll be a guy to watch for 2019. It’s the fourth round right now which I believe is Mondile territory.

sean: I believe you had Justin Dunn ranked 15, do you feel he’s someone who can get to the Mets bullpen in late 2017 and be a starter in 2018? He’s young, 21 in September, but he seems like a player who is rapidly rising and making the proper adjustments, at least at the college level. Thanks
Klaw: He’s a starter, now and in the future.

Nick: Does Rutherford sign or go to UCLA for two years and re-enter the Draft in 2018?
Klaw: Again, I assume they all sign. Slot at 18 is $2.5 million. Maybe they go over. He does have big leverage due to his age but that’s a lot of coin to turn down.

Nick: Who are some guys that will be taken today or tomorrow because of signability issues that could be 1st rounders in 2019?
Klaw: Hunter Bishop, Jeff Belge, maybe Drew Mendoza (I see a lot of swing and miss, I know scouts who love the power and body), Ryan Rolison, Tyler Baum (totally unsignable, I’m told). Might have said Mason Thompson but the Padres took him.

Banksy_: What level does Quantrll start at? Have to think theres an innings limit with him for a while too, right?
Klaw: I assume he comes back this summer and pitches in short-season in brief outings as if he’s continuing his rehab. Wouldn’t be wrong to hold him out till instructs.

Jimincanow: Do you think the Phillies have picked right in the first 2 rounds?
Klaw: I think they picked well. It’s not exactly who I would have taken, but that doesn’t make it wrong.

Drew: People’s reaction to MLB draft picks is insane, right? There were Twins fans upset that they took Kirilloff at 14, pretty much right where he was ranked in most rankings I saw. So they add their own “scouting” and say it was a terrible pick when there is next to zero chance any of them saw him take one swing. It’s like saying you hate Indian food if you’ve never tried, only ever heard of Indian food.
Klaw: So you’re saying it’s like a 7-year-old kid’s reaction? “I hate squid.” “You’ve never tried squid.” “Yeah but I know I’ll hate it.”

Jim: Hi Keith- How often are the major league coaches consulted when considering picks? Specifically, do you think the White Sox showed Cooper some video of Alec Hansen and asked if he could iron out his control issues?
Klaw: If there’s a coach who’s exceptional like Cooper is, yes, that’s common, and makes sense because ultimately it’ll be that coach’s project – maybe not a major league coach but a minor league coordinator. I know there are also some folks like Scioscia and Showalter who more or less insist on being involved in the process. I’m not a big fan of that myself.

David: Hi Keith, I love your work. I would love to see teams trade draft picks. My question: As a Pirates man, how much should I worry about Will Craig’s struggles in the Cape Cod league?
Klaw: A lot. I think it made him a reach at 22. Same reason I don’t think JB Woodman was worth a top three rounds pick, and the Jays took him in the second.

John: How far does Funkhouser fall? 104 possible?
Klaw: Well he went 115 to Detroit (shocker, they took a Boras guy), so there you go. Bad situation for him – he should have signed last year.

Andrew: Is it possible Dane Dunning’s stock was artificially lowered just by the depth of the Florida rotation. IOW, could u have seen a world where Dunning was on a different college team, flourished, and would have been a top 5 pick? A gem hidden in Florida’s pen? Or do you think he ends up a reliever anyway?
Klaw: He’s a starter and yes, he might have gone higher had he been a starter all year. But he was never overused (thank you, Sully) and did get scouted a ton because people were always there to see the umpteen other Gators worth drafting, so net/net I don’t think he fared badly.

Chris: Not impressed with the Puk at #6. Too many red flags there…lumbering, unathletic, inconsistent this spring, walks too many guys. Yes he throws hard, yes he has a good slider, but I’m seeing Drew Pomeranz 2.0. What say you?
Klaw: You mentioned all the negatives and I think they’re generally true. I also think his lower half and upper half aren’t well synced up in the delivery. He’s also 6’6″, 93-97, with a good changeup, average breaking ball, and good extension out front. Those dudes don’t grow on trees and if you don’t take that at pick 6 you might never get one another way.

Chris: Which of these do you think needs to happen first: international draft, tradeable draft picks, or eliminating the tie between the draft and free agency?
Klaw: The last one is the most important, the first one is the most likely.

Sean A: Brewers have already said they plan to develop Ray as a CF. Chances of him sticking their and will that increase his duration in the minors?
Klaw: I think that’s the smart move. Maybe 30-40% chance he sticks there. Average defense in center makes him a frequent all-star.

Jackson: I understand that I know nothing about this. I do, really. But I watch college ball….and why did some of these late first roundteams take some of these pitchers before Dakota Hudson (e.g. Nats taking Dane Dunning). Hard to wrap mind around.
Klaw: Lot of folks think Hudson’s delivery makes him a reliever in time. Also think his fastball can get very straight. If you believe in the cutter, he’s a first-rounder.

Pioneer: Keith, thanks as always for the chat. Do you feel that AJ Puk’s workload was more a function of his command issues, or O’Sullivan just having such a deep staff that he could spread the innings around? I was surprised that he fell to my A’s, but he definitely doesn’t seem to be a fast-tracker.
Klaw: He had the back spasms, and a couple of times didn’t pitch well enough to go deep into games. He did hold his velocity into the 7th when I saw him last.

Josh: Liked the Sedlock pick but didn’t realize the manner in which Illinois used him this year. Still a future starter/how risky is he?
Klaw: Future starter, but the O’s have to back off him this year. Also, Illinois misused Jay last year and misused Sedlock. When schools do this, recruits need to pay attention.

Scott: I didn’t see Chatham in your top 100. Does he have the potential to be a prospect or was that more an overdraft so they can save some money to sign Groome?
Klaw: I thought he was a 4th-5th rounder. Can’t stay at short, questionable hit tool. Utility infielder in long run.

Zach: So it seems as if Austin Meadows took his removal from your top 25 very personally. His line since then? .429/.456/.889. Safe to say he’s snapped out of his post injury rusty phase? Also, please remove Tyler Glasnow from your ranking so he can start to really kick ass. You clearly have that kind of power, Keith.
Klaw: He wasn’t “removed” so much as passed by guys who were healthy and off to better starts.

Jeff (CT): Thoughts on Yankees second round pick, Nick Solak? I’m surprised they didn’t take a pitcher in this round.
Klaw: Sort of a scouts’ favorite, good ballplayer without big tools, but I thought more 3rd-4th round.

Bret: It seems like most online consensus is that the Jays could have done better than Zeuch, but they obviously don’t see it that way, of course. What do they see in him that justifies the #21 pick?
Klaw: Big size, fastball comes right down at you, flashes an above average breaking ball. I wasn’t on it up there – would have taken Kay before him, for example.

Wally: You nailed the Nats two picks at the end of the 1st round, which is like a 90′ putt. Is that one of the porganizations that you feel like you have good contacts/relationship, or was it a SWAG? What did you think of their Day 1 picks?
Klaw: I seldom get info like that direct from an organization about its own picks, and did not here. Really, really liked their day one. Hell, I like their day two so far too.

Banksy_: Is AJ Preller just taking kids that already have 1 TJ out of the way already, or is there actually a rhyme to his reason…yo?
Klaw: Both guys were, in theory, talented enough to go higher if healthy.

JeffT: How much should a team take into account “make-up” when dealing with a 17 yo? I mean who is the person (for better or worse) at 23 than 17?
Klaw: It matters more than you think. You’re handing the kid six or seven figures, then asking him to go be a professional, with all the responsibilities of conditioning, work ethic, discipline, and behavior that many people don’t encounter until they’re 19 or 21 or 23.

Ben: Hello from Taiwan, Keith! Love your work. Why did Rutherford fall so much? Is there any red flags or concerns other than signability? In terms of signability of Rutherford, how much is too much?
Klaw: I think signability and the fact that he turned 19 a month ago, making him an older high school player (and in a demographic that hasn’t fared well historically).

James: What do you think of the Rangers’ first two picks? I’m surprised Speas was still there in the second
Klaw: I’m not. Great arm and body, with 20 command.

Peter: I know from yesterday’s chat you weren’t expecting any of the college bats to be available for the Mariners, but how surprised are you that Lewis slipped to 11? And does Lewis become the M’s top prospect in the system once he signs?
Klaw: I had him ranked 10th, so I think it’s the right spot, but I thought others liked him more. He does swing and miss too much and I do not agree that he’s a lock to stay in center.

Nick: What’s Cole Stobbe’s ceiling?
Klaw: Ceiling probably above average regular at third. I thought he was somewhere in the 101-120 ranking area, but really at that point in the draft anything plus or minus a round is within range.

Brian: Do you think Anderson was the BPA on the Braves board at 3? Or was he simply the best combo of talent & cost? If it’s the latter, do you feel like the Braves got enough talent with their subsequent picks to justify not taking BPA at 3?
Klaw: I thought he was really good, moved him up to 7th on my final board after hearing his velocity was all the way back on Saturday. I think they probably felt they were getting BPA anyway but at a discount relative to slot at 3. I had a couple of guys above him, but again, my word is not definitive, and in this draft in particular a couple of spots in the rankings is essentially nothing.

John: If you’re the Rockies, the best case scenario is grab all the power arm prospects you can, hope you hit on a few and if they do succeed deal them at their peak for more prospects. You’ll never have a long term successful pitcher here. correct?
Klaw: I’m not that pessimistic. I think you draft power arms because that’s the only way you’re ever going to have enough pitching to compete. But if the draft gives you Brendan Rodgers or David Dahl (to say nothing of second-rounder Nolan Arenado … my God that was a good pick), take him. Don’t force the arm.

mike: can you explain the reason what the catch-all term “character concerns” is so often used (e.g. Groome) and what those concerns are are not actually reported by anyone? Is it respect for kid’s privacy or something else
Klaw: Because lawyers. I know what’s up with Groome – I did some background work of my own to check on some of the rumors (nearly all of which turned out to be false … for example, he was not kicked out of IMG). But I can’t say exactly what I know because ESPN has editorial standards for reporting and I abide by those.

Justin: For a guy like Connor Jones, is it worth the Cardinals trying to fix his delivery but risking making him a less effective pitcher?
Klaw: He’s not very effective right now. Fix the delivery and see if he starts throwing harder and/or with more sink.

Will: About how many prospects from this draft do you think go into the top 100?
Klaw: Maybe a dozen? Depends on promotions but we seem to be losing a lot of kids to the majors already.

Tom: Seems like the pirates are having a pretty crappy draft. Thoughts on what they’ve done so far?
Klaw: well I would never use that word, but I’m not a fan of the first few picks. Lodolo is interesting but he’s a very long-term development project – I thought he might be a top guy for 2019 instead.

Brian: Keith, the Red Sox selected Florida’s closer, Shaun Anderson, in round 3, mlb.com suggests he could be made a starter. But for this year, is he someone that the Sox could put in the big league pen this year and then try him as a starter in the minors next? Is that bad for his development? Is he even good enough to consider that? Thanks a lot.
Klaw: I don’t think he can be a starter. It’s not outrageous, but I think he’s a pen guy, and I’d do what you suggest – move him quick to AA or AAA and see what happens.

Kyle: Keith, if Dalton Jeffries can recover his health, do you think he was a steal?
Klaw: Maybe. He has a real shoulder issue, so he has to pass the physical first, and then see if the injury recurs or affects his velocity. This isn’t minor. Before that he might have been a top 10 pick, although I think that was a little rich for a smallish RHP without huge stuff.

Matt: Almarez for the Phillies said that Moniak can be a 70 defense 70 hit and hit between 15-22 home runs when he hits the big leagues. What do you think?
Klaw: Apparently I went to see the wrong kid.

Alex in Austin: With Wentz and Jones going in the 2nd, any chance they go to Cville or will they sign overslot?
Klaw: Signing. I’d bet anything those kids both had deals in place.

RollWave: Tulane alum here. Saw both Alemais (Pirates) and Rogers (Astros) were both recently taken within a few picks of each other. Any thoughts on these guys? Seems like Rogers as a defense-first catcher should at least have a chance of panning out.
Klaw: Extra guys – good shot at big leagues, doubt either becomes a regular.

John: Who the heck is Alex Call?
Klaw: He should have been the first pick so Call could have let the day begin.

Joe: Was Benson a huge reach for you?
Klaw: Sort of … for tools, body, intelligence, he’s a top 10 guy. The swing is a zero right now. They’ll have to rebuild it. They have the technology, though.

Brad: Hey Keith, long time reader and supporter of yours. I wanted to ask for advice for breaking into the baseball business. Occupying my free time researching/learning/studying baseball has made up most of my life and I think I’d be great in the biz. About a year ago, I passed on an internship with the Yankees after blindly reaching out and talking some with David Grabiner who was impressed with some of my thoughts. As baseball requires more and more of an analytics driven decision making process, would an MBA in data analytics help propel me into a good full time type of position? How would you best suggest breaking in as a mid-20 currently working in mechanical engineering?
Klaw: My understanding is that the big hiring now is people with extensive work and/or education in data mining fields – machine learning, signal processing, etc.

Justin: Where did you have Zac Gallen?
Klaw: Fourth-fifth rounds.

Josh: Any info on Mason Thompson (drafted in the 3rd by the Padres)?
Klaw: I’d been told he was a likely top ten pick for 2019 and was a difficult sign this year as a kid out with TJ who had seven-figure expectations.

Hinkie: Can Kevin Gowdy eventually be a top of the rotation pitcher, or his ceiling more of a 2 or 3.
Klaw: More like a 2/3, but still a good pick.

JG: In most of the prospect descriptions for catchers, many do not expect the actual player to stay at catcher. Is Ben Rortvedt the guy that can?
Klaw: I have been told no shot. He’s a hitter. I saw Lux this spring but not Rortvedt (I guess that was the right call since Lux went in the first).

Jacob: Scouting reports suggest Kirilloff may be a solid player but nothing spectacular. Anything in his game that suggests he could be something more?
Klaw: Power is much more. That’s your upside there.

Theo: Could Riley Pint pitch in the majors in a bullpen right now if needed? I know the Rockies don’t need him now, but if they were in a playoff hunt would that change? 102 is 102
Klaw: No. He’d walk too many guys.

addoeh: Are you just working on adrenaline at this point? When do you open a good bottle of rum and just relax?
Klaw: Adrenaline and some caffeine. Probably won’t really relax till the recaps are done this weekend.

Mike M: Luhnow takes a tall RHP with so-so velo and little projection (Whitley), a fringe prospect corner bat (Dawson), and a college catcher who can’t hit a lick (Rogers). Fair to say the Astros have underwhelmed so far?
Klaw: Whitley does not have “so-so velo.” He’s got a plus FB and flashes a plus CB. He has little projection because he’s already built like a big leaguer. I think you’re really unfair on that pick. The other two I’m with you.

Matt: I know you’re not a huge fan of player comparisons, but is Moniak’s upside something along the lines of Christian Yelich with better defense? He’s maybe the only guy I can think of in MLB with a 70 hit and 40 power.
Klaw: I think Yelich had a had a better pure hit tool at that age.

Mike: How far will Matt Krook fall ?
Klaw: Gone in the 4th. Another guy who has to pass his physical first – Miami flunked him in high school, then he had TJ.

Stephen: At what round in the draft do teams’ draft boards start to greatly diverge? That is, at what point do guys get taken that other teams aren’t in on at all? Or to put it another way, at what point does a team not get concerned at all that their next selection will be taken in the pick or two before they draft?
Klaw: I think we’re already at that point now. Probably somewhere in the third round boards really start to part where you get other teams taking guys you had in the 6-10 round range.

CJ: As a Cards fan (and a Puerto Rican) I’m ecstatic that the Cards nabbed Perez. Are you in the “he shouldn’t be rewarded with a first round pick because he cheated” camp, or the “He’s not a rich prep player like a lot of these other high schoolers and should be given the benefit of the doubt.” Thanks Keith!
Klaw: I’m in the “take the player you think is the best as long as he’s not violent or a felon” camp.

Robert: Regarding the Tigers selection of Manning. you mentioned Detroit has a history of developing players like him, tall athletic power arms. Outside of Verlander who have they developed in the minors? Thanks.
Klaw: Might have been Eric who said that. I love the pick, though. Big, athletic, up to 98, needs to switch to a traditional curveball grip from a spike. They haven’t taken anyone like him since Jacob Turner.

Aaron C.: Thanks for your “anti-lazy comp” policy, man. While I appreciate the work that MLB Network does in bringing the draft to the fans, they do quite a disservice when folks like Harold Reynolds are throwing out uninformed comps left n’ right.
Klaw: The same-race (or even guy who looks like this other guy) comps are insulting. The hell does that matter? Ray Lankford peaked as a guy with 20+ HR, 20+ SB, reaching 30 in each category at least once, with good OBPs and somewhat high K rates. I think that’s Corey Ray’s ceiling. I wouldn’t care if one of them was from Kyrgyzstan and the other from Darkest Peru.

Jay: Bo Bichette seems like a great pick at 66. Does he have highest upside of Blue Jays draft picks so far?
Klaw: Yes, that’s my favorite relative to draft position of theirs. I wonder if people worried because the brother has been so bad, and Bo used to have a terrible setup/load for his swing. He’s cleaned it up, and he’s a better athlete than Dante Jr.

James: My favorite part of the draft was when Tommy Lasorda comes out to announce the Dodgers pick, looks lost, then goes – “I’m Tommy Lasorda”. Think MLB could announce the person who was announcing the pick for the team.
Klaw: I thought he looked awful as he was helped up to the podium and started to speak so slowly, but then he cracked the “stay awake, fellas!” line like it was still 1980. I’m not even a fan of Lasorda’s, but that was a great moment.

Chris: Kevin Maitan would’ve been selected at what pick last night?
Klaw: Not very high. 16 years old, never faced any real competition. How do you compare that to Moniak or Rutherford?

FG: From what you hear, is there any concern that the Yankees won’t sign Rutherford? Or will they need to manage pool money properly . Thanks for your work Klaw.
Klaw: My guess is they’ll go under slot a few times and work it out.

James: Whenever a tall pitcher was picked in the first round the analysts kept saying that tall pitchers take more time in the minors because their deliveries are harder to repeat/control. Is this true?
Klaw: I think that’s true for VERY tall pitchers – 6’6″ and up, say. And the pool of those guys isn’t that big to begin with.

Amy: Wait, why does Rutherford’s age give him leverage?
Klaw: Because he’ll be eligible for the draft again in 2018 if he goes to college, rather than 2019 for most HS kids.

Troubled (Cincinnati): I see why you don’t like doing comps. Ctrent had a great tweet last night about MLB’s coverage, to hear the non-scouts (Mayo, Callis, Manual) talk, every player drafted last night was either an All-Star or a Hall of Famer. The coverage was hard to stomach because of it.
Klaw: That’s an inherent problem with any league broadcasting its own draft, unfortunately. For example, Sanchez and Carlson were both reaches in the first round. Would MLB be OK with Mayo saying, “that’s a huge reach,” or, worse, “I think that’s a terrible pick?” Probably not, and it’s their right to say, hey, this is a big marketing event for us too, let’s not bash the product. So I hear you, and to some extent I agree with you (this ain’t Lake Wobegon and these kids aren’t all above average), but there’s a COI here that’s not going away.

Adam: Would you say that two-sport guys, such as Matt Manning, have higher untapped potential as they’ve not solely focussed on baseball year round? As I Tigs fan I was expecting a hard throwing pitcher, I’m not sure if I should be excited about Manning or not.
Klaw: I think the new thinking is that their arms will be in better shape due to the long layoff from pitching. For position players i’m not as sold on the idea.

Jerry: Do you think Jared Horn priced himself out of the first couple of rounds, or were there some performance issues that have led to him slipping closer and closer to being in Berkeley for school later this summer?
Klaw: I think the money was one thing and the delivery (max effort, reliever all the way) may have been another. Some teams were just out on him for the second reason.

Josh: Who is Joseph Lucchesi? Preller seems to be making a lot of under-slot picks. Where is all of that money going?
Klaw: That’s Joey Lucchesi, who was worn out like a damn dishrag at their conference tournament after leading D1 in strikeouts during the season. Quality senior sign. I hope we’re not lamenting an injury to him a year from now. Probably helps go to pay Lawson and Thompson. I wonder if Lake Bachar is a deal too – junior but D3 kid without projection.

Nathan: I enjoy reading your work Keith. Are Robert Tyler and Ben Bowden starters at the major league level or better suited for bullpen roles?
Klaw: I think you send both out as starters, but if you asked me to bet $100 on each I’d say relief for both.

Joe: Not sure if you saw but Dylan Bundy hit 97 on his fastball and was sitting at 95. Reason to be optimistic or is there still too many unknowns at this point?
Klaw: He has calcification in his shoulder. We’re a long way from being optimistic on that disaster.

BK: Bichette stated in an intvw last night that he turned down 4 offers prior to the Jays because he didn’t like the fit. Have you heard similar? That seems quite odd to me.
Klaw: I had heard interest in him starting in the 30s, but don’t know of any specific deals. It’s not like he grew up poor so he had that luxury.

Joe: Hey Keith, How much longer until Ray Montgomery is a GM? His past 2 drafts in Milwaukee have been excellent and he seems to be well regarded in MLB circles. Thanks
Klaw: I thought he’d get more of a shot at the job in Milwaukee, but that process appeared to be over before it started. He should be on a lot of teams’ short lists for the next opening.

Joe: Knowing what you know would you have taken Groome with a top 3 pick?
Klaw: Yes, I would have. I might have handled him differently post-draft than other prospects, but so what? If you find a talented kid with a drinking problem, but no history of violence, abuse, destructive behavior, etc., you might still draft and sign him, but have EA people in place with him, avoid certain environments, etc. That’s the cost of developing players to me.

Harvey: Do you think that 40 rounds every year is too many? Must be like throwing darts after 10 rounds, right?
Klaw: I stop paying attention after round 11. Really after the top 5 rounds the significant prospects are mostly gone – players who emerge after that, like Goldschmidt, were known but just underrated by the entire industry – and round 11 matters because it’s the first round after the bonus pool rounds.

Tom: What’s wrong with the word “crappy”?
Klaw: If I say a draft is “crappy,” imagine the reaction from that scouting director or GM (I know most of them well) when he sees that? Hi, yeah, I did call your draft crappy, but I meant it in the nicest possible way…

Brian: Keith, back to the character question. This is not a criticism, I do understand your answer; but how is it better to say a kid has character issues and then just leave it there? It’s not your responsibility but people’s minds’ due tend to run to worst case and they could be thinking the kid is a Johnny Maziel level type alcoholic/woman abuser when it could be he shows up late a lot and may be a little lazy. I guess the question is, why say anything at all?
Klaw: How do I explain why a Jason Groome goes 12th when he came into the spring at 1 on most lists (mine included)?

Steve: Thoughts on Jordan Sheffield? No 2/3 starter ceiling or more of a power reliever?
Klaw: Power reliever for me. Short RHP with lightning arm but lacks command or plane for starting.

KoolMoeRip: Thoughts on O’s draft. Liking Hays in the 3rd a lot-looks like good value
Klaw: 3rd/4th rounder there. Appropriate spot for him.

Alex: A friend who is a novice baseball fan asked me about Perez. Without giving him details on scouting grades, etc.. Is Lindor a decent comp?
Klaw: No, Lindor was a WAY more advanced hitter at the same age. Plus Lindor had 80 makeup and Delvin has not 80 makeup.

Brian: is Bobby Dalbec going to be able hit professional pitching? seems like a bad pick for Boston.
Klaw: Where they took him (4th) was fair. Huge power, maybe 80 power, too much swing and miss. Fourth round expected value is near zero, so rolling the dice on a kid who might only have a 5% chance of clicking but is a solid #6 hitter if he does work out is reasonable. Also, while I like some players more than others, it’s a little hard to make a “bad” pick by this point in the draft.

Kyle: Odd question but a 40 round draft would by definition at add at least 40 new players to an org. Does this mean +/-40 other players are usually out of a job every year around this time?
Klaw: Not an odd question but bear in mind lots of those picks don’t sign. I think usually 800-900 guys sign a year? Mayo or Callis would actually be better people to ask on that. But those signees fill out the GCL/AZL rosters and some of the short-season rosters.

Bob: Then I assume you would have been more vague about referencing Perez’s PED use if it had not already leaked all over place.
Klaw: I was still vague even when I knew for a fact that he’d tested positive. I still know more about it than I’ve said (as does everyone else, I’m not that special). But I spoke to our news desk about how to couch it and that’s what you’re getting from me.

Harrisburg Hal: Good rums…I’ve had a couple of the Appleton Estate varieties…what is your favorite (not more than $50/bottle)?
Klaw: I have Brugal Viejo in the house right now and it’s a damn fine rum. It will be used this weekend.

Klaw: That’s all for this week as I have a lot of writing to do, but thank you all for the questions today and yesterday, for reading all of my content and Eric’s too, and for your support and readership throughout the year. Look for those team by team draft recaps over the weekend.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: klawchat

→ June 9, 2016
→ By keith

Klawchat, 6/9/16.

Happy Draft Day! I have an updated first-round mock and an updated Big Board for Insiders.

Klaw: On this battlefield, no one wins. Klawchat.

Ted: I know you’ve been concerned with Lewis’ swing and miss. Do you see a mechanical fix for it? I read that he never played baseball exclusively until Mercer. Is there a thought that he’s raw and could improve contact?
Klaw: Some is mechanical – you have to get rid of that high leg kick – and some is approach/pitch recognition. And he hasn’t faced good competition this spring, only last summer, so that’s an added concern.

Ryan: Victor Roache comp for Kyle Lewis. Legitimate comparison or a racially charged comp?
Klaw: Poor comparison but based on more than race – both Georgia kids at non-major D1 programs facing lower-caliber competition, both power over hit. Lewis is a better athlete and Roache’s swing was a disaster, full backside collapse with uphill path, no shot to hit a breaking ball. Ranked him as a third rounder on draft day, called it a huge overdraft when the Brewers took him. Lewis is a lot better than that.

Dave from Port Hope: Could injury concerns let Quantrill fall to Blue Jays at 21?
Klaw: Not about injury concerns but cost. He was 1-1 good before he had TJ.

Nick: Man, if Moniak had power and/or a projectable frame, he’d be an easy 1-1. How likely is it that he’ll hit more than 10 home runs a year in the bigs?
Klaw: Right now, current swing and body, below 50% chance of 10+ homers. No stride, narrow stance, short swing.

Banksy_: Is there any feasible way Groome gets to #8, and with the large bonus pool could the Padres be the floor for the HS lefty?
Klaw: Feasible way, yes. Padres would strongly consider at 8.

Nick: If Drew Mendoza doesn’t sign, could he potentially be in the mix for 1-1 in 2019?
Klaw: Not for me.

Jonathan: Assuming the Phillies go below slot at 1.1, who do you expect they will target at 2.1?
Klaw: It’s about who falls – for example, the Braves supposedly wanted Groome to fall to 40, but that’s not going to happen. So maneuvering doesn’t necessarily get you what you want. I think Kevin Gowdy gets down that far, and Joey Wentz likely gets down that far, but I wouldn’t want to stake my career on a specific guy being there at 42.

Dale: it seems that Jason Groome is falling out of favor? What do you think the reason is? I’m hoping he falls to A’s and they pick him over Nick Senzel. I’m thinking it’s not time for A’s to play it safe.
Klaw: Don’t think that’s quite true, but ongoing makeup questions and high bonus expectations have caused some teams up top to turn away from him. A’s could still take him but I think they take Senzel if there.

JQ in the hospital: If the Phillies pass on moniak with the first pick, what are the chances he falls to the Sox at 12?
Klaw: Based on what I’ve heard in the last few days, zero chance. Rutherford more likely to get there.

Nick: I’ve seen several sources say Seth Beer would have gone top 15 had he not graduated early. But other places didn’t rank him as highly as other prep bats. Where would he have gone if he stayed in HS?
Klaw: Absolutely not top 15. That’s nonsense. He would have mashed as a HS senior and been discounted heavily for being nearly 20.

John: Since you have Corey Ray and Jason Groome one two on your board does that mean regardless of who is drafting you would recommend Ray over Groome?
Klaw: Yes, that’s correct.

Andrew: Over/under: Angels are drafting their top 2 prospects today.
Klaw: There’s almost no doubt about it.

Kerry: Thoughts on Tyler Jay’s season so far? Is he the most promising arm in the Twins’ system?
Klaw: Been outstanding. Still amazes me that Illinois thought they were better off using him 1-2 innings a week than 6.

Banksy_: Who’s falling harder today, Delvin Perez or the creationist on your twitter page?
Klaw: The creationist. He devolved into fallacies and circular reasoning.

Keith: Your big board always seems to weight HS players with potential (and presumably a higher failure rate) more heavily than college (high floor) guys. Do most star players generally get drafted out of high school? I imagine professional training from the age of 18 has to be a big boost in development – but obviously, less of a “sure thing” than taking a 21 year old.
Klaw: That’s not true – it’s only true when that’s the draft class. My 2011 board was more college heavy and right now I think my 2017 board will be too.

Troubled (Cincinnati): No prospect is perfect, how much of Puk’s relative lack of athleticism and health issues a concern? Enough to push him out of the Top 4?
Klaw: Health issues? I know about delivery questions and lack of athleticism, but I think 4 is his floor.

scottie: Wil Myers as you predicted, is having a pretty good year so far. Do you think he might make the All Star Game/ Home Run Derby?
Klaw: Probably because San Diego is hosting the game.

Mark: Heard some at the “World Leader” suggesting that Puig could be on the way out of LA due to his unwillingness to be a grownup, opinion?
Klaw: His trade value is at an all-time low. They could have had the sun and moon for him 18 months ago, but now that everyone has seen he can’t turn on good fastballs any more, what’s his worth?

Mike: Non-draft question. Any reason to move Machado back to third? My untrained eye thinks he has played pretty well defensively at shortstop. I guess the only reason would be the Orioles don’t have another third baseman?
Klaw: No, especially since that bat at shortstop makes him a potential MVP.

Jon: Other than Rutherford, do you know of anyone else the Phillies may be trying to float down to 42?
Klaw: Rutherford is not getting to 42 either, according to #Sources.

Philip: Have you heard Padres connected to Nolan Jones at 24-25?
Klaw: Not especially but I know they like him and saw him particularly good the day I was there.

Zorak: What’s your take on Matt Thaiss and his ability to stay at Catcher? Is he an overdraft for the Mets in the first round if he’s destined to be a corner guy long term?
Klaw: Not a catcher. May not even get to their pick at 19. He can hit, one of the better hit tools in the college crop.

billjames: I see draft COVERAGE begins a 6et., But what time is the actual first pick happening? Trying to decide if I need to take off early. Thank KlAw
Klaw: 7 pm start, 7:05 first pick is in.

JG: Not that they should attempt this, but would there be a benefit to the Twins drafting Manning at #15, not being able to sign him, and then having a potentially similar draft pick next year in a “better” draft?
Klaw: This comes up every year and every year my answer is the same: No, it’s a bad idea. A player today is worth more than a player tomorrow, and that draft pick next year might be the next scouting director’s or the next GM’s. Don’t get cute – take the best player and sign him.

JDB: Where do you think Brandon Mcillwain would have ended up in this draft? How about Chad Holbrook throwing a FR 123 pitches up 20 runs.
Klaw: Top 25 pick. Don’t think I saw that but not surprised.

JR: What happened to Ronald Washington? His reclassification to 2016 was fairly major news, but I haven’t seen him mentioned in any draft previews or rankings.
Klaw: Just not that good. You could still hear him taken late tonight I guess but I don’t expect it.

Jon Weisman: Keith, I was at Stanford for the 1987 and 1988 College World Series and covered the 1988 title (with freshman Mike Mussina) in Omaha for the school paper. It was a thrilling time, and my respect for Mark Marquess then was unlimited. To be fair, I’m not tuned into the program nearly as well now, but without discounting what he accomplished, my reaction to his retirement news was relief. They’ve have very limited postseason success and questionable use of pitching arms for a long time now, it seems. Do you agree, and do you have a view of what can/should happen with the program going forward?
Klaw: I agree wholeheartedly. He has been a serial abuser of arms for about 20 years now, absolutely wearing out John Hudgins in Omaha around 2003, and his hitting ‘philosophy’ has ruined a lot of good hitting prospects by wrecking their swings. We’re talking about one of the best academic schools in the country, one of a very short list of great academic schools with major D1 baseball programs, and they’re the absolute last place I’d send a good high school prospect. They should look outside and consider guys from pro ball who understand the duality of college baseball – win and develop. I thought Ryan Garko was the perfect heir apparent but I guess he and Marquess didn’t work out.

Hey Mickey you’re so…: I know your mock draft is based upon what you hear from scouts, front offices, etc. and you’ve had Puk as the #1 pick for a few weeks now up until today. Can you give us any specific insight as to what you’ve learned that caused you to change this to Moniak?
Klaw: As you said, it’s what I heard last night. But I heard again this morning it might still be Lewis. The Phillies maintain that they have not come to a final decision yet. I believe them.

Kevin: You said on Twitter that you think the Padres’ return for Shields was good enough. Was that before or after you knew the exact $$ going back? It seems to me that for chipping in $31M they should’ve received a better prospect package back.
Klaw: Money was sunk anyway and he has not performed well at all even prior to last night.

EC: Any additional thoughts on Jordan McFarland, who you said could go to Nats at some point during the draft? Overslot deal?
Klaw: Not even a consideration for my top 100.

Jose G.: Wouldn’t the Braves be better off taking their top player on the board at 3 and trying to get Ian Anderson to slide to pick 40?
Klaw: He’s not sliding to pick 40. Zero shot. It’s perverse but actually more reasonable to take the lesser guy first (Dozier) and sign him under slot to pay the better guy later (Manaea).

EC: Remember last time a NJ HSer fell?
Klaw: Yes, but that was rather different. Trout was 17, never had a single makeup concern, and was signable everywhere.

Seattle: CJ Chatham a first rounder tonight?
Klaw: No, I don’t see that. I think he’s a third/fourth round talent. Not a true shortstop, not enough bat for second.

BD: How much of Funkhouser’s links to the Nats are the natural Boras/Nats link, and how much is it that he deserves to go around 28/29 or early 2nd?
Klaw: Doesn’t deserve to go tonight, but everyone’s assuming he’ll go to a team that likes Boras clients, such as the Nats. The running gag is that they’ll announce his signing the day they announce a Bryce Harper extension.

Nick: Have you heard the Mets in on any prep bats? Any chance Rutherford gets to them at 19?
Klaw: They’d consider him for sure but it’s very unlikely he gets there. Haven’t heard them on Jones. Don’t see another worthy prep bat there. Too high for Lowe.

Ryan Green: Thoughts on Gabby Guerrero, Jamie Westbrook and Mitch Haniger in AA Southern League?
Klaw: Fringe guys at best.

Alex: I think it would be an outstanding first round if the cardinals got Thaiss, Quantrill, and Craig. Is it possible? Please say yes
Klaw: No shot Thaiss gets to them.

Harrisburg Hal: Will you be chatting again tomorrow? It’s sort of become a draft tradition for me to look for your Friday chat where you “mention every team” that had a pick.
Klaw: Yes, that’s the plan at least.

James: Do you think putting cream in coffee are as egregious as putting ketchup on a good steak?
Klaw: I drink good coffee black without sweetener. If it’s bad coffee, I’ll doctor it to cover up the off taste.

Brett: What do you think of Anfernee Grier? Can he stick in center, and is he a .260 hitter with 20 homers?
Klaw: Sticks in center but his bat was exposed this spring once SEC play started. You can’t be that lost against breaking stuff and project as a big leaguer regular; picking him is a bet you can develop his pitch recognition, especially since he’s young for a college junior.

Rutherford, NJ: Hi Keith. I live five minutes from Secaucus. Is there any way I can attend the draft?
Klaw: I asked about this but it is closed to the public.

Drew: Errol Robinson is drafted in the ___ round. JB Woodman is drafted in the ___ round?
Klaw: 5th, 2nd. I’m not on either guy. Woodman has about a 3 hit tool. Robinson didn’t hit at all this spring and his fielding got worse.

Tim: Hey Keith, thanks for all your hard work the last couple months. You said earlier today Puk isn’t particularly polished and thus he’ll need a few years to hone his delivery – any insight to why the Reds would take the risk of an unpolished pitcher over a quality bat with a higher floor (like Ray or Senzel)? Is it simply just: Puk could be a dominant lefty starter – and those guys don’t grow on trees?
Klaw: Yes, that’s it, and who’s going to argue with taking a 6’6″ college lefty who’s 93-97? It’s as defensible a pick as there is.

addoeh: Why did Constantinople get the works?
Klaw: That’s nobody’s business but Andy Dirks’.

Dan: Is Almora behind the likes of Pillar and Kiermaier in any athletic/speed sense that could cap his defensive ceiling? I know he’s not especially fast, but I’m not sure how elite their speed is.
Klaw: He’s a below-average runner but has outstanding reads and instincts in center. He’s at least a 6 defender, probably a 7.

Banksy_: Give me a guy you really like outside the top 100 that has a chance to be picked higher than his ranking. I really like Jimmy Lambert, P Fresno State
Klaw: If I liked a guy that much he’d be on the 100. There were not 100 guys I felt good about this year.

Zika Control: I have a drainage ditch behind my house that’s full of water and has been for the 7 months we lived there. What should I do, contact the county for skeeters or take it upon myself to treat in. my wifes prego and I have a young girl.
Klaw: My faith in local government is low enough that I’d probably tackle it myself.

Matt: if you had to put a probability of Corey Ray going 1-1,
Klaw: I think it’s 5%.

addoeh: Cooper Johnson more likely to be drafted tomorrow instead of tonight?
Klaw: seems about right.

Corey: Possibility that Swihart’s ankle injury could keep him out the rest of the season. The Sox have messed this up pretty badly right ? Lost a trade chip, stunted his catcher development, lessened his value and lost his bat for some considerable time either way.
Klaw: Didn’t like the position juggling but can’t really blame him for the injury, can we?

Gary: Which Norcal prep comes off the board first: Jared Horn or Dylan Carlson?
Klaw: Horn unless he’s just priced himself out. I could see Atlanta popping him at 40.

Nick: Any reason you have the Mets passing on Will Craig twice after it seeming like they were all over him the last few weeks?
Klaw: Because they like other players more.

Sean: I noticed you’ve been reading short stories lately. Have you delved into any of the older masters of the class like Cheever? What about George Saunders?
Klaw: Cheever’s collection is on my to-be-read shelf. Read Tenth of December by Saunders last year; it was solid, not sure I’d rush for another collection of his.

Sean: There’s a lot of hand-wringing going on about use of lasers to position outfielders. What exactly is the problem, are people concerned with accidental retinal damage or just scared off by the futuristic sound of the word laser?
Klaw: I don’t see the problem. I guess it’s the debate between “if it’s not explicitly prohibited, it’s allowed” and “if it’s not explicitly allowed, it’s cheating.”

Corey: If not 100, how many guys in this draft do you see as being solid picks for where they will be taken?
Klaw: Based on the history of the draft, it’s probably 20-25, not considering guys who get a cup of coffee out of a late round (which would be a solid pick for the spot but only of academic interest to most of you).

Nick: Just looking at what Will Craig did to the ACC, I’m surprised he is only 45th on your big board. Is it just because is is 1B only?
Klaw: Plays 3b now, likely moves to 1b, didn’t face much good pitching at all this year, was awful on the Cape.

Vander: What are the chances the Reds pick either Rutherford or Moniak?
Klaw: Haven’t heard them with Rutherford once all spring.

Caleb: Best board game to introduce to a wife who doesn’t care for board games?
Klaw: Lost Cities and Jaipur are two good, light, two-player games.

Brian: At one point should someone seek help for anxiety? If you know you have strong anxiety but can manage it to the point of having a happy/successful life should you just keep living with it?
Klaw: If it’s hurting your quality of life in some way, get help. Therapy alone could make a real difference, and unlike medication it has no side effects (aside from cost, I suppose).

John (MN): Non draft question. Did the Twins really make a bad decision on Ortiz over a decade ago based on available data? Or are all the local columnists harping on it this week (Boston in town) exhibiting hindsight bias?
Klaw: I was with Toronto at the time and we thought it was a pennywise pound-foolish decision: they saw him as slightly overpriced, but maybe didn’t consider that he might have untapped value.

Banksy_: Whats Brandon Marsh’s range? top of round 2 reasonable?
Klaw: Yes, somewhere in the second is about right.

Phil: Hi Keith, long-time fan — you and Buster make paying for Insider a necessity. I’m a management consultant at a Big 4 looking to transition into working in baseball (I used to work for an agent in school, but he’s out of the game). Is networking the best way to get my foot in the door? Seems like a pretty tough nut to crack. Thanks and enjoy the draft!
Klaw: Networking is probably the only way. If you don’t know someone or have a connection, or didn’t play, it’s awfully hard to get started.

Jason Reynolds: I’m about 65% of the way through the opposite of a short story, Gravity’s Rainbow. I know you’ve commented on it in the past but I’m wondering have you read it and how long did it take you?
Klaw: I read it, took about three weeks, did not enjoy any aspect of it.

David: Not a draft question, but a scouting/mechanics one. Is it just me, or does Wil Myers barely use his lower half of his body at the plate? Is it just all upper body strength? That can’t be a great approach, right?
Klaw: Doesn’t use his legs enough at all, but he’s very strong, and there have been successful power hitters who’ve done that, like Frank Thomas.

Steve: I get that the Braves, Reds, and Phillies don’t know who exactly will fall to them. But it has to be terrifying to take a guy who isn’t your BPA at 1-3 in order to save cash for whatever happens to be there in the 40s. Seems like an extreme risk, and makes me suspicious that they have deals worked out with some of the guys they want in the 40s.
Klaw: I’m sure they have discussed the parameters of deals, but the problem is no one can guarantee that Joey Bagodonuts will last till pick 40 – for the Phillies, they have to get any such player past three Padres picks, three Dodgers picks, two Reds picks, and two Atlanta picks.

Marcus A.: Mariners have been tied to pretty much only college players. % chance that one of the top college bats (Ray, Senzel, Lewis) falls to them?
Klaw: As of right now I think zero percent chance.

Vinny: In response to your answer that only 20-25 guys end up truly being great picks….in other words, about 96% of all players drafted are essentially roster fillers.
Klaw: That’s how it ends up in time, but that’s certainly not the idea on draft day.

Carlos: I’ve seen you mention that Senzel has some pretty serious raw power that doesn’t show in games because of his approach. If that power were unlocked, what kind of player would we be looking at?
Klaw: A borderline MVP candidate. Average fielder at 3b with avg and power? Maybe an actual MVP candidate.

AN: Non-draft question about two Mets prospects if you don’t mind. Vinny Siena and David Thompson seem to be doing pretty well in A ball. Case of them being a little older for the league or are either worth getting a little excited about?
Klaw: Yes, 22 in low-A is ridiculous, no reason for them to be there. The Mets are weird about holding players back.

addoeh: Belated birthday greetings. You’re 21 in base 21. What was the filling in your birthday pie?
Klaw: Actually we went out to Cocina Lolo in Wilmington. I had ceviche, a pork carnitas taco (my daughter loves them but never finishes the plate of three), some elote, and a churro with caramel, ice cream, and hazelnuts.

Eric: Is Gavin Lux in the mix for the White Sox at 10?
Klaw: I have not heard this at all.

Chris: I know he is a ways off, but have you had a chance to see Dylan Cease pitch? Sounding like he has the potential to be a top of the rotation arm.
Klaw: He was on my top 100 this winter for this precise reason.

J: I’m getting alerts on my mlb at bat app that Joe DiMaggio has a hit streak going. How many games do you think he can keep it going?
Klaw: I doubt he can get past about 56 games.

Sean: Just saw on the twitter that Taillon has been optioned back to AAA. What could possibly be the reason for this?
Klaw: Off day Monday, won’t need a fifth starter again till the 18th, more time to decide whether to bump Nicasio to the pen.

Greyson: Has Derek Hill shown anything since being drafted to suggest they he will hit in the majors? His stat line suggests no, but that’s obviously not the whole story.
Klaw: Swing is still good, but he’s just not getting stronger like he should. He’s also 20 years old with only 600 pro PA, so I’m not giving up on him.

Ken: Probability of the A’s taking Groome?
Klaw: If Senzel is gone, high. If Senzel is there, zero.

Ebeneezer: What do you find more exciting: the buildup to the draft, or that the draft will eventually be over and life will return to normal?
Klaw: The latter. This draft has been particularly tiring because of the lack of a clear 1-1 or even top 2-3 guys.

James: Why is Trea Turner still in Triple A, keith
Klaw: Because Danny Espinosa’s .276 OBP (without IBB) is too valuable to bench.

Doug: Time to pay attention to Michael Gettys? Or just the result of repeating low A Fort Wayne?
Klaw: Repeating the level and still striking out a quarter of the time.

Ryan: Delvin Perez – How does the PED test result affect the scouting reports?
Klaw: The biggest concern is the newfound power he showed this spring. I don’t see how that would affect our valuation of his defense. I could see an argument that he might not be a 7 runner when clean, but I think that’s less compelling. The hit tool is what it is – I have never seen any real argument that steroids changed that.

Ty: From time to time I see you make somewhat obscure hair metal refrences. Did you really like that shit?
Klaw: As a teenager? Of course. Everyone around me did. Hair metal and strong island hip hop.

Ben: I know you’ve been high Austin Meadows, is this torrid streak in AA mark his ascendency to the top of prospect lists?
Klaw: Seems like he’s finally healthy after the eye injury, so yes, I’m buying.

Marcus A.: So no Senzel, Lewis or Ray for the Mariners, any chance they would take Blake Rutherford if he lasts until 11? I know that Justin Dunn is exciting in his own way, I just balk at his limited track record as a starter.
Klaw: That doesn’t bother me. He developed pretty late. I guess you could argue he’s more enticing for having been lightly used.

Nick, Boston: If Perez haddnt failed his test and didnt start to drop, where would he rank on your big board? Just on pure talent/potential alone
Klaw: He was third on my previous board.

Quentin: At which pick do you predict that you will hear the first name that you don’t recognize at all? On a similar note, has there ever been a big leaguer that you were completely unaware of until you heard his name on draft day?
Klaw: Big leaguer? I don’t think so. Today, probably somewhere in the middle of the second round. Maybe sandwich, if someone cuts a deal.

Tim: Know you mentioned Tyler Mahle (not close to your top 100) as a potential dark horse – that looks like a smart choice, no? How many 21 yr olds from the 7th round get to AA this fast?
Klaw: I thought he was still in high-A, but yeah, he’s progressed extremely well, great pick by the Reds there.

Karl: Do you see David Dahl being an All-Star level player or will he be a “nice” player with decent numbers mostly inflated by the home ballpark?
Klaw: Closer to the former. All-Star ability, not an All-Star approach at the plate, and of course he’s had a lot of unfortunate injury troubles.

BD in ATL: Over/under on # of picks you get right? 5? Seems like it is almost an impossible task.
Klaw: My daughter asked me this last night. I told her even 1/4 right (so about 8) would be a huge win. I am not expecting to get to that this year.

Banksy_: How many overslot deals can the Padres afford given their budget. I know it depends on how far over they go, but could you see them going with overslot guys at 8, 24, 25 then taking under- and senior signs?
Klaw: They could, although I think they may mix in one slot guy in those top three.

Nick: Any reports on how Nimmo has looked this season? Stat line looks better, but hard to assess playing in LV.
Klaw: No reports, as I’m still in draft mode, but he’s basically the same guy hitting away from Vegas – no power, and can’t play CF, so extra OF.

Tim: Good chance that 1-1 will get leaked before 7pm tonight? Gotta assume the Phillies get a deal done before then (and probably the Reds too).
Klaw: Yes, although it might be at 6:55. We’ll all find out – stuff like that tends not to stay secret.

JP: How does Colby Bortles project as a draft prospect?
Klaw: Not well. I saw Ole Miss two games in Hoover but there’s not much there for pro ball. Good college team, but those two don’t always mean the same thing.

Geno: If the Pirates do draft Burdi, would you expect to see him in the bullpen by the end of the year?
Klaw: Yes, but I think they pass and he goes to the White Sox.

Sean: Do you have any thoughts on Y Ventura? Should the Royals try to ship him out or try to fix him?
Klaw: I think his act is tired. Cut the crap and pitch better. If he doesn’t show results, the Royals need to shop him or try him in the bullpen.

Sean: I’ve been following baseball for a decade and have no idea what slot/underslot/overslot means at all. Is there a website with a simple primer on how it all works?
Klaw: Each pick in the draft now has an assigned slot value in dollars. MLB’s draft order page shows them. Each team then has a total bonus pool amount for all of its picks in the top ten rounds combined. If you go over slot in one pick, you’ll have to go under slot somewhere else to avoid going over your total pool amount and incurring penalties. Up to 5% over is just a tax. More than that and you lose your first pick next year, which no one has done to date. (It would make sense to do so when you planned to surrender one or two high picks to sign free agents the subsequent offseason.) A player may take an under slot deal when he’s drafted higher than expected, or is a college senior, or lacks a serious college commitment. A player may demand an over slot deal when he’s got strong leverage, like a commitment to a great baseball or academic school, or when he’ll be eligible in two years rather than three, like Blake Rutherford will be.

Chris: You talk about music quite a bit and profess to be a fan of heavy metal, but I rarely if ever see you mention bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Sevendust, Trivium, Five Finger Death Punch and the like. Curious if you have any thoughts on the current state of the hard rock genre.
Klaw: Not a fan of any A7F, Sevendust, or my God that is such a stupid name. Trivium’s not bad, just a little clinical for my tastes.

Geno: You were understandably reluctant to put Taillon on your 100 at the start of the year. Would he be there now? Would he be ahead of Glasnow?
Klaw: Yes, Taillon was on my top 25 update two weeks ago, still behind Glasnow due to ceiling but more major-league ready.

Jason Reynolds: He’s not a clear 1-1 guy but Puk sure looks the part. Dang he’s big
Klaw: Yes, which I think is part of the appeal, but also could be part of the risk – those are some long levers to coordinate and his lower and upper halves are not always in sync, which is why his fastball lacks good plane despite his height and extension.

Larry: Please clarify your concern about overuse of amateur pitchers–do you contend that the pitcher’s prospects for a college/professional career are irrelevant to whether the use is abuse? I suggest that an amateur with no prospect of pitching at the next level should be treated differently–i.e., chance to win high school state title or advance in college playoffs is worth the marginal additional risk of injury. FYI: I’m 41 and my arm hurts sometimes, but the pain is worth what caused it.
Klaw: A non-prospect’s ligaments are unaware of his non-prospect status. He can still suffer serious injury, require surgery, need expensive and time-consuming rehab, and encounter complications. (We shouldn’t treat surgery so cavalierly; you can go in for a routine operation and walk out with a MRSA infection.) These are very real consequences that are independent of whether the kid intends to pitch again after the current game or season.

nfh: Avery Tuck – star potential if everything goes right?
Klaw: Hard to see that. He’s just a good athlete, very little present feel for the game. Let him go to college and see if he develops as a player.

Joey Bagodonuts: Every year in these chats you mention me getting drafted, and every year my phone remains silent for 3 straight days. Maybe this will be the year!!!
Klaw: We’ll all be pulling for you, Joey.

Klaw: That’s all for today’s chat, but I will try to chat tomorrow around the same time. Look for me in the background on MLB Network’s draft coverage tonight – I’m going to try to make Jim Callis crack a smile – and of course on Twitter and on ESPN.com with reactions over the course of the evening. Thanks again for all of your questions!

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