I have three new posts up for subscribers to The Athletic: a breakdown of the planned changes to the 2021 draft, a Q&A with Jen McCaffrey on the Red Sox’ farm system, and a scouting notebook (from Tuesday) on several top 100 prospects who debuted recently. I also have a new game review at Paste, looking at the Spiel-nominated Nova Luna, Uwe Rosenberg’s reboot of an earlier game called Habitats.

Keith Law: In the shuffling madness … Klawchat.

Ben (MN): How useful is this year’s data for evaluators like yourself? For example, Austin Meadows had an early case of covid and has been awful. Is that evidence that he was never as good as his numbers from last year, or can we just not tell at this point due to the small sample and the unknown impact of covid, lack of reps, etc.? For someone like Javy Baez, has his approach finally caught up with him and exposed him as a solid but not great player, or is it just a small sample and he may be a superstar again next year? Do you have any idea how to gauge this season for situations like this, where the data doesn’t confirm what we thought about the player before the year?
Keith Law: This entire season is a small, skewed sample. Not only is 60 games less than half a regular season, but schedules are far less balanced than they usually are, and we’re clearly working with less major-league caliber pitching than usual. If a player continues what he showed us in 2019, then great, it’s probably further evidence in that direction. If a player is having an outlier season in 2020, though, I’m not going to draw any conclusions either way.

Sedona: Gut feeling…Luciano take the Vlad/Soto early path to MLB?  If not, who?
Keith Law: No. Don’t think he has their idea of the strike zone.

2020 Voter: I read nearly all of your chats and in each one this year there’s a comment from someone that essentially says “how could anyone vote for Trump?” and I’d like to share my perspective.  Biden has proposed revisions to 401Ks that replaces the current taxable income reduction with flat credits.  This would greatly increase my taxes per year — despiate pledges to not raise taxes on households making <400K — and leaves our family with little extra.  Trump is a horrible embarassment, but that is a huge financial hit.  Democrats will likely control Congress, so the chances of this passing are high.  You’ll probably call this selfish, but I’m not especially political and I have young kids.
Keith Law: Yeah, that’s pretty selfish – and also extremely narrow. If the economy is worse off as a whole, what does that mean for your income, or the long-term value of your 401K? Trade wars and tariffs are terrible for the economy. So is a pandemic without a sufficient government response. Also, I’d wager a good amount of money that you’re a straight, white man, whose status isn’t particularly threatened by a Trump administration that is rolling back anti-discrimination protections for anybody who isn’t that.

Todd Boss: Given the 29-9 beatdown last night, would you support a little-league style “slaughter rule” in baseball games at some point?  We’re already experimenting with “weirder” rules (extra innings runner, 7-inning double headers, no-pitch IBB) that have existed in non-MLB leagues for a time … why not have a rolling slaughter rule; game’s over if losing by 10 or more runs 7th inning or later?
Keith Law: This year I would have.

Jason: Should Bob Woodward have released those taped conversations much earlier, is criticism of him fair?
Keith Law: Yes.

Adam: I admit to being very confused that The Burnt Orange Heresy wasn’t a documentary on the current administration.
Keith Law: It’s a great title for a good novel (I read it, it’s solid) and a bad film.

Jason: Is corbin burnes a GUY?
Keith Law: I think so. I was a year early on his breakout, as usual.

Matt: Do you believe in Austin Nola being a 120 wRC+ type bat in next couple of years or no?
Keith Law: I’d bet the under on that.

Ryan: Hey Keith love your work. What do you think an extension for Tatis looks like. Would 8 250 get it close. He could get another bite of the apple at age 29.
Keith Law: With four years of team control now, one of them essentially at the minimum salary, you’re still giving him $40 million or more for his free agent years. He should definitely take that offer.

Jon: Don’t look now but Michael Conforto is turning into a superstar.  (In my best John Malkovich voice – “Pay that man his money”)
Keith Law: Again, I don’t want to read much into the short season, but the OBP has always been there, and this is power he’s shown before when healthy. Funny how the Cubs fans who were mad I ranked him over Schwarber have gone silent.

Chuck: Any idea why Davidson or Muller don’t get at least a spot start for Atlanta?
Keith Law: I don’t know how prepared they are for that … we don’t know how much they’ve pitched, or if they’ve dealt with any minor injuries, anything like that. On the face of it I’d assume Davidson was in line, but I have no inside info here.

Mac: Have you heard how the fall league will be structured?
Keith Law: Nothing. Many ideas, no specifics.

Ken: Comparing the two who had more upside as a starter at age 22 for the yanks severing or Garcia?  Why?
Keith Law: Severino had the better arm, but I always had concerns about his delivery that unfortunately came to pass. Garcia has his own concerns but I think he’s a bit more likely to hold up as a starter.

Michael: Yesterday more than 1,200 Americans died. In Spain, Germany, Canada, Japan, Italy and the UK they lost a combined 75 even though they have 100 million more people than us.  #AmericanExceptionialism
Keith Law: Yeah, but Biden might raise my taxes a tiny bit.

Deke: Anything dumber (non-actually-important department) this year than Hosmer’s bunt and the aftermath?
Keith Law: Bunting with two strikes, even against the shift, is such a bad idea … if you are that unlikely to get a hit in that situation, you shouldn’t be in the lineup.

Jake: Keith—I’m a first time voter (just turned 18). I’m extremely progressive. As such, I obviously am not voting for trump. But I don’t know if i can betray my heart and vote joe. He has a brutal history, and won’t bring about meaningful change. How do i vote?
Keith Law: You vote for Biden. You have two choices here that matter. One might not bring about meaningful change from our history, but he will bring about meaningful change from the last four years. The other will get to keep appointing conservative judges, gutting environmental laws, killing LGBTQ+ protections, muzzling scientists, and mishandling crises. This isn’t hard. And it’s not only about you.

BirdlandBro: Hey Keith, your thoughts on the Orioles?  Do you see real positive strides being made and potentially an accelerated rebuild?  Or just small sample size?
Keith Law: Just a small sample size.

Bryan (Montclair): What do you think the impact will be on pitchers in 2021 based on this truncated season? Anecdotally, I would think that starters will have a longer time getting stretched out/pitching through a long 2021 season, at the very least. Not to mention an uptick in injuries.
Keith Law: I share your concern – and I think it’s the main reason we will see some sort of fall league, so minor leaguers who didn’t see the majors aren’t left with virtually no innings this year.

Cory: What’s the deal with Mize’s lack of command; wasn’t that supposed to be his biggest strength? Cause for concern?
Keith Law: Again, tiny samples.

Jordan: Do you see the Padres talent ever stacking up enough to overtake the dodgers for a division title? Or does LAs combination of cash and organizational acumen make SD a groomsmen for the next decade?
Keith Law: Some of it is just luck – you stay healthier one year, or you have a guy have an outlier year like Cronenworth – but I will say no large-market team would scare me more as a competitor than the Dodgers. They’re extremely strong at the major-league and minor-league levels, they keep finding high-end talent in the draft even when they draft low, and they’re exceptionally well-run.

BJ: Are you coming around on Mountcastle? All the guy does is hit. Even if the BB% boost is just a small sample, who cares? Why walk when you can rake?
Keith Law: Because when you don’t walk, pitchers tailor their approach and you don’t rake so much.

Larry: Whats your level of concern for Soroka’s future while coming back from the Achilles tear?
Keith Law: None.

Greg: Fried, Soroka, Anderson seem like logical pieces in the future Atlanta rotations. Any other internal guys who you think could figure it out and join them?
Keith Law: I would bet that one of that group of Wright, Wilson, Toussaint, Davidson would figure it out … but I am not really sure which one I’d bet on. Touki has the best arsenal, and all the athleticism in the world, and when he’s on – repeating his delivery especially – he’s the best of the quartet.
Keith Law: If he doesn’t figure it out in Atlanta, he’ll spend the next ten years going from team to team because every pitching coach will want to work with him. He could be the new Edwin Jackson.

Matt: 200K dead Americans but 2020 Voter is concerned about his 401. That’s nice.
Keith Law: I wonder if questions like that are just bait.

Adam: Is it odd that the Padres, for all their drafting and IFA prowess, have a roster comprised of only maybe 2 “homegrown” players, depending on your definition of the term?
Keith Law: They’ve used a lot of homegrown players to acquire guys on the roster. Also, you’re probably not counting Tatis Jr. as homegrown, since he originally signed with another club, but he never played an official game with any other org but the Padres.

James: Do you agree with Kershaw that the extra-inning rule is “not real baseball”?
Keith Law: It’s not my kind of baseball.

Steven: If Bart can hit .250+, is he an all star?
Keith Law: What’s his OBP in that scenario?

Matthew: All the beat writers seem to think Cleveland will decline Hand and Santana’s options and trade Lindor in a massive salary clearance this offseason. With Carrasco set to achieve 10-and-5 next May or so, I’d imagine they’ll also be eager to move his salary while they still can, without his approval. What do you think his trade value is like? Definitely a unique case.
Keith Law: I would bet it’s high. People seem to love Carrasco the person, and obviously he’s a top-end pitcher. I think they’d do very well if they trade him – multiple real prospects in return.

Guest: Would you bring up brailen marquez for the last bit of this year if you were jed/theo?
Keith Law: Assuming he’s ready & healthy, he’d be a hell of a weapon in relief.

Jon: It looks like Andres Gimenez has overtaken Rosario at SS, at least for the rest of the season.  If you’re the Mets, what do you do with Rosario next year?  Try him in CF, trade him or see if he can still become what a lot of people thought he could be?
Keith Law: My guess is they’ll end up trading him. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him succeed somewhere else.

zeke: Do you think the anti-Military comments and COVID disclosures re “Clown Hitler” move the needle at all?
Keith Law: You would think so … how any veteran or military family could hand-wave this away is beyond me.

Brian: Do you think some players perform better because of not having fans? Thinking specifically of Darvish.
Keith Law: No.

Appa Yip Yip: Are you buying Teoscar Hernandez? His good run started last year.
Keith Law: Another 2019 breakout candidate. More buying than selling, I would say, but again, 2020 is a tiny sample and I would not extrapolate any player having a strong but outlier six weeks into him doing it for a whole year.

Brian: Ian Happ is another breakout you jumped the gun on. Great power and OBP mix. Think he can be a regular All-Star?
Keith Law: I do – he was one of my bigger breakout disappointments because I was always pretty confident he’d be a strong OBP/doubles guy at the worst while playing a few positions.

Johnny Tuttle: Why did Libertarianism take such virulent root in the US?
Keith Law: Isn’t it innate? One of the original 13 states has “Live Free or Die” as its motto.

Greg P: Isn’t it scary to think 45% of Americans will vote for Trump?
Keith Law: 45% of voters will. Not the same thing. The problem is all the people who don’t vote, many of whom will see their quality of life affected quite directly by the outcome.

Adam Trask: You still think Hinch gets hired again but not Luhnow? Hinch knew about it and couldn’t control his team. Luhnow may not have known and got screwed. And he seems to have interest from the A-Rod group at least.
Keith Law: Luhnow knew. Let’s not revise history here.

Guest: Awesome to hear you’re running. Interesting to know you can do something you never thought possible. In that sense, do you have any hope that we’ll see substantial progress in climate change in our lifetime?
Keith Law: I think we will in my daughter’s lifetime, but by then it may be far too late.

Tracy: If this current administration is defeated this fall, should the Biden admin go after any of the obvious lawbreakers who’ve run amok the last four years? I’d hate to see them literally get away with murder because the new administration would deem it “ not worth it.” Sends a bad message that there are indeed two separate sets of laws that are enforced.

Keith Law: Yes. Lock them up.

Mike Trout: Another Mets SSS but gosh Dom Smith. I know you were always high on him – how good can he be?
Keith Law: He started this last year in limited time, so I’m more inclined to believe it – but I’ve also always been a believer. Funny how much grief he got after 1 HR in his first season in full-season ball. Since the start of 2019, he’s played 125 games and hit 18 homers with a .301/.371/.572 line, and he’s hitting lefties too. That’ll play.

OZ: For the guy who is going to vote Trump because of Biden’s 401K plan:  the 401K tax deduction is highly regressive, it gives a larger tax break to those with higher incomes (higher tax brackets) while providing a limited benefit to low and middle class savers.  Moving to a flat credit will provide a larger break and more incentive for middle class families.  If your taxes are raised by this plan its because you have a large income and can afford it.  However its unlikely to make much of a difference since Roth IRAs are taxed differently than 401Ks so savers can easily switch to contributing to a Roth IRA instead.
Keith Law: Well, there you go. I have voted for years in direct opposition to my own interests when it comes to tax rates, because 1) there is no reason on earth I need a tax break and 2) I am at least vaguely aware that there are other people on this planet besides me.

John: Do you think Derek fisher will have a teoscar style breakout? They share some (possibly superficial) similarities. Also, do you believe in teoscar’s breakout?
Keith Law: Fisher’s really interesting because his tools – plus power, 70 run – have long outstripped his production, and there hasn’t been a great reason why. It’s been true in the field and at the plate since he was at UVA. His 34 PA this year don’t tell us anything at all, but he’d at least be someone to watch if you are looking on the Jays roster for a player with the physical tools to be the sort of found money that Teoscar has been.

Kevin: Is trent grisham a center fielder now? A lot of people felt he couldn’t succeed there before this season.
Keith Law: I’d be shocked if he was able to play above-average defense in CF for a whole year.

Nolan: have any of these “I’m a leftist how could I possibly vote for Biden?” people ever heard of the Supreme Court? Noticed how many times RBG has been hospitalized recently?
Keith Law: The Supreme Court is where they play tennis at their local country clubs.

Ron: What would you say to disaffected leftists who see both Biden and Trump as horrendous candidates whose parties both actively stifle progressive policies? How long do we have to keep voting for the lesser of two-evils while deluding ourselves that next election will be different?
Keith Law: See all the answers above, and maybe consider the privilege in your self-definition as a “disaffected leftist” instead of someone whose livelihood or even existence is threatened by four more years of this shit.

Sedona: Is Domingo German a lock for the rotation next year?  Tanaka, Paxton, Happ should be FA’s.  Do you think Schmidt, Devei and Severino say otherwise?
Keith Law: I don’t think German or Severino are rotation locks for 2021.

Steven: I would say Bart’s OBP would have to be .340
Keith Law: If he does that, with his power and defense, he’s a star. But I’m not sure he gets there unless he continues to be a HBP magnet.

Dave: Whether or not it’s actually indicative, it’s clearly a small (and unreliable) sample size. That being said, does Bobby Dalbec have the  potential to be a big league regular?
Keith Law: I think he has a fringe regular ceiling but will likely be a good bench player.

Chamaco: The Athletic is running a special – $1 a month for 6 months.  Will that allow me to read everything you have written since starting there?
Keith Law: Yes. I don’t think it’s limited in any way.

Jason: Do you think josh lindblom could be good in relief? he clearly isnt cut for starting in MLB
Keith Law: Yes.

Luis Robert: Luis Robert is walking almost twice as often as he did in AAA. Is this SSS noise, or a positive step?
Keith Law: Everything. In. 2020. Is. A. Small. Sample.
Keith Law: If this were a regular season we wouldn’t even be at Memorial Day.

Chamaco: Any good reason why scouts can’t attend MLB games or alt. sites? Seems like there is enough room to socially distance even with players in the stands.
Keith Law: Certain owners didn’t want to spend the money to send scouts out to games, so they pushed for MLB to just ban them all.

Mike: Klaw, if Steve Cohen hired you to run the Mets, what are the top things you would tell him that needs to be done? Would you even have interest in a front office position?
Keith Law: I would actually leave a lot of people in place. They’ve drafted really well, and you’re seeing more of that this year and last year with Smith’s emergence, Conforto, Alonso, and perhaps Peterson (he should be better than this, the BB% is surprising). Their development on the pitching side has improved. Their two biggest problems have been injuries and major-league transactions.

Nelson: It’s a small sample obviously, but Braves fans have been cautiously optimistic about Austin Riley’s approach at the plate improving. Have you seen much of him this year? Quality of ABs seems vastly improved to my eyes, especially on the last month.
Keith Law: Tiny sample. And they’ve faced a lot of bad pitching in that span.

Tim KC: Hey Keith…I am afraid that all the rule changes for this experimental year is going convince Manfred to negotiate to keep changes and push for further (bad) changes next CBA negotiations (and greater possibility of strike/lock out).  (Only pro-universal DH.). Can you talk me off the ledge or is it legit concerns?
Keith Law: The union has to agree to all of it. Universal DH is a lock. Don’t see the union agreeing to many other things like 7-inning games, which would reduce the need for so many relievers.

Appa Yip Yip: Libertarianism in America also has to be put into the context of having one political party that does everything it can to make the state inept. Freedom from government interference makes a lot more sense when your government is constantly being kneecapped by the people responsible for running it.
Keith Law: Not unreasonable. Although I think there’s such a strong cultural “don’t tell me what to do” mentality here that overruns any sense of “I should care about others” that you might expect from a nation that so often likes to refer to itself as a Christian one.

Maddy: Looking at 2021 Prospect Rankings, how are you going to go about not getting a traditional season-long look at prospects? How many changes are we realistically going to see?
Keith Law: We’ll have a lot of graduations, the addition of this year’s draft, and possibly some stuff from fall baseball. That’ll make for fewer changes than in a normal year, and I’m assuming my team by team writeups will be shorter as a result of guys not playing, but there will at least be sufficient changes to make the top 100 pretty fresh.

Brent: Dylan Cease has been productive getting guys out without a high K-rate. Do you see that continuing or will he have to miss more bats to continue the success?
Keith Law: I think he needs a higher K rate, but I also think his K rate will improve.
Keith Law: Secondary stuff has shown at least flashes of being good enough to miss more bats.

Greg: Obviously small sample, but is Plesac a mid rotation guy long term?
Keith Law: Yeah, I’m buying that.

Mike Trout: I read “you’re running” as in running for office. Law 2024!
Keith Law: I don’t need to run – we’ve got progressive candidates running all over the place here in Delaware. I voted in our primary for Kyle Evans Gay, a progressive running to flip our State Senate seat (it’s been red for over 20 years); and Jess Scarane, the progressive candidate running against incumbent Senator Chris Coons. I also donated to help other progressive candidates for our state legislature, including Sarah McBride, Debbie Harrington, and Stephanie Barry.

Jason: Would the US Postal Service be in better shape if it wasn’t forced to prefund its retirees’ health benefits 75 years into the future or do they need to radically change the organization?
Keith Law: Pretty sure it’s the former.

Johnny Tuttle: I was exhilarated when players walked off the fields/courts/rinks. We need more of this leadership.

PS: Why do white people revere Jackie and MLK decades afterwards but hate LeBron now? Hang on, I think I’ve figured it out on my own.
Keith Law: Yep. Much easier to laud these guys well after the fact.

Kevin: Will the Mariners call up Taylor Trammell for some time this year? Would you? A Trammell/Kelenic/J-Rod outfield looks mightyyyyy nice in theory.
Keith Law: I would call Trammell and Kelenic up now, since it’s not like they’d be taking time away from anyone important for their futures.

Joe: What are your thoughts about contracting MILB teams? As a fan and taxpayer that built a new stadium for a team being eliminated, I’m irritated that rich MLB can’t afford to support these teams.
Keith Law: I have mixed feelings on this. Some markets just didn’t support their teams, and were more headaches for their parent clubs (due to travel, facilities, etc.) than anything else. The Appalachian League will barely be missed – nobody went to most of those games. And MLB should have more say in where MiLB franchises are located, for the convenience of moving players around, and to manage the reach of the game into better or larger markets. That said, eliminating all of short-season baseball is a terrible player development move, a penny wise and pound foolish decision that reduces jobs in baseball for players and staff alike.

Tracy: All this talk of uniting this country might backfire on the next administration. There will still be a large faction who will oppose any attempts that may help “them” (non-white people). Same reasons Biden should forget about “bi-partisanship.” It’s not going to happen. Do not waste time like Obama did. You get screwed in the end.
Keith Law: I read Ben Rhodes’ book The World As It Is, about his time in the Obama White House, and while I don’t think this was his intended message, it was the one I took away. You can’t work with people who don’t intend to work with you. Negotiating with someone who consistently acts in bad faith is far different from negotiating with someone who acts in good faith. You need a different strategy and different tactics.

Chaz: Have seen a few ups and many downs from Evan White this season. Obviously didn’t have the most experience heading into the season, but will he figure it out? Seems like a velocity problem ie: he can’t hit the hard stuff.
Keith Law: That was my take too. If you can’t hit velocity, this is not the sport for you.

The Ghost in Texas: What kind of prospect was kiner-falefa. SSS but the guy looks like he belongs has he changed anything to allow himself to be more productive than expected? And is he a starter on a winning club? (Not currently of course bc Tex is awful)
Keith Law: He didn’t start catching until he was 21, in his fourth season in pro ball, and without that he wasn’t really a prospect at all. Less than two years later, he was in the majors, so his window to appear on anyone’s lists was very short. This year is the first time (so far) he’s slugged .400+ at any stop at all, and it’s just because his BABIP has jumped 57 points. So, he wasn’t a prospect until he could catch, and his 2020 line looks like a pretty serious outlier at the plate. However, a C-IF like him has value if he can just get on base like IKF has, so I think he’s a useful player on a winning club, but not a starter.

kc: although it’s a weird season, pretty excited for the future of baseball with some of these young players
Keith Law: I am too.

Matthew: I’ve been reading these chats for too long because I remember when all the Cubs fans would come and disparage you for saying Junior Lake wasn’t a star when he was good for like 3 weeks one time.
Keith Law: Never forget. Junior Lake and Brett Jackson belong on some sort of All-Star Klaw Hates My Team’s Prospects roster.

Leftist: Your responses to leftists are emblematic of the Democratic Party’s inevitable downfall. Instead of attempting to reach out and expand the net of potential voters, you mock, ridicule, and use inconsistent logic (such as implying that Biden, who was instrumental in appointing Scalia and Thomas, has a clean record with SCOTUS). Instead of dismissing an entire movement as “privileged”, maybe consider that some of us are actually marginalized BIPOC and just don’t trust someone with as horrible a record as Biden.
Keith Law: I never implied Biden has a clean record with SCOTUS; that’s your inference, and a bad-faith one at that. I implied that I’d prefer Biden’s choice for SCOTUS, especially if it comes with a Democrat-controlled Senate, to Trump’s choice. We have clear data on the type of justice Trump would nominate, but those examples you give for Biden came 20+ years ago and were not his nominees. If you think that, as President, Biden is going to nominate the next Antonin Scalia, I’m not sure we can have a rational discussion on the subject.

JJ: Watched the Red Sox game with my dad the other night, and after a Bobby Dalbec strkeout, I casually mentioned to Dad that the Sox picked Dalbec one pick before Shane Bieber was chosen.  My dad went nuts, saying that Dave Dombrowski was an idiot who ruined the Red Sox.  My question:  at that point in the draft (4th round) do GMs have any idea of who they’re picking, or is it a 100% scouting director decision?
Keith Law: Scouting director decision – but also, Bieber wasn’t throwing anywhere near this hard when in college.

2022: Do you foresee a work stoppage in 2022? Starting to think the 2021 season might be the only full year we get until 2023 (and even 2021 could be impacted by COVID).
Keith Law: It’s a real concern, although I wonder if players would approach the talks differently after losing more than half of this season, and look for more guaranteed money even if it cuts off long-term upside. (Not saying that should be their strategy, just that it might be.)

Lyle: SSS and all but have you seen enough from Kyle Lewis to believe that he’s an everyday OF going forward?
Keith Law: SSS – and Lewis hasn’t had a huge run of health since college, either. I’m not rooting against him, but if you’re DiPoto, you have to consider that when planning the future of your roster. (Maybe that means Lewis ends up taking DH time to keep him playing, eventually.)

The Ghost in Texas: In normal times Spring Training would be going strong 6 months from now. What do u think the chances are ST 2021 will look anything similar to previous seasons. As someone that travels to Phoenix each year for a great weekend I beg u to not make me cry.
Keith Law: I would guess we get spring training but if we don’t have a vaccine it might be without fans, or with very few fans.

Nate: Hearing of any prospects at satellite sites that have made big jumps this year?
Keith Law: Yes, but I don’t take any of it seriously until they show it in games. Any team can claim their prospects look great when nobody else can watch them.

Jason: Is devin williams a future closer?
Keith Law: Yes.

Jason: As an author, where do you want to see most of your readers get your book: Amazon vs. supporting a local bookstore, ebook vs print vs audiobook or you don’t have a preference?
Keith Law: My incentives are all over the place. The more you pay for the book, the more I get in royalties against my advance, although it’s a small amount on any one book. But I also want more people to read my books, since it was so much work to write them. And I also want to be sure independent bookstores continue to exist, as I enjoy them so much as a consumer, and I believe they contribute to diversity in what gets published. So … buy my books wherever you want, in whatever format you want, and I will be grateful.
Keith Law: That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading and for all of your questions, as always. Stay safe, wear your masks, and make sure you’re registered to vote!

My latest post for subscribers to the Athletic looks at the debuts from Triston McKenzie, Sixto Sanchez, Wil Crowe, and Joey Bart. I reviewed the new tile-laying and set collection board game Succulent for Paste.

Keith Law: Let us have peace, let us have life. Klawchat.

Guest: Have you had a chance to see Tony Gonsolin throw this season? Has his new knuckle-change elevated his ceiling at all?
Keith Law: Yes. He has only thrown 16 of those knuckle-curves and has no ability to command the pitch at all right now. I don’t think it’ll make any difference until and unless that changes.

Ken: Buehler to the DL and the Dodger don’t call up Tony Gonsolin? Seems odd.
Keith Law: He threw on Monday at the alternate site. He wouldn’t be available to pitch tonight or tomorrow.
Keith Law: That was what I guessed even before a quick Twitter search confirmed it.

Henry: What’s your long-term thoughts on Ian Anderson? I was impressed yesterday.
Mark: The Athletic was kicking around White Sox trade proposals for Lance Lynn, including cashing out Reynaldo Lopez or Dylan Cease for Lynn. Based on what you have seen so far from Cease’s starts and his years of control, would you make that trade if you were Hahn?
Keith Law: Yes, I would. Not sure Lopez has any trade value right now, though.

Gus: Has Corbin Burnes returned to where you thought he would be (before last year’s disaster)?
Keith Law: Not yet. He’s still throwing fewer strikes than I expected. Stuff is there, and whatever the issue was last year – mechanics or just tipping pitches – it mostly seems to be resolved.

Nate (Seattle): What can be done to reduce K% & increase BIP%?
Keith Law: Raise the bottom of the strike zone. I think an automated zone will result in fewer called strikes anyway, although the tradeoff there might be fewer swings in total.

Chuck: Who is the best Royals pitching prospect:  Lynch or Asa
Keith Law: Lynch.

WhiteSoxAndy: Obviously we had last season as well, but I’m gonna reiterate you were right to believe in Lucas Giolito!
Keith Law: That can’t be right. The internet told me I’m never right about anything and I suck at my job.

Greg: Does Atlanta have a pitching development problem? How can guys with the quality of stuff that Touki, Wright, Bryse Wilson, Newcomb have somehow be unable to even be a backend starter so far?
Keith Law: (Points at Max Fried)

Patty O’Furniture: So, Ian Anderson looked pretty dang good eh?
Keith Law: He looked good, but not great. His breaking ball wasn’t very good, with very short break for its velocity, and I don’t think any of his pitches was really plus. He showed good command and I love how he pitched. The individual pitches were a little lighter than I’d hoped, though.

Kelly: Your guess on the name(s) or prospect rank of the PTBNL in the Walker trade to Jays?
Keith Law: Might just be cash considerations. He’s a free agent in a month. I honestly don’t know what they discussed though.

Matthew: With Triston McKenzie rising from the ashes after 2 injury-plagued seasons, any chance Franklin Perez follows suit?
Keith Law: Perez’s injuries have been more serious.

Blake: I feel kind of conflicted about my team’s choice not to sit out last night’s game. One one hand, I feel a bit disappointed they didn’t feel empowered enough to take a stand. On the other, who am I to expect them to refuse to do their job to make a statement? I guess this isn’t a question, but curious if you have any thoughts
Keith Law: I was disappointed that other Cubs and Cardinals players chose to play when Black teammates of theirs chose to sit out.

David: Hey Keith, I know it’s probably close to impossible for you to upgrade/downgrade your opinion on a player at an alternate site, especially after Britt Ghiroli’s excellent piece on how scouts aren’t allowed at those sites, but is there reason to be encouraged about Jarren Duran? Alex Speier wrote about his swing change and he seems to have unlocked power in his swing. Or is that something you would need to see a player show at a hopeful [insert state name] Fall League?
Keith Law: He has truly changed his swing, and I think it will lead to more power, but I wouldn’t treat what I have heard about it the same way I would treat information from live games.
Keith Law: He’s a better prospect now than he was six months ago. That doesn’t equate to the same kind of jump in status or ranking we might get in a normal year, where he’d get to prove it against actual pitching.

Aaron Gershoff: Can Justin Dunn (of Edwin Diaz/Robinson Cano fame) be a solid starter now or does he need more time?
Keith Law: He’s averaging 91.0 on his fastball. That’s not going to get it … dunn.

Michael: When scouting short players, is there any way to project power like Altuve, Eaton, Pedroia, etc or do most scouts see those types of players as “spark plug” Eckstein type guys?
Keith Law: I’d look at their swings and their lower body strength. Pedroia’s issues were that he wasn’t that strong as a prospect – if you can find video of the September when he debuted, his body looked bad – and most scouts, myself included, thought his swing was too uphill.
Keith Law: He improved his body a ton, and he made that swing work for him with exceptional hand-eye.

Josh: With the Walker trade do you think the Mariners give Logan Gilbert a shot at a few starts or give that 6th rotation spot to the bullpen?
Keith Law: I’d give Gilbert the spot. He was pretty close to ready after last season anyway.

JT: Will MLB finish its season, or can we expect a boycott for racial justice?

I *love* this so much. My introduction to social justice was reading about the death threats mailed to Hank Aaron when I was 9 or 10. Baseball taught me to be a better, more caring person. I love that it could do so again.
Keith Law: My guess is that the wildcat strikes we’re seeing in other leagues won’t come to MLB. The league and its players as a whole are too conservative.
Keith Law: Meaning a full-season strike – I wasn’t talking about individual games.

Drew: Love the scouting articles. With respect to Triston McKenzie, you had him ranked high as 19. Can you ballpark where he’d fall if you set the rankings again? And what’s his ceiling?
Keith Law: That guy we saw on Saturday would be back in the top 20 again. He might be an ace.

Soto Popinski: Thanks for continuing to speak out during these times. I can’t say it eliminates the dread of the next few months but at least there’s not any resignation
Keith Law: We fight, or we surrender. I don’t see another choice.

Henry: You published but didn’t answer my Ian Anderson question above? Thanks.
Keith Law: I did answer the same q later – the software swallowed your question so I answered someone else’s.

cool guy: what did scouts miss about cavan biggio?
Keith Law: Nothing. This season so far is such a tiny sample that there are weird outlier results all over the place – unless you think Mike Trout is really a .333 OBP guy.

Reds Fan: How much do you buy the mechanical changes Jose Garcia has made over the past year? If you were ranking again, do you feel he would be higher or lower than 93?
Keith Law: No change. I thought 93 was appropriate, if on the optimistic side.

Robert: Adell looks far from ready for the majors, especially in the field. Would you hold him back after watching him this season to preserve his confidence, or is this just something he has to get through with no minor leagues?
Keith Law: I might start to play him more selectively to get him at bats against pitchers he might be better able to see or hit right now. He doesn’t look ready, unfortunately.

Matt: What are your thoughts on Connor Seabold?  Would developing a better breaking ball to add to FB and change allow him to become a mid-rotation starter?
Keith Law: I mean, “developing a better breaking ball” is not a minor tweak. He’s a fifth starter/swingman type. I didn’t have any problem with the phillies’ end of that trade.

Jonathan: What’s wrong with Pete Alonso this season? Alternatively, was 2019 a mirage for him?
Keith Law: How about something in between? He might never hit 53 homers again – especially since the baseball seems to be a little less happy-fun than last year – but he’s not a .402 SLG guy. To return to my small-sample point above, Biggio has more homers this year than Alonso. Do we really think Biggio is the better power hitter?

Nelson: Has anybody ever had the velocity of DeGrom with his level of command?
Keith Law: Scherzer?

Steven: Who do you prefer going forward, Luis Urias or Luis Garcia (Nats)?
Keith Law: Urias.

Noah: Max Fried has been pitching like an Ace. Can he keep this level up or will he fall into a #2/3 type starter when the sample size is bigger?
Keith Law: With that stuff, athleticism, and command, I think he can be a top 20 starter in baseball for the long term.

Steven: Was Fried, Giolito and Flaherty the best high school rotation ever?
Keith Law: I can’t think of a better one.

Jameson: A few of your Athletic co-writers put together a piece on the emergence of Yaz this year as a “super star” (their words not mine). Do you share a believe in this premise or are us Giants fans still going to see a regression?
Keith Law: I do not believe he’s a super star, or a star.

Neal: Thoughts on Luis Robert from what you’ve seen thus far?
Keith Law: Pretty much what I expected – big tools, especially the power, great defense, lot of swing and miss with vulnerability inside.
Keith Law: Great player, with flaws.

Tim: Does Zack Collins have a MLB future? Seems like there is no room for him in Chicago.
Keith Law: Last guy on the bench, sure. Emergency catcher, DH/PH with patience and power, there’s some value there.

Greg: I guess I’ll ask it another way. You’ve long been the high man on Touki and Bryse Wilson. Why hasn’t Atlanta been able to get more out of them?
Keith Law: Wilson is still just 22, and he got to the majors very early. I am quite high on him. Touki has shown flashes of it, but I think he still doesn’t have the consistency to his delivery, especially his arm swing, to repeat it 80-100 times every fifth day yet. I don’t know why, exactly; is it body control, or just that his arm is so fast/loose, or something else? Newcomb you mentioned above, and I don’t think he’ll ever repeat his arm stroke enough to throw strikes. He’s so loose that there isn’t really an easy way to fix it to improve the path of his arm or how close he gets to the same release point. He’s always going to be wild, unfortunately.

Scherzers_Blue_Eye: Victor Robles’ offense is another Giolito situation, right? Just be patient?
Keith Law: I’d say yes.

Kamal: At this point is looks like the NL Rookie of the Year is Cronenworth’s to lose. Was he a legit prospect in Rays system and do you see this as sustainable?
Keith Law: That’s a ridiculous statement on a player with less than 100 PA (and with a .375 BABIP, which is clearly not sustainable). I like Cronenworth a bit, but in a normal season nobody would speak about a sample of 87 PA as if it were meaningful. Just among rookies currently playing, I’d probably bet on Bohm or even Carlson to be better the rest of this mini-season.

Morris: I get why the Giants feel they need to disassociate from Aubrey Huff. But if they want to do that, how can they justify honoring Will Clark and retiring his number? This is a well known racist from who called Chris Brown the N-word in public, never apologized (and still hasn’t), had his white manager (Roger Craig) explain his actions and racism away, and had the team quickly ship away the black players (Brown, Jeffrey Leonard) who were bothered by his bigotry. Why two different standards for two terrible people?
Keith Law: That’s a great question, and whenever they trot him out in front of the press, someone needs to ask him point-blank about it.

Nick: Dominic Smith has been outstanding this season.  If you were running the Mets, what would you do with him going into 2021?
Keith Law: If the DH is permanent in the NL, as it will be sooner or later, he should be their 1B full-time, with Alonso the DH.

Guest: I know you are always pro-player (as am I), how would you have felt (in Clev’s case) / do feel (Pleasac) about keeping them down long enough to delay FA by a year as punishment, given how egregious their behavior was?
Keith Law: I would have been fine if the team or MLB had suspended them the rest of the year for putting their entire clubhouse at risk through deliberately reckless actions. I am pro-player. I am not pro-asshole.

TP: SSS or is this the Dom Smith you have been waiting for?
Keith Law: It’s SSS, but I am at least pleased that the Smith we’re seeing matches the guy I expected him to be. He just has to do it for a longer period before I can confidently say yes, this is him.

Mac: Do you think there will be a fall league this year?
Keith Law: It sounds like it.

Brian: Maybe I read it wrong but I thought I saw an article where Fowler and Flaherty ok’d the Cardinals playing. Which if that is the case does that change your mind saying they are doing what their teammates thought was ok.
Keith Law: No, it doesn’t, especially because we don’t really know what that sounded like – or whether they felt pressured to absolve their teammates of any obligation to sit out with them.

Joe: Pretty sure I saw that the Reds broadcast of the Royals game on August 19 suddenly isn’t available on the MLB.tv archive… I wonder why?! It’s one thing to erase it but it did happen…
Keith Law: Maybe just edit out Brennaman’s slur, but leave the apology?

Cam: Should Whitley’s injury issues be concerning at this point? Doesn’t seem like he could even have a shot at the MLB for another couple years.
Keith Law: Another couple of years? If he’s really just out with a forearm strain, as the Astros have said, why couldn’t he compete for a job in February? His last eighteen months have been a hot mess but there’s also nothing here to point to him being unable to pitch in the long term.

Jim: Do you see anything that might have Jays fans optimistic in the Taijuan walker acquisition? His career numbers (although small sample size) are not that good against AL east teams.
Keith Law: I love the arm and the athleticism. For what I assume is minimal cost, he’s a great pickup. I do worry about his homer-prone tendencies and the park in Buffalo, which seems to be very favorable to LH power hitters.

Dylan: What caused the White Sox to give up Luis Basabe?
Keith Law: Been hurt a lot, body has been slowing down, and no place to play in their system.

Carson Fulmer: What happened to me?
Keith Law: Violent deliveries often have bad outcomes. I never believed he was a starter, and maybe all the time he spent trying to be one ended up reducing his odds of being an effective reliever, either through wear on his arm or the mental toll of trying to do something he couldn’t?

Uli Jon: Observation I’ve had at a sadly late point of my life.  Black friends always have literature regarding the history and figures around what it means to be black in America.  I think the problem is that whites in America do no such self-reflection, either personally or in school. Look to Germany, which kinda sorta had a horrid history but has reckoned with it on a national level.  I’m a 50ish straight while male.  My ancestors were not here until the 20th century, but I 100% have profited from the ways in which this country has continually tilted towards me.  I have to recognize my culpability and ensure it stops. Now.
Keith Law: Well said. And, as someone who reads a ton, I agree that the American canon doesn’t have much to offer the privileged class (to which I also belong) that would force us to rethink our positions and/or encourage us to actively seek and push change.

Michael: Not a boycott, withholdinig labor is a strike.
Keith Law: I believe I said that too.

Mac: Thoughts on Brady Singer?
Keith Law: I love how he competes, but his results so far haven’t been great, and that’s even with some good luck against LHB (for whom he doesn’t really have an effective weapon).

Mark: Thoughts on Julian Merryweather? He’s looked great in small busts, think he can hold up as a starter or is he more of a high leverage multi-inning reliever upside?
Keith Law: The latter. Did throw hard as a starter, but didn’t have much else to support that role.

JT: Am I wrong to think of all unwritten baseball rules as just white supremacy in action? Fernando Tatis cannot help being better than everyone. He simply is. Behold.
Keith Law: I believe unwritten rules exist to enforce traditional power structures. Ever play any of those card games (often drinking games, at least in college) where new players don’t know the rules, and the existing players get to make them up as they go along without having to tell the newbies? If you have, think of how they allowed you to arbitrarily target or favor certain friends or other players. I know that’s a frivolous example, but I think the analogy still works: The beauty of unwritten rules for the powerful is that such rules can be applied however they want, whenever they want, to whomever they want – or ignored as the enforcer chooses.
Keith Law: Also, Tatis Jr. is a fucking star and should be allowed to swing 3-0 and run like his hair’s on fire and make every highlight reel he can, because MLB is far better off when players like him and Javy Baez and Francisco Lindor and Yu Darvish and Luis Robert are doing amazing things on the field.

Brian: Can baseball erase Aubrey Huff from the record books permanently?
Keith Law: The less we pay attention to him, the sooner he’ll go away.

Kas from Fort Worth: What does Leodys need to hit to be considered a legitimate starting starting CF with the defense he brings
Keith Law: Not much, really. And I think he can get to a .340+ OBP which would make him a regular.

Cal: Is Gavin lux finally out of the dog house?
Keith Law: I assume he’ll be called up in the next few days, although I wonder where he’ll end up getting AB.

David Fletcher: What do you see as the biggest cause for the Angels failure this season? What would you do to improve the team going forward?
Keith Law: Lack of starting pitching. They did make a run at Cole and didn’t get him; that was the free agent who’d make the biggest impact on their season and playoff odds.

Amir: James Kaprelian maintained 95-97 mph during his brief MLB appearance. If he can maintain the velocity, can he become a useful bullpen arm?
Keith Law: Yes. All about health with him, I think.

Chris: Do you have issues with Boston’s side of the Workman trade? They sure didn’t get anything to even go into their system. Doesn’t seem to bode well for additional trades Bloom makes in the next few days.
Keith Law: Is anyone really giving up significant prospects in trades for rentals or relief pieces this year? You’re getting a month of the regular season, and half the league gets into the playoffs anyway, so most real contenders would likely see those additions as “nice but not essential.” And there’s still the specter of more outbreaks causing a premature end to the season.

Zach: Keith, covid has gotten me back into playing video games for the first time in a long time. I dusted off my copy of Baldur’s Gate 2 since they are finally releasing BG3 this winter. You played them back in the day, right? Any desire to play #3?
Keith Law: I played through BG, BG2, and BG2: ToB many times. It’s the best video game I’ve ever played. I would be doing myself a grave disservice if I didn’t check out BG3.

Ryan: Will Dylan Carlson develop into a DUDE?
Keith Law: Yes. I think his approach will get him there, if not this year, soon.

Michael: DeGrom was a 9th rounder out of Stetson. Is baseball really that much of a late bloomer sport that a guy picked in an organizational round can become one of the best pitchers ever?  Seems to happen a lot
Keith Law: Not quite an organizational round, although you are correct that the expected value of a 9th round pick is nearly zero. Degrom is an unusual case, though; he was a converted position player who’d already had TJ.
Keith Law: I see him as a reason to keep the draft to at least 12-15 rounds, and why teams that choose to keep their scouts (as opposed to all the firings and furloughs, so billionaire owners can boost their profits for 2020 by a rounding error) will have a real advantage going forward.

JR: In general, are you enjoying the season so far? I thought having sports back would be a nice diversion (I know you’re a baseball only guy, but I enjoy the various leagues), but it just hasn’t been for me. I’m guessing it’s a mix of getting used to not having sports in my life + even though they’re back, they don’t feel the same. Watching with no fans in the stands, social distancing, etc. (which is the right thing to do) makes it a constant reminder of how fucked up things remain instead of the diversion we hoped sports would be, IMO.
Keith Law: I am enjoying it, but I went into the season knowing what it was, and figuring that whatever we got from MLB this year was a bonus.

Frank N.: When will you admit the Biggio take was just plain bad? You’re very quick to let everyone know the wins of your evals, but quiet on what you missed on…and missed on big time.
Keith Law: I have posted a column every year listing players I missed on for at least six years now, so that’s just some bullshit. And no, I didn’t miss on Biggio. He can’t hit major-league fastballs, and even during this tiny sample where he’s produced that’s held true.

Jason: Is there any specific player that you can think of that really proved you wrong (you didnt think much of them and they have become a star)
Keith Law: Quite a few. Goldschmidt is probably the biggest example, and knowing I missed on him made me more willing to reconsider Rhys Hoskins (a fourth-rounder, RHB, 1B only, not a great body, was old for low A) but the swing worked and his approach was pretty good.
Keith Law: I’m actually struggling because it’s a long list of guys who really changed something about themselves where I either didn’t acknowledge the possibility of the change, or vastly underestimated the probability of the change. I never thought Shane Bieber would add at least a full grade of FB velocity. Kolten Wong worked his way to be a much better defender than I thought he’d ever be. I dinged Austin Riley on his bat speed and poor defense, but he cleaned up his body and worked hard to become maybe a 60 defender at third. Marcus Semien has become a completely different player than he was at Cal or even in the White Sox’s system.
Keith Law: Oh, wait, I’m quiet on guys I missed on. Scratch all that.

Stu: Gary Cohen is great every night,  but last night he was really good talking about BLM.
Keith Law: He is really great at his job because he seems so diligent. I’m actively disappointed when Ron or Keith make a bad point (often because they fall back on conventional wisdom) and it derails the way the three of them generally work. They might be the best booth in the business.

Justi: Why won’t MLB push guys like Tatis, Soto & Acuna more? is it because they’re afraid of offending the guys who don’t watch football anymore because two players kneeled four years ago? a Padres-White Sox WS seems to be something that could “save” the sport.
Keith Law: Those three players have something in common…

Santaspirt: Bohm looks like a legit hitter. But his defense has been shaky. Understanding the small sample caveat, he looked overmatched on anything hit hard to 3rd base. Is that indicative of his defensive potential, something he will eventually even out, or just random noise from the SSS?
Keith Law: His defense has looked awful. You’re being kind. Some of it is that you see harder contact more frequently in the majors than in AA or below, where he played before. But I’m wondering if his reactions aren’t quick enough for the position. Maybe he goes to 1B and Rhys to DH.

Luke: Best board game of 2020 so far and where would it rank in your top 100 if you had to slot it in somewhere?
Keith Law: I am going to bet that the best game of 2020 so far is either in my to-play queue or on its way to me. Sonora is the best I’ve played so far, but I know of a few that I’m pretty sure will beat it in the end.

Foolsgold: Dustin May has out of the world stuff, but not translating to K/9 (6.2),  Should i be worry?
Keith Law: Tiny sample. And he’s young.

Jim: So Washington optioned Kieboom “to give him lots of AB”.  Do you think it’s a matter of him being rushed, or is his hit tool just not as good as they thought it was?
Keith Law: I don’t think he was rushed.

Johnny Lee: Bobby Witt Jr. or Austin Martin?
Keith Law: Martin for me. I have more confidence in his hit tool.

addoeh: Marty Brennaman once called the President of Marshall University a “q***r”.  Homophobia runs in the family.
Keith Law: Pretty good argument against nepotism hires.

27: Keith, How could anyone possibly say they want four more years of this? It’s exhausting, embarrassing, and sad.
Keith Law: Nothing will be more exhausting and depressing than watching ~50-60 million Americans vote for four more years of this. Even if Biden wins, it’s a reminder that a huge portion of the electorate saw this Administration and said, “Please, sir, may I have some more?”

Joe in Quincy: Will Schillings connection to Bannon impact his hall chances? Or has that ship sailed due to his FAR right outlook?
Keith Law: I think he’s getting in this year.

Tom: you mentioned yu, boy hes been fun to watch
Keith Law: This is my perception, but I feel like the baseball world thinks he’s been a disappointment. He hasn’t. When healthy he’s been anywhere from an above-average starter to top 5-10 in his league.

Nelson: What is your take on Otani’s offense going forward? I think I remember you being somewhat down on his offensive potential when he first came to MLB, but, this year not withstanding, he’s seemed to have a decent outcome thus far. Has he surpassed your expectations?
Keith Law: I’ve thought that the more he played as a hitter, the more he’d get a bit exposed – the power is absolutely real, but the way his bat works he’s pretty vulnerable in, and if you can keep him from getting his arms extended you can probably keep him in the ballpark. I don’t think 2020 is indicative of anything but I would be surprised if he repeated 2018-19 while playing full-time, even just as a DH.

Snowy: What do you think about the job Farhan Zaidi has done so far with the Giants? Love the way he has found viable mlb contributors seemingly out of nowhere
Keith Law: Agreed and I like his approach of giving castoffs opportunities rather than trotting out veterans about whom we already know.

Aaron: Keith, I promise this isn’t a ‘gotcha’ question: Has your opinion changed on Dinelson Lamet? Seems your opinion was that he’d be an unbelievable reliever but his potential as a starter was limited by platoon splits. I don’t think he’s really developed that third pitch you wanted for him, but man he’s been awesome this season. Thoughts?
Keith Law: He’s looked incredible, and he’s done so without a good changeup for LHB – he actually has a reverse split this year, including a .159 BABIP vs lefties, which all seems unsustainable to me, but the flip side is he’s pounding the zone with two plus pitches and if he keeps crushing RHB and can just keep lefties from killing him he’ll be a really good starter anyway.
Keith Law: Small sample caveats apply.
Keith Law: well that’s terrible.

addoeh: Are you back on the Islanders bandwagon?  Granted, they are very defensive and nothing like Bossy, Trots, and Potvin.
Keith Law: I had no idea they were in the playoffs until my sister told me the other day.

Tom C: I remember when Mike Cameron had a chance for his 5th HR in the game and got piped a 2-0 fastball. But he took it and explained later he didn’t think it would be right to swing there. I remember thinking “Dude how many chances in your life will you have to hit 5 HRs?”
Keith Law: Agree. And nobody remembers him taking a 2-0 fastball.

AL: Is Andres Gimenez a dude or a backup type ?
Keith Law: I could see him maybe ending up a regular but not a star.

Brian: If there’s an Arizona Fall League in 2020, do you think teams will send more of their high caliber prospects just to get some at-bats and innings?
Keith Law: Yes. And then I’ll have to make a serious decision on whether it’s safe for me to fly there, because from a scouting perspective it would be invaluable.

Frank N.: Can’t hit FBs? He’s got a career 136 wRC+ against them….be better than that. Admit you’re wrong about it.
Keith Law: Small samples aside, he doesn’t hit velocity. That’s not the same thing.

Dave: Any new kitchen gadgets that are going to end up on your annual list?
Keith Law: I can’t think of anything new this year, even with more cooking than usual (because of no travel). I did get a spiralizer attachment for the KitchenAid but haven’t had a chance to try it yet.

Paul: Pending sale aside…am I wrong in thinking that the Mets are closer to a rebuild than a contender? The upper levels of the farm system or pretty bare now. .The pitching is a mess and the team is pretty weak up the middle.
Keith Law: I think their window may have closed most of the way this year. A healthy roster would have been very competitive in a full 2020 though.

Ben: Keith, I disagree with your take on unwritten rules.  In drinking games it’s done to maintain dominance and “win” the game.  In baseball, they’re all about basic sportsmanship and usually protect the loser.  Nobody likes to get beat and then have it rubbed in their face.  It only seems like a racial issue because leagues from other countries don’t have similar tradition, so when they come to the US they get in trouble.  A lot of people got pissed when Bret Boone (apologize if it was another Boone) was doing bat flips too, and he’s a white MLB “legacy” player.
Keith Law: I remember Bret Boone’s bat flips and I hated him for it. I thought it was incredibly obnoxious, especially for a player whose power appeared rather suddenly. But I do not remember anywhere near the days-on-end conversations about his bat flips (or more of a bat drop, I think) like those we’ve had over Tatis or Acuna or Baez.

Michael: This election kind of feels like an episode of The Good Place.  The Bad Place people lie and cheat and project and since they don’t care, nothing happens. The Dems had to apologize for two soldiers showing up in a video in American Samoa, but then the GOP trots out active duty soldiers next to the President and it’s nothing.  I hate it here.
Keith Law: That’s a good analogy. We are in the Bad Place. And I don’t like our odds of getting out.
Keith Law: That’s all for this week. Thank you all for your questions and for reading. Stay safe, wear your masks, and make sure you’re registered to vote.