Keith Law: I’m at the wrong end of the looking glass. It’s Klawchat.

Patrick: Keith, anything specific you watch for when playoff time comes around?
Keith Law: Nope, I just watch the games for themselves.

Andy: Will the current trend of bullpening, especially in the playoffs, kill the lower to mid tier starting pitching market? Sure, he’ll be useful during the season, but if I’m not starting a Chase Anderson or Mike Fiers in the playoffs, is that worth 6 or 7 million a year?
Keith Law: Yeah, they’re still worth quite a bit more than that for the value they can provide over 160+ innings. If bullpenning affects that market it’ll be through arbitration, which is still substantially driven by the dumbest stats.

Dr. Bob: At the end of the Periscope chat yesterday, a chatter suggested Led Zeppelin’s “Over the Hills and Far Away.” Have you learned that one? As difficult as it sounds, it is remarkably simple. If you don’t know it, there are a couple of really good YouTube videos showing it.
Keith Law: I mentioned that song in my latest newsletter as my standard warmup – the opening to that is a great way to loosen up your fret hand & fingers before playing.

Moe Mentum: Who’s the odd man out in the Phillies infield next season if they land Machado?
Keith Law: I would think Franco.

Mike: “Openers” may be a clever was of describing this new approach, but it does little to enhance the fan experience. (It does, however, add another half-hour or so of air time for advertisers)
Keith Law: I would agree with that. What’s good for the team isn’t necessarily good for the product’s aesthetics.

Dan: Jomar Reyes had a good finish to 2018. Still a rising prospect for O’s?
Keith Law: No, that ship has probably sailed.

Nick: What is your opinion of Milwaukee going with a bullpen game in Game 1 of the NLDS? I know they’re trying to mitigate a weakness (starting pitching), but aren’t they running the risk of unnecessarily blowing out their bullpen? Why not throw a starter and just keep them on a short leash if they wind up in trouble?
Keith Law: Tend to agree with that, although their bullpen is so damn strong maybe it’s less of a concern?

Rob: Tony Santillan had a nice season for the Reds in the minor leagues this year. Do you believe that he is a top 100 prospect? Do you think that he could be more then a back of the rotation type of starter? Thank you for the chats.
Keith Law: Too much reliever risk to be a top 100 guy.

squeeze bunt: Is hitting suppressed in playoff baseball? Do teams put together more detailed plans to attack hitters with all their resources focused on one lineup?
Keith Law: Pitching tends to be better in October – you don’t see fifth starters or 8th relievers.

Trevor: Is there any precedence of the MLBPA winning a grievance that allowed a player from the Rule 4 Draft to become a FA like Stewart / Boras filed for?
Keith Law: Yes, Barrett Loux.

Gene: Keith, where do the Orioles go next? I was more a Showalter supported than a Duquette supporter, but now they are both gone and there doesn’t appear to be much left to rebuild around.
Keith Law: I’m very curious to see where they go; I thought Showalter had to go, but Duquette had to do that job with one hand tied behind his back, and there was a credible argument that he should stick around to get to fully execute his vision with a manager of his choice who wouldn’t work at cross purposes to his own. I can certainly think of a few names of GM candidates who’d be great fits.

squeeze bunt: Saw an interesting question on Twitter the other day, and thought you might have a good answer. Has there been a book that changed your opinion on something? I think it was implied that this was relating to political things, but answer however you please.
Keith Law: Tons. That’s one of the great pleasures of reading – it opens your mind.

Shaun: Is the AL group of playoff teams as good top to bottom as any recently? The Red Sox won 108 games and could arguably be an underdog in a series against any of the other 3 teams.
Keith Law: It does seem exceptionally strong, at the expense of any decent playoff races this year.

Darren: There have been big arguments among people I know regarding the 1 inning starters. I see the logical and understand why teams like Oakland and TB would attempt this strategy. Some are saying it’s a terrible ideas ruining baseball and point to last night as proof. My point is Oakland used the wrong guy. Hendriks isn’t even a very good reliever and was hot in the month of September when he’s not facing the lineup one would see in the playoffs. I would have seen Petit and Trivino getting trough 4 to 5 innings and then letting any one not named Rodney take over. Would love to hear some of your thoughts on the practice and Oaklands execution last night. Thanks for everything Keith.
Keith Law: I would agree with this – Hendriks was a weird choice, one I haven’t seen explained, but that doesn’t invalidate the strategy.

Ridley Kemp: Am I wrong for feeling like we’re on the verge of the total breakdown of our democratic system? I remember Watergate and this is so much more open and obviously corrupt that I feel like the checks and balances have utterly failed.
Keith Law: It certainly feels that way, with the party in power willing to overlook absolutely anything – sexual assault, perjury, propaganda, foreign interference, environmental destruction – to get what they want (tax cuts and banning abortion).

Fuzzy Dunlop: What’s your guilty pleasure food? Like restaurant or even just a processed food item that you genuinely enjoy but doesn’t fall in line with your generally awesome tastes.
Keith Law: I have no idea what you’re talking about. (munches on Oreos)

J5: Pick one that will be a an all star : Kelenic, Gorman or Liberatore?
Keith Law: Kelenic. BTW I forget to mention Vientos when reviewing the Mets’ farm system last week – another guy drafted by the current scouting department who looks very good so far.

Alex: Does Ryan Mountcastle have enough of an arm to stay at 3B? Does Grenier have enough of a bat to be a regular SS? Thanks
Keith Law: Probably not, probably yes, in that order.

Ian: Thoughts on the Let the Kids Play ad?
Keith Law: Much better than the previous campaign, Don’t Let the Kids Play.

Alex: Does Brady Anderson’s continued presence hinder the Os from getting a good GM candidate to consider taking the job?
Keith Law: One of the questions any candidate should ask in the interview is whether Anderson will report to the new GM or to ownership. The only acceptable answer is the former. The latter is a dealbreaker.

Daniel: Freddy Galvis is a divisive figure in San Diego. The pro crowd is calling for him to be resigned, while the anti crowd says save the 40 man spot on a farm hand that needs to be added and let Guerra play short for a few until Tatis is ready. What say you?
Keith Law: I’d let him walk. Nice player, not worth the 40-man spot for a team that is going to need all of those spots.

Kenny: Do you believe the Ramirez and Swetnick stories?
Keith Law: Yes. Women very rarely lie about sexual assaults. These women told those stories knowing they’d likely end up facing tremendous public criticism and likely death threats. Believing that they lied despite those consequences requires a deeply misogynistic worldview.

Ian: As a young male, I really don’t feel afraid that I am going to get falsely accused of sexually assaulting someone. Is this argument really more of a case where old men are afraid that something from their past is going to get brought up?
Keith Law: I think the “all men should fear this” is basically dog-whistling to men who hate women.

Aaron C.: One of the sillier “accomplishments” tweeted over and over again by fans and beat writers was the A’s 2018 payroll relative to the Yankees. Why is cheap ownership proudly trumpeted towards the heavens?
Keith Law: Because fans and the media continue to side with billionaire owners over players. Yes, it’s wonderful that the A’s front office did more with less. The fact that the team plays in the 8th largest media market in the country is somehow swept under the rug.

George: Thoughts on Pedro’s assertion that Severino was pitching hurt in the 2nd half?
Keith Law: Entirely possible.

james: Has your opinion changed at all on Joey Bart since the draft?
Keith Law: No, because there is no reason it should have.

mike sixel: Byron Buxton was pretty much dead last in wrc+ and any other hitting statistic you want. He can’t be that bad again….but how long do we have to wait?
Keith Law: Didn’t play much and wasn’t necessarily healthy when he did play.

Aaron C.: Big fan of your occasional cooking posts/photos. Curious about your greatest cooking failures, though. Seem to remember you once posting about an attempt to make something like a polenta waffle. Anything more disastrous than that?
Keith Law: I’ve had my share of mistakes. Pizza doughs that tore when I stretched them. Custards that curdled. I burned a simple kale/bacon dish a few years ago when working with a new-ish stove. The polenta on the waffle iron might have worked but I needed to grease the hell out of it first and didn’t.

Aaron C.: I know it’s not your favorite thing to write up, but can we still expect a “Top 50 free agents” piece from you after the World Series? Off-the-top-of-your-head guess at #3 on that list?
Keith Law: I will do a FA ranking, and if Kershaw opts out, it’s him, otherwise probably Corbin.

Zihuatanejo: What board games (if any) would you recommend for a couple where one is an experienced gamer who likes more complex games, while the other is a relative newbie who doesn’t like lots of rules?
Keith Law: Jaipur and Targi are great two-player games that hit the midpoint for a couple like yours.

Tony: If you were Theo, what moves would you make to improve the Cubs chances next year(outside of saying goodbye to Addison Russell)?
Keith Law: I’d definitely move on from Russell as soon as that’s possible. They have to figure out what their regular outfield is going to be, and balance defense (Almora, Heyward) against boosting an offense that wildly underperformed this year – and you can’t pin that all on Bryant getting hurt. The obvious answer is go sign Harper or Machado and figure the rest out, but there’s going to be competition for those two and the Cubs need a plan B. They also had a disastrous dip into free agency last winter (Chatwood, Morrow, Darvish), which may color their view of the process. The one thing I would definitely advocate if I were in the front office is finding a way to retain Hamels.

Jen: How much credit does Coppy deserve compared to AA for the Braves success this season
Keith Law: Anthopoulos has given Coppolella quite a bit of credit for the foundation he laid, and I think that’s very fair. The system was and still is loaded.

David: Hi Keith, Buehler’s been very impressive to date. As a Cards fan, does Flaherty have the same type of pure “stuff” and upside in your mind? If not, what makes Buehler stand out?
Keith Law: Buehler has way better shit. Flaherty has incredible command, and obviously has a better history of health.

Stan: And guesses as to the final round candidates for Mets GM? And if they were to go with a younger more progressive higher, who realistically could that be?
Keith Law: From what I could tell, they’ve barely contacted anybody. Why they’ve waited this long is anyone’s guess.

Sean: Do you think it’s safe to say managers sticking around for as long as Scioscia is going the way of the dodo bird?
Keith Law: Yes, and also, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do that job for that long.

Guest: I wondered what your thoughts were about the Jays firing Gibbons. Seemed to me that players liked him and responded to him and that the change was arbitrary at best. Why the switcheroo?
Keith Law: I know he’s indicated this was his choice, and I have no knowledge to contradict that – but he also wasn’t Shapiro/Atkins’ hire, and that rarely ends well.

Guest: What should the Braves do with their RF & 3B for next year? Sigh a FA or use a combination of Camargo (who was a 3 WAR player this year in less than a full season) and Riley?
Keith Law: Camargo probably starts the year at 3b, with Riley in AAA, since he missed a lot of time there due to injury. Short-term RF option would make sense, but they have outfielders coming in the system. I don’t like the idea of moving Camargo or Riley to RF and wasting their defensive value.

Taylor: If you were running the Yankees this offseason, what do you do with Andujar, Voit, and Bird? All seem like 1B/DH guys.
Keith Law: Andujar is the one you keep of the three for sure; I also don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll move off 3b, as bad as he was this year. Voit and Bird are pure DHs for me.

Fun Police: Do you have any baseball-related memories as a child where you actually enjoyed the game, or were you always a stat-obsessed nerd that takes no enjoyment from what he does?
Keith Law: Sorry, I rolled my eyes back so hard at this that I detached a retina.

Xam: Kike Hernandez had an interesting second half, and really turned it up in August/September — more walks than strikeouts, ISO over .200, OPS, wRC+ around 165. Given his defensive versatility and the fact that he overcame his problem with righties this year as well, are we looking at a budding star?
Keith Law: Really solid player, and everyone seems to love him in the clubhouse, but I am not drawing that kind of conclusion off a two-month sample.

andy: Looks like Gray won’t start Game 1 for the Rockies. He might not start at all. Something’s clearly not working there. Do you think he needs a change of scenery? Do you see anything specifically wrong with him?
Keith Law: Pitching in Coors is hard, man. You can be totally fine and still struggle there because your fastball doesn’t move quite as much, or contact is just a little harder than it would be elsewhere. All the more credit to Kyle Freeland for the year he had. If the Rockies want to shop Gray, they shouldn’t sell him for less than 90 cents on that dollar, because there’s a good chance he becomes an above-average starter somewhere else, and there’s still some chance he does it in Denver.

Josh: Chances Cedric Mullins sticks as an average to above average everyday player?
Keith Law: I think average is his ceiling.

Bob: Other than Settlers, what non-traditional (so excluding Monopoly, Risk) board games are good to introduce new people to gaming?
Keith Law: Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Dominion but that is better if you have one player who knows it to help introduce the concept. Azul is a little heavier, but it was my #1 game of 2017 and is such a visually appealing game I think it’s a good gateway title anyway.

Xam: Are you buying Max Fried as a starter in 2019 and beyond? The combo of groundballs and strikeouts is pretty sexy.
Keith Law: I am. Always believed in his stuff and athleticism. Not sure Atlanta has a rotation spot for him.

Josh: Any thoughts on Isaac Paredes? He looked to have great seasons at A and AA at a young age
Keith Law: Can really hit. Not sure there’s long-term upside but the bat is real.

Ryan: Klaw, what do you think is more sought after GM job, Mets or O’s?
Keith Law: Mets’ job will be unless the Angeloses are clear about letting the new GM have the appropriate amount of autonomy.

Dr. Bob: One of my favorite Dodgers teams was 1977. Four players (Garvey, Smith, Cey, and Baker) each hit at least 30 HRs, which set a record. How quaint. The entire team hit 191 which was the team record at the time. This year’s team hit a team-record 235. It’s a different game.
Keith Law: Extremely. And that’s both positive and negative.

Evan: How should I feel about Leody Tavares? The game results don’t match the tools and the great reports re his batting practice showings. Is it time to scale back my expectations, or can he be a first division starter?
Keith Law: Still young and physically underdeveloped. I believe he’s a first division starter with upside.

Matt: If a relief pitcher gives up one or more runs but holds a lead, his WPA for the game can be negative. But if a 9th inning pitcher gives up one or more runs without blowing the game, his WPA is automatically positive. Do closers have inflated WPA?
Keith Law: I don’t really care for WPA, since it’s entirely situation-dependent. But to be honest I’m not sure I follow your second statement there about the ninth inning guy.

Norman Golan: whatever happened to Delvin Perez? The Cardinals got him after he tested positive for PEDs, and I recall the reaction was (1) bad on the Cardinals for rewarding PED use and (2) hewas a great talent for the cards to get so late in the 1st round. But since then its been crickets
Keith Law: He’s been kind of terrible in pro ball.

Cameron C: Vladdy Jr or Wander Franco, who are you most excited to see grow into Major League guy and who could be the better player. Wander put up better stats than Vlad did at the same age in the Appy league.
Keith Law: Vlad’s a lot closer, but I don’t think it’s absurd to think Wander might end up better.

Mike: Are you astonished that so many Republicans (and especially evangelicals) say Kavanaugh should be confirmed even if it’s determined that he did commit sexual assault? I mean, where is our basic human decency?
Keith Law: I’m not astonished any more. I’m disgusted, sure, but not astonished.

Mike D: Has there ever been a study on how much “experience” helps, or “youth” hurts a team in the playoffs? You always hear announcers talk about it, but not sure if its fact or just more “chemistry and “it factor” talk?
Keith Law: It’s bullshit. I feel like there was a study years ago about the ages of playoff rosters but I have no memory of who did it. You can also see how young most of the recent WS winning rosters were.

Zac: Tigers are expected to move forward with Grayson Greiner. What is his ceiling? below average starter?
Keith Law: Backup.

Anthony: You’ve been critical of hiring MLB managers with no prior experience. I’m curious what the process looks like for evaluating a minor-league manager. No one cares about wins and losses and player development is probably a reflection of the org as a whole, so how would you evaluate their success? Just interviewing players?
Keith Law: Your player development director & other staffers spend the year visiting affiliates, and reviewing game reports. They’ll talk to the managers, coaches, and players in the system. They should know which managers were able to execute the FO’s plans for each player, and understand organizational philosophies, and which managers did well working with players of differing backgrounds.

Mike: In a few chats, you have mentioned Alex Scherff as a guy to watch in the Red Sox system. What’s his ceiling if he can stick as a starter?
Keith Law: Sounds like #2 starter.

Anthony: What’s your take on Ramon Laureano? Buying him as a regular?
Keith Law: Loved him in the AFL two years ago but he’s not going to post a .388 BABIP going forward. Good tools that might make him a fringe regular, much more likely he’s a very good fourth OF.

Jake: Keith, obviously ranking prospects has some subjectivity to it, however on mlbpipeline’s most recent top 100 KC had one representative. Singer at 60. I find it strange that you could have him at that slot and Lee, Lynch and Kowar nowhere in the top 100. Your thoughts?
Keith Law: Lee is clearly a top 100 guy for me; Singer isn’t, but I’ve never been a big believer in him given the delivery and lack of a pitch for LHB. I think Lynch is better at this point. Kowar did not throw well this summer, so leaving him off is understandable and I doubt he’d make mine.

Grant: Thought Scooter Gennett would have made your column about “people you were wrong about” What’s your outlook for the rest of his career?
Keith Law: He’s never been much of anything vs LHP, which was my critique of him going back to the minors. I think he’s had one adequate year, which seems flukish. If this power is real – and he never showed it at all till he got to Cincinnati, but now has 50 HR in two seasons – he’s essentially the strong half of a superb platoon.

Scott: If you were the Phillies’ GM, and assuming that money is not a factor, what moves would you make to roster and/or coaching staff? Which players and/or coaches would you want to stay and let germinate?
Keith Law: People were killing Kapler here at the end of the season, booing him every trip to the mound, which is just so dumb. It was a bad defensive club and nothing he did was going to mitigate that. I’d like to see them move to upgrade their defense, while obviously using some of that war chest they’ve got to acquire some top flight talent in free agency. Pollock would be an interesting target. I already said I’m a big Corbin guy. He’d fit for just about any contender.

The Shrike: Over/under on the amount Carter Stewart will get if he’s declared a free agent and is not subject to any bonus pool restrictions?
Keith Law: If this wrist thing really isn’t a big deal for teams, I think he’ll get $6 million-plus.

Bill: Thanks for the chats Keith. They are easily in my top 7 shirking work activities. Do you think Dansby Swanson can still grow into an average to above average contributor at the plate?
Keith Law: I do, but he’s always going to strike out more than the typical player of his profile. That was the knock on his game in college, too.

Ed: Do you see pitching eventually adjusting to the obsession with launch angle, resulting in a higher concentration on pitchers with whatever attribute counteracts more loft in swings (be it a good high fastball, late lateral movement, or whatever)? And therefore creating a market again for more level swings / higher contact guys? I look at the Cubs this year, and it really struck me how they can destroy teams with their offense on one day and go completely inert the next (including 163 and the WC game) and I start thinking about what I wouldn’t give for someone who can just shorten his swing, put the bat on the ball, and work the count a bit.
Keith Law: I think it already has – that’s why you see teams trying to get guys who either live at the knees or can throw high-spin four-seamers at the top of the zone.

Mike: How far is Hiura away from taking the Brewers 2b job? Would you package him for a top of the rotation starter if you were in the Brewers situation?
Keith Law: If they feel like his defense is ready (and the elbow injury, whatever it was, is no longer a concern), then pretty much any time. I know scouts love his bat, but I feel like lingering concerns over the elbow would suppress his trade value.

Jimbo: Have you seen Luis Patino? How do you account for his ascendance into various Top 100s?
Keith Law: I have not. I don’t comment on other top 100s.

Cole: How soon do you think we could see Jo Adell up with the Angels? I’ve seen some people say they wouldn’t be surprised if he was up by the All Star Break next year, and I was wondering if you felt the same.
Keith Law: I think that’s very optimistic.

James: Hey Keith, I know you have opened up about Anxiety in the past. At what point, did you, or do you know it is a problem to go get help for it.
Keith Law: I had a brutal panic attack at age 39 while driving on Staten Island (insert joke about SI traffic here), and that really forced me to get help.

JR: Rockies tried piggbacking starters in ’12 or ’13 and were mocked for it (probably because it failed), while “openers” and “bullpen” games have, for the most part, have not been mocked (probably because it was successful). Perhaps the Rockies were on too something and just didn’t have the right arms or quite the right approach to make it work?
Keith Law: They had a decent idea but executed it poorly.

Rum Guy: Enjoying the Periscope sessions, This Boomer needs a new acoustic or maybe electro acoustic for playing here at home and so KLaw, what guitar models do u have?
Keith Law: Very simple – a Mitchell acoustic, a Stratocaster electric.

Mac: In this age of awful catchers can Zack Collins be league average?
Keith Law: My bet is no.

JP: would you start Devers at 3B regardless of whether starter is RH or LH? Nunez has similar defensive deficiencies without any of the pop/patience.
Keith Law: I would, yes. Devers’ eye is pretty good for his age.

JT: How has Shapiro done in Toronto? I’ll confess that I’m a little underwhelmed if that’s a word.
Keith Law: I think that’s fair, and it’s why he doth protest too much over my comment that they don’t have a top 5 farm system (note: still accurate). I’ve heard some stories from within the regime that don’t give me great confidence in their model going forward. I’ve also heard that there’s friction between him and Rogers which, if true, would be rather astounding since Rogers’ decision to hire him cost them Anthopoulos.

Ron: Do you think Mauer retires? It looks like it. Will really miss him. But he hasn’t been the same since the concussion. Some in Twins Land still don’t realize what they had. At least in his catching days one of the best around. Should have had 2 MVPs. Borderline HOF?
Keith Law: Sounds like he’s retiring, don’t think he gets into the Hall as his case is solid but not a slam dunk and relies heavily on advanced stats.

Kace: Isn’t it odd that someone would come here to troll you? That’s a lot of effort beyond being pissed off at an article and finding your Twitter.
Keith Law: Same couple of trolls every week, too. I have no idea what their end game is.

Jake: Are you a Doctor Who viewer? If so, thoughts on a woman getting a crack at the role? Looking forward to Sunday.
Keith Law: Actually never seen it, which is such a shame because I couldn’t fill my diaper over a fictional non-human character taking on a female form.

Chris: Are you still buying Franklin Barreto? It’s obvious he’s got some interesting tools in the tool kit, but the lack of contact really scares me. His bat-to-ball skills have definitely gone backwards since he was a younger prospect.
Keith Law: No, I’m out on that one.

Chris: Seems you were right about Newcomb and the Simmons trade. What are your thoughts on it now that it’s played out a little.
Keith Law: I think Simmons is the best defender in baseball, among the best we have ever seen, and Atlanta didn’t get nearly enough in that deal.

Chris: It all worked out, but I thought Boone’s handling of the 5th was bizarre. First, he sent Sevy back out even though he clearly emptied the tank vs Semien, and then, he went to the one guy in the pen who seems least equipped to enter with a jam. Thoughts?
Keith Law: I can’t be too hard on Boone for sending Severino out with a 0 still in the hits column. It would have been the right move to pull him, but between that and the low pitch count, it would have been extremely unusual.

Sean: Do you care about parity in the playoffs or do you just want the best teams to make it each year even if they are the same 8 teams year after year?
Keith Law: Best teams = best baseball. Baseball has parity in the NL right now, just not in the AL at the moment.

Joe: Is Jon Schoop a nontender candidate? Probably looking at over 10MM+ for his last year of arbitration and he had a brutal year.
Keith Law: Brutal year, much better a year ago, maybe not a fit for Milwaukee because of Hiura but not without trade value.

Zac: If I told you Casey Mize was the only Tigers pitching prospect that panned out, would you be shocked?
Keith Law: I wouldn’t be shocked, but I think Burrows has a pretty high floor too.

JR: Is Adam Sasser a potential draft pick? Assuming he is (or even if he’s not, assume he is for this question), if you worked in a front office how would you view him given he was kicked off his college team for using a racial slur. Would you completely remove him from your board or be willing to consider him?
Keith Law: He was draft-eligible in June but not selected. I would probably avoid him because he’d have to come play with many people of color, but I wouldn’t consider him untouchable like the child molester from Oregon State, or a player who’d committed sexual or physical assault on a woman.

Xam: Austin Barnes: what happened, and what should we expect going forward? Last year he looked like a top-3 catcher, and now….
Keith Law: He was never a top 3 catcher, though. Small samples.

Josh: Jazz Chisholm had a pretty strong year. What kind of ceiling do you project for him?
Keith Law: Very excited to see him in two weeks. Above-average regular to star upside.

Ben: Can you explain why “high spin” matters? Like, why not look for Ps who can throw high velocity pitches at the top of the zone?
Keith Law: High spin rate = less/inferior quality contact. High velocity doesn’t do that.

JR: Have you ever asked yourself a question using a pseudonym in a chat because there was a particular question they you wanted to answer?
Keith Law: I haven’t, but that would be kind of funny, if a little dishonest.

JG: Giardi, Bannister, David Ross, Alomor Jr., or Ausmus for Twins manager?
Keith Law: Ross has never managed, so I can’t support that. Ausmus never grew at all as a manager in Detroit, so would you really hire him unless you felt absolutely certain that in just one year off the job he’s changed his managing philosophy? Girardi was pretty solid in NY and I think he’d be a good hire for a lot of situations.

Corey: 5 minutes in one of these chats will provide the core of the KLAW worldview. If you’re offended by that POV but still choose to come to his personal site to troll him + generally be a f’ing asshole, you might want to examine your own life choices + ask yourself why you’re such a miserable person. Anyway… should Swihart be starting at C given that Leon + Vasquez can’t hit or stick with the PH strategy for later in the game ?
Keith Law: Agreed, and thank you. I’m a big Swihart fan and perhaps not totally objective on that one, but I think he’s the best option.

Tom: Thoughts on Mike Bordick as the O’s manager?
Keith Law: Nice guy … with no experience.

Jennyfer: If you were running a front office, I know you wouldn’t sign an abuser. I agree with that. How would you handle someone like Murphy or Turner who have said awful things, but haven’t broken the law?
Keith Law: Turner’s apology was an example of how to handle those situations well, with grace and understanding, so that you can go back into a diverse clubhouse and continue to have good relationships with teammates and coaches. Murphy, to my knowledge, has done none of that, and also does a great impression of Stonehenge in the field.

Eric: Dont hold back because he passed away: how do you feel about John McCain?
Keith Law: The thing that always comes to my mind around McCain is that he used professional sports – including MLB – in a circus hearing on PEDs that served no purpose but to promote himself. There was absolutely no reason for Congress to hold hearings on the topic or threaten to regulate this area in private, professional sports leagues. MLB is still dealing with the fallout from that. That isn’t the total of the man’s career, of course, but I will forever associate him with those hearings.

Jake: Would you ever want to interview Trump, if only to find out why he is the way he is?
Keith Law: I think that would be an incredibly frustrating experience.

Rowdy T: do you basically ignore September results for call ups (or everyone for that matter) due to the expanded rosters and teams playing out the string..
Keith Law: Yes.

Joe Don : I gathered last week that the Banister firing had a sour taste for you. Nonetheless, what qualifications do you think the Rangers need to consider in their new guy?
Keith Law: There’s something about that we don’t know – there were stories in Dallas area papers that he wasn’t communicating well with players, and I don’t know any more than you do about that, but if it’s true it’s certainly a problem that requires action from up top. That’s a developmental situation and a long-term rebuild, so I’d want someone with some real player development experience and willingness to work with young players.
Keith Law: Nobody asked for playoff predictions here, but at least one person did on Twitter and I feel like I have to give them somewhere, so here goes: Brewers in 4, Dodgers in 4, Cleveland in 4, Boston in 5. Bear in mind I rarely do much better than 50% on playoff picks, but there you have it.
Keith Law: And that’s all for this week – thank you all so much for your questions, including the haters, who appear to think I fell off the back of a turnip truck. I’ll be back next week for a chat prior to my AFL trip the week after. Enjoy this last full weekend of baseball!

My annual awards picks and ballots for the six major player awards (MVP, Cy, ROY) are up now for ESPN+ subscribers.

Keith Law: Like a crown of thorns, it’s all who you know. It’s Klawchat.

Aaron G: No question, just that tHe mVp cAn’T CoMe FrOm A lOsInG tEaM oR bE a PiTcHeR!!!!!!!

(Even though objectively deGrom was the best player in the NL this season.)
Keith Law: Getting that a lot today, which shows that there is a segment of the fan base that hasn’t matured intellectually since the late ’90s.

Arnold: Poor contract decisions, poor trades, and poor draft picks have cost Bobby Evans and Brian Sabean their positions in the Giants’ hierarchy. Who should the Giants be looking at to take their place?
Keith Law: I think it’s fair to say they should look outside; many of the names you’re hearing for the Mets, like Porter, Lacava, Heck, Elias, should all be on the Giants’ list. I argued on the BBTN pod today that they really need to explore trading Bumgarner, as it’s the fastest way to reboot the farm system, and the odds that Bumgarner is still healthy and effective the next time the Giants are good – in an extremely competitive division – are very slim.

Fangraphs Frank: Will we ever have pre-2002 advanced statistics (i.e. UZR) on sites like Fangraphs? I want to compare Ozzie Smith to the greatest defensive shortstop of all time — ANDRELTON SIMMONS!
Keith Law: We don’t have the raw data for that.

addoeh: Is this the right room for an argument?
Keith Law: I’ve told you once.

Darren: Thoughts on Garrett Hampson and Ryan Vilade. Both were top 10 Rox prospects and had good seasons. They didn’t show much in game power but the strike zone judgement and swing looked good. Are you as concerned when scouting minor league power with the change in the MLB and MiLB baseballs. Many guys are showing power when they get to the majors. I agree Vilade defense will not keep him at SS, do you expect 3B, 2B, or OF to be his final spot?
Keith Law: I don’t think Hampson has enough power to profile as a regular – never mind HR power, but ability to make hard enough contact to sustain the walk rate (that is, why wouldn’t pitchers attack him inside given the lack of hand strength). Vilade will, I think. 3b likely, a regular or more.

Pizza: What was the worst pizza you’ve ever had, and why was it the worst?
Keith Law: Tough call between Papa John’s or Domino’s. The whole cardboard taste is tough to get past.

Jo-Nathan: Do you like what the Brewers have done with Corbin Burnes, or would you rather have seen him come up as a starter?
Keith Law: I like seeing future starters break in as relievers, in general, as long as they’re handled appropriately given that they’ve never been used back-to-back days before. Counsell’s been doing that more with Burnes – twice in the last three weeks – and that’s where I diverge with the Brewers’ plans for him.

Jon: Buying stock in Tyler Glasnow? He has a 4.11 ERA and over a K/inning since joining the Rays. If you take away the one bad start it’s a 2.90 ERA in 50 innings. Take away his best outing after that and it’s still a 3.30. Looks like he’s more calm and relaxed since going to Tampa.
Keith Law: Need to see a lot more than a good month-plus from a guy with that much history of poor performance.

Evan: Am I wrong to think Baez is closer to Trevor Story in MVP voting than Yelich? I get the positional flexibility but that OBP is not MVP-level. Yelich has 68 points on him! (almost nice)
Keith Law: The OBP isn’t, but Baez plays average or better defense at shortstop, and gets a huge boost to any stat that compares him to R-level as a result.

Mike: Do you think the accusations against Kavanaugh are sufficient grounds for his nomination to be voted down? And do any Republicans have the guts to do so?
Keith Law: They are – but frankly there was sufficient grounds beforehand and nobody cared.

Thad: Is Jameson Taillon a GUY? Dude’s been electric.
Keith Law: He is. My breakouts column this year was very much a mixed bag but I’m glad I had Taillon and Snell on it, at least.

Sean: If the Mets gave Dom Smith 550 AB at 1B next season, over/under on: .262/.346/.459
Keith Law: Over. I don’t think they’ll give him that, though.

Victoria: Biggest disappointment this year – Kingery, Bell, Mazara, Margot? Some belief in these guys heading into next season?
Keith Law: I’m most disappointed in Mazara – he looked great in March, lot of talk around AZ about his approach improving, then performed accordingly in April and May, but has totally regressed since then. .218/.279/.403 in the second half. Still young, but that’s now three full seasons of essentially the same thing.

Nate: I’m going to go out on a limb, and say that Mike Trout will get zero first place votes for MVP this year. Does this make you much smarter than everyone else, or out of touch?
Keith Law: I think he’ll get a few, and I think you’ve nicely demonstrated the concept of the false dichotomy.

Jeff: Ian Anderson best upstate NY prospect since…? Corbin ever that high? Jason Grilli?
Keith Law: Highest I can remember.

Jackie: I’m guessing the Red Sox let Craig Kimbrel hit the FA market this winter — gotta save money for Mookie, Sale, et al. What kind of contract do you think Kimbrel gets? I feel like Kimbrel might be in for a bit of a surprise; he probably won’t get the Aroldis Chapman 5 year/$86 million deal, or close to it.
Keith Law: I don’t think the market is going to support paying closers that kind of money now. Could be wrong, just seems like more teams have wised up about overpaying for the save stat, but are just generally focused on getting guys who miss bats for late-inning work, spending the same or more money in total but spreading it over more guys (including pitchers without saves).

Rob D: My friends and I unwittingly planned our Arizona Fall League trip the same week as the stupid skills competition. Are there any other baseball options on Saturdays like instructional league games? How does one access that stuff?
Keith Law: The skills competition is the single worst thing about the AFL and I wish they’d either cancel it completely or do what they did last year and schedule it before the season starts. It is totally fan-unfriendly to shorten the first week to four days. I think instructs are done by then. I’m not going till the second week for this exact reason.

Joe Don: Any thoughts you’d care to share on the Jeff Banister firing?
Keith Law: Nope.

dhakadabay: The Brewers have used a model for Corbin Burnes’ rookie season that you’ve espoused in the past–mostly middle relief, gradually increasing the leverage of the situations over the course of the season–and it seems to have paid off. What’s his upside as a starter going forward?
Keith Law: I think he’s a 3, chance to be a 2 if the command is better than we thought.

silvpak: urias has looked shockingly good in his brief appearances since returning (41 pitches, 31 for strikes, touched ~97[!] in his last appearance). he has no place on the postseason roster, imho (assuming they make it), but any thoughts on the early returns, more from a health/ability perspective than any stats?
Keith Law: I have no idea what’s going on in his shoulder, so no, sorry.

Dr. Andrews: With Morton suffering from the dreaded “shoulder stiffness,” is the Verlander-Cole-Keuchel combo plus a multi-headed super reliever (McCullers?) going to be enough to make it out of the AL?
Keith Law: I think so.

Darren: As a vegetarian I am thankful for all the other options today to help the average person find delicious healthy food. Have you tried the Impossible burger or Beyond Meat burgers? Those two are so far ahead of all other veggie burgers on the market. The impossible meatballs and beyond meat sausages are also great products.
Keith Law: I’ve had the Beyond burgers and was very impressed. They’re meat-like enough that I would say they’re a good substitute (granted, I don’t eat beef any more, but have had it hundreds of times). My only complaint is that their burgers are pre-formed and quite small for a single portion.

JJ: Unless Chris Sale pitches this weekend, he won’t have enough IP to qualify for the ERA title. Should a starting pitcher who throws fewer than 162 total innings in a season be a viable Cy Young candidate (I’d give it to Snell, regardless)?
Keith Law: If he’d pitched well enough, sure – 150 innings of a 1.50 ERA/FIP would probably do it. Verlander is my pick though.

James: I was watching a game on TV and the scroll along the bottom said that Bryce Harper just had his first 100 rbi season. I had to look it up. Dumb question and not some jerk question, what makes him a $300 million dollar player? 2015 was a great year for him but he hasn’t achieved that again in the three years after. Is it ok to say he Is going to be in the 2-4 WAR range per year with maybe a great year mixed in?
Keith Law: RBI are a terrible, useless measure of individual performance. He was worth about 5 WAR last year, and was only below 4 WAR this year because of poor defensive metrics, some of which came from playing out of position in CF. He’s shown himself to be a star hitter when healthy, but has had at least two years wrecked by injuries. The upside is clearly there, though.

Nate: Where do the Orioles go from here? I look at that roster, and I see nobody with any trade value at all. So it will probably be a quiet off-season. Do Orioles fans just sit back, and hope the O’s draft well for the next three years, and tune back in around 2021?
Keith Law: Hope they draft well and do more internationally (after years of avoiding the market) and change up their development processes for pitchers (of which Buck was a part) and find some value on the scrap heap. It’s a long road back to respectability. I have no objection at all to Duquette getting an extension – the reality is he’s done that job with one hand tied behind his back for years – but has any GM kept his job after a 110 loss season before? I guess Dombrowski sort of counts in Detroit, but that thing was on fire when he sat down on it.

Moe Mentum: Favorite rock drummer of all time?
Keith Law: Always was a fan of Barrett Martin of the Screaming Trees, Tuatara, and a bunch of other acts.

Moe Mentum: Besides Italy, which European country do you (or would you) most enjoy visiting?
Keith Law: I’d love to go east – seeing Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian coast of Croatia is a bucket-list item for me, as is spending time in Amsterdam.

Dante: If you were Klentak, would you sign Machado or Harper, assuming the price is readonable enough on either one?
Keith Law: I’d sign either one; I think Machado is the clearer upgrade for them.

Owen: Is Logan Shore a guy?
Keith Law: Back-end starter, maybe.

Kyle KS: How do the Angels get the most value out of Ohtani moving forward? Full starter’s workload and fill in DH ABs, Full time OF with ~600 ABs or a mix of both like they perused this season?
Keith Law: Well he’s not pitching next year, but if we’re talking 2020 and beyond, I would aim to use him as much as a starter as his arm health allows, and mix in part time DH at bats like this year.

mark: Hi Klaw,
Last week you responded to a question about Mejia and Hedges by saying “Hedges is just not a good enough hitter to push Mejia off to another position”… but is he a good enough defender to at least make the Pads attempt to convert Mejia into a guy who plays multiple positions (OF/C/3B) during the season? If not, should they just trade Hedges now?
Keith Law: Sorry, implicit in my response was that Hedges’ defense, while good, isn’t enough to mitigate how bad his bat is.

Joe Cleveland: I have heard great things about Brayan Rocchio. Is he a candidate for the back end of your top 100 list?
Keith Law: A candidate, no real idea what the back of my list will look like until I start working on it in earnest.

JD: If you were the new GM of the Giants, would you trade Bumgarner during the Winter Meetings or at the deadline? And what type of package would you expect to get?
Keith Law: You’ll always get more of a market in the winter, when just about every team has room in its budget to add a major piece, than in July, when only a handful of teams do.

Skip: True or False: The hearing today isn’t going to change the mind of one single person with regard to whether they think Judge Kavanaugh should be confirmed.
Keith Law: True. I think it’s all theater, personally.

Joe: Fair to be a bit disappointed in Gleyber’s season? His approach has been quite poor at times and he has struck out a lot.
Keith Law: Not fair. He’s a kid who was in A-ball two years ago.

squeeze bunt: bold to hold a chat considering what’s going on. Small chatrrom today?
Keith Law: Nope, seems jammed as usual.

Jerry: Should Keuchel and Marwin get qualifying offers? What’s the negative for the Astros if they do give them?
Keith Law: Keuchel yes, Marwin no.

Mark: Do you see the improvement from Zack Wheeler this year as sustainable ?
Keith Law: If he’s able to stay healthy, and maintain this kind of workload, yes.

squeeze bunt: Have you started any draft coverage for next year? Any thoughts on the class after the summer showcases?
Keith Law: I won’t rank guys probably until February, but every single scout or exec I’ve talked to agrees that the class is very down. The college crop is especially poor.

Jax: Will Basabe get consideration for being in your top 100?
Keith Law: The question doesn’t really mean anything – I’ll consider 150-200 players from the start and work down from there.

Anne: Please hold forth on the extreme overshift. Good or bad?
Keith Law: Good as long as it works. Bad when any player starts trying to hit against it.

Dr. Bob: You may have muted him, but the guy who was asking about deGrom’s value was sincerely asking about value. His brusqueness masked that. I think I was able to convince him.
Keith Law: Not sure who that was, but I’m surprised to hear someone changed their mind via a Twitter discussion.

Manuel: What you tell us about Vidal Brujan’s plate discipline? Walk-rate looks awesome, reports say he’s a free swinger.
Keith Law: Not a free swinger, certainly.

James: I’m on a Euro-trip right now seeing: Copenhagen, Stockholm, Lithuania, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest and Dublin. Have you been to any of these places ? Can you rank ?
Keith Law: Been to Dublin, Budapest, Stockholm. Loved them all. Budapest was the most striking visually and the food was the most different. Stockholm was the best for just walking around.

MATT K: Thoughts on Michael King and his performance this season?
Keith Law: He was in my minor league players of the year piece.

section 34: How are you able to chat with these hearings going on? I can only type this during a break.
Keith Law: Why in God’s name would I watch that shit? A bunch of old white men interrogating a rape victim like she’s a damn criminal? Insinuating that she made this story up, subjecting herself and her family to doxing, relentless press coverage, and death threats? And all of this so they can vote as they were going to the entire time? Really? I have more self-respect than that.

carson: Going forward, would you rather have Benintendi or Moncada?
Keith Law: Benintendi. That’s always been my answer – I said Moncada would have trouble with contact and he has.

Joshua: Love Andrew Wood…..that is all. Please continue.
Keith Law: It’s pointless speculation but I think he would have become a superstar between his lyrics and his personality on stage.

Stephen: So can Mondesi be a star?
Keith Law: Not with a 3% walk rate and fringy power.

Mike: What do you think of NSNG diets?
Keith Law: I don’t see the point of eliminating any specific item or ingredient from your diet for non-medical reasons – sugar is bad for you in moderate to large quantities, but in small quantities, it’s fine. Eliminating grains is probably a terrible idea.

Jax: Fried has to be trade bait this winter right?
Keith Law: I think he’s in the mix of starters they’ll peddle because they can’t keep them all, between a 40-man crunch and the fact that they only have so many starts to hand out next year.

Jerry: I’m almost the exact same age as Kavanaugh. I didn’t go to an elite prep school but there were a lot of rich (almost all white) boys at my HS who thought they could do whatever they wanted with no consequences. Why is it so hard for other (mostly white men) to comprehend and accept this?
Keith Law: I have no idea, especially with copious data on the prevalence of such behavior among American teenagers.

Jesse: Your insinuation that Hawk is a racist was a cowardly act intended to raise your own profile. You should be ashamed of yourself and
Keith Law: I quoted Harrelson. If his own words make him sound like a racist, well, quack quack, motherfucker.

Monty: Do you think Kris Bryant gets back to his normal self this season or is it too late?
Keith Law: He hasn’t looked completely healthy since he came back (and just got hurt again on an HBP the other night). I have no idea at what point he’ll feel close to 100%, but he doesn’t look it right now.

kbrown: What is your preferred stat when looking at offensive contribution? I like OPS+ but lots of smart people I know put more stock in wRC+. Why would one be better than the other?
Keith Law: I think wRC+ weights the components better.

Matt: Who is mostly to blame for the Dodger’s failure this season? Friedman? Roberts? Players?
Keith Law: They did lose their best player to injury pretty early on. If they have Seager, they’re probably 2-3 games better, and in first place, and then there isn’t a question.

A Reds Fan in Search of Hope: Trammell had a really nice first half followed by a pretty ordinary second with more Ks and lower power numbers. Any reason to think he wont reach that above avg regular/occasional all-star?
Keith Law: I’m not terribly worried. High IQ player with a good mix of skills and tools, including bat speed.

Anthony: What did you make of Lucchesi’s season? Any reason to think his weird repertoire can work long-term as a starter?
Keith Law: Back-end starter. Dude repeats his delivery like a machine. That’ll make it tough for hitters even seeing him twice through.

Mac: Do you think Maikel Franco would be a good change of scenery target?
Keith Law: Yes. His year has been better than the WAR would imply – he’s had some better results at the plate, and the guy is strong AF, so if he just continues to make better decisions at the plate, he’s going to accidentally slug .480 or so.

Jack: Genuinely curious to hear your opinion on the deadspin Jace Fry story: It’s obvious that Addison Russell should be disciplined for his actions, but where would you land on MLB discipline for somebody like Fry, whose transgressions seem to be constantly cheating on his wife and potentially giving her an STD from it?
Keith Law: Giving someone an STD intentionally or recklessly is a crime in some states. If he’s committed such a crime, then MLB *might* have cause to act, but I also think the union would argue it’s not covered anywhere in existing policies like domestic violence is.

Erin: Nats should let Harper walk, and play a Soto-Robles-Eaton OF next year right? (Then use the savings to lock up Rendon long term and address pitching, 2b, and C? )
Keith Law: I think that’s the right strategy – they can better use that money to fill other spots because the difference between Harper and Robles next year will not be as much as Harper will cost in free agency.

Jim: You play guitar exactly the way I would expect a baseball writer to play.
Keith Law: I’m sure I play it better than you do, sparky.

Josh: Hi Keith, can you give me your quick thoughts on DBax Blaze Alexander, Kristian Robinson and Geraldo Perdomo? Are they good prospects?
Keith Law: Robinson certainly is. Alexander is very TBD for me – great summer after a lot of spring reports that he couldn’t hit.

Mac: Do you think Quinn Priester will be on your spring hit list?
Keith Law: On my long list, so to speak, yes. Depends on lots of things like weather and how well these kids play when their seasons start (and thus if scouts tell me I do/don’t have to see someone).

Jim: Maybe if you cut back on the pizza you wouldn’t be a bloated fat loser.
Keith Law: Yeah, I’m many things, short among them, perhaps a loser, but fat I am not.

Monty: Do you think America is the greatest country in the world? I’ve been raised with all of that rah rah stuff and yes we have so many great qualities, but from guns to medicine to academics to the shit show in DC, so much logical evidence says no.
Keith Law: I’ve never believed that, nor do I believe it is important or patriotic to believe it. I’d rather see the country for what it is, good and bad, and advocate for change where I think it’s needed.

Guest: Always been a big fan of Gibby. What are the chances he lands another manager job in the MLB? Is Texas a realistic possibility?
Keith Law: He was a good tactical manager and handler of players, and if he was forced out – I haven’t heard anything on that situation – that’s not great, Bob. I’d love to see him get another chance but I don’t know if that’s realistic.

Ridley Kemp: If you didn’t see the thread on the official Steak-umm twitter account last night, it’s worth checking out. Also, we live in really strange times when the Steak-umm twitter account is a source of empathy and hard truths.
Keith Law: It was tremendous. At first I was wondering if they were hacked but I guess they just do real talk on their feed.

JT: Has their ever been a year during which Trout wasn’t the deserving, rightful AL MVP? Can you think of another baseball player whose career was similar–even A-Rod wasn’t clearly the MVP every single year, right?
Keith Law: Bonds had that stretch – I know, I know – where no one could touch him, but he wasn’t that way every year from the start of his career.

Scott: Sale was productive last night despite a severe down-tick in velo (also, it was against the Orioles, so large grain of salt). Can that work in the playoffs, or do the Sox need to be sit him for fear of injury?
Keith Law: You have to start him, right? Their odds of advancing are higher if he starts once per series.

JR: Wasn’t Addison Russell already previously suspended for domestic violence? Are these new allegations or is his ex-wife just sharing new details about past abuse? Either way, can he just be DFA’d and go away?
Keith Law: He was never suspended the first time, and the investigation was still open, pending his ex-wife talking to MLB and perhaps additional information.

John: Biggest self own so far is Hatch calling Dr. Ford attractive in a press gaggle. Bets on “What were you wearing?” as a question if he hadn’t surrendered his time to Mitchell?
Keith Law: Calling a rape or sexual assault victim “attractive” is perfectly fine if in your head it’s still 1947.

James: Pollock and Corbin are now free agents so I think the Dbacks should trade Goldy and start the rebuild. What you say Klaw ?
Keith Law: Are they really non-competitive without those two? The division is tough but I don’t think they’re out of it without Pollock. Corbin is the bigger loss. If they do rebuild, Greinke is the first name I’d trade. But I’m not giving up on them even if they lose both free agents. Core is still good enough to make them a 90-win team.

Frank: I know you’re a big fan of board games but do you play any computer games? If so, have you played Out of the Park Baseball (a management sim)?
Keith Law: Very few computer games, just because of time. OotP is excellent but way too time-consuming for me.

Joe: If you’re the Braves: Newcomb or Teheran for game 4? Do you just go with one of them and have Touki ready to go at a moments notice?
Keith Law: Or start Touki and expect him to go twice through the order.

Jax: So Conforto’s been on a terror the past several weeks. He should have a big 2019, no?
Keith Law: I hope so. Love watching him hit, been a big believer in him since the Mets took him.

Mick: Thoughts Kyle Wright vs Gore?
Keith Law: Mackenzie Gore? Better in just about every respect other than FB velocity.

addoeh: There were many reasons to reject Gorsuch’s SC confirmation, but none of them were due to a history of sexual assault like for Kavanaugh. So these fears that anyone and everyone will start to make them up going forward are way overblown.
Keith Law: Right – look at how many people with questionable or minority views on topics sailed through the Senate under this Administration without four women coming out and accusing them of sex crimes.

AGirlHasNoName: I know this is wrong, but I am not angry with you about not having Baez as your MVP. I don’t think you hate the Cubs. I can see why DeGrom has been better. I hope it’s ok that I still think Javy is more fun to root for than anyone and as such I am giving him my fake vote for MFP, an award MLB desperately needs more qualified candidates to compete for.
Keith Law: I’ve said that Baez is my favorite player to watch right now, so no, nothing wrong with that. The tagging, the swagger, the pop-up slide, the enthusiasm – give me 25 more of him across baseball. And let’s stop trying to beat that energy and willingness to display it out of players while they’re young.

Andrew: Should I still be optimistic heading into the offseason that Josh Bell is the immediate answer at 1B for the Pirates?
Keith Law: I’ve asked this question before but don’t have an answer: Why do the Pirates’ young hitters not hit for power in games? Just about every one of their recent hitting prospects back to Polanco’s arrival has hit for less power in the majors than expected in an era where even guys without much power hit 11-20 homers and guys who might have had average raw hit 30+. Bad luck? Coincidence? Are they pushing contact over loft?

Chris: I’m getting really excited about Touki Toussaint after watching him pitch a few times. Walks are high, yeah, but his stuff is unreal. Any reason for me to tap the brakes on my Touki hype train?
Keith Law: Nah, he’s super athletic and his delivery works, so I believe he’ll continue to improve his control and command in a way that I didn’t (don’t) believe Newcomb will.

Doug: I know the draft class is not good, but should I still root for the Padres to be swept so they can try for the 3rd pick?
Keith Law: More money is always better in this draft system.

Mike: What’s the best BlueJays can hope from David Paulino?
Keith Law: High-end reliever. Not sure he gets to that.

Chris: Now that he’s lined up to pitch Sun (and not the WC game), would Sevy be the first guy out of the pen in the WC if it’s before 5th inn, knowing that means neither he nor the starter could pitch until Game 3 of ALDS?
Keith Law: Yeah, because you have to win that game, but it really hurts them in the DS if they have to do it.

Patrick: As a person who lives with anxiety, does it drive you nuts when a sufferer is questioned as to why they aren’t ALWAYS anxiety laden?
Keith Law: People who don’t have anxiety are welcome to ask me about it. They are not welcome to tell me how I should feel, or ask why I don’t do X given that I have it, or to mock it when they wouldn’t mock someone with diabetes or MS or another medical condition.

David: To me, the most disappointing aspect of the Brett Kavanaugh fiasco, is that people are fighting for the win, rather than fighting to find out the truth.
Keith Law: I’d like to agree, but 1) discerning truth beyond a reasonable doubt for something that happened 30 years ago is difficult if not impossible, and 2) the relevant base rate here is that false reports of sexual assault are extremely rare. We probably know the truth. 51 Senators just don’t like it.

Todd: Has Severino regressed due to a lack of confidence in Sanchez catching? Or is it more than that?
Keith Law: He hasn’t looked right to me at all in the second half. Fastball command way down. Fastball and slider both a little worse.

Scott: Learn anything new on the guitar lately? I was impressed with your periscope performance.
Keith Law: Thank you. I try to do a new song or two a day. Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns was one from earlier this week (it’s just a few chords, the intro is the only tricky part) so I made it my intro quote.

Tony O: Everyone is looking for the latest market inefficiency. First it was D and OBP and lately fly ball hitters. Could high contact, low launch angle hitters be the next trend, along with fast position versatile players?
Keith Law: I believe teams have already explored that to some extent. If your speed/athleticism isn’t elite, though, it’s probably not enough of an efficiency – unless MLB changes the baseball and tweaks the strike zone.

Owen: Hi, Keith! If you are the Nationals and legitimately interested in keeping Bryce Harper (it’s hard to tell, but I think they are?), do you help relieve the glut of outfielders by using either Harper or Soto (preferably the latter as he is the worse fielder) as your first baseman next year against tough righties and during the inevitable Zimmerman DL stint, then move one of them there full-time after Zim’s contract is up next winter? That would be a way to maximize ABs for all the OF talent, am I right?
Keith Law: If they re-sign Harper, they should explore trading Robles or Eaton. Moving any of those guys to 1b is a waste of their value and they do have Zimmerman in the way.

David: After the severity of the shoulder injury, would it be shocking if Julio Urias was able to carve out a solid career as a SP?
Keith Law: The base rate here is based on a small sample but it is zero – no pitcher has had that surgery and had any kind of solid career as a starter.

Darren: I always find myself wanting more with the Beyond meat burgers too, they need multiple sizes. I usually cook 1 extra for the family and it usually is split.
Keith Law: Glad it’s not just me.

Abe: Hi Keith – Always been a big fan of yours. I’m sure you’ve addressed this before, but is there any reason why you started doing your chats here and not ESPN (which was well before ESPN moved away from them all together)? Just curious to know!
Keith Law: That’s not accurate – I moved here when ESPN spiked their chats.

Scooter: How would you evaluate Gabe Kapler’s first season as an MLB manager? Think there is anything to the rumblings that free agents may not want to play for him?
Keith Law: I think he did a great job and it’s reflected in the standings and in the way several young players improved this year. I don’t believe those rumblings at all.

Greg: Curious how the Sale Snell debate compares to the Carpenter Vasquez voting in 2009
Keith Law: I’m triggered.

Grant: Do you expect all 30 teams to be represented at the Mesa brothers’ workout in Miami next month, considering VVM’s upside isn’t considered to be that of those such as Moncada, Lazarito, etc.?
Keith Law: There’s no reason for a team to skip it. Go see what they are, and if you don’t sign him, you still have information that might be useful later on.

Lemming: You want to go to Amsterdam… have you ever smoked? Would you consume if it was legal? Do you know of any benefits it would have for anxiety?
Keith Law: Never smoked weed or consumed it (or CBD) in any form. No objection to folks who want to. I asked Kathy Jennings, the Delaware candidate for Attorney General, for her view on decriminalization of marijuana possession and was pleased to hear her say she supported it as part of a larger criminal justice reform package.

Matt: A woman went up to Lindsay Graham and told him she had been raped when she was younger. He just shrugged and said “Go tell the cops.” How on earth do these monsters get voted into important jobs?
Keith Law: I mistakenly thought in 2016 that he was a relative voice of reason in that party. He has proven me more wrong than I was on Sale and Goldschmidt combined.

DuffMann: A few days ago I saw you post your appreciation of Evolution’s Lot No. 3 on Twitter. When you’re traveling around the country and decide to have a beer are you usually an IPA guy?
Keith Law: I’m not. That is my favorite IPA though.

Jace: Surprised at how well Ohtani has hit? I thought you said he wasn’t a MLB ready bat
Keith Law: In half a season of judicious usage. I’m more surprised how often I see him get pitches out over the plate, since he’s got such a weakness inside (and a 30% K rate).

Steve: Looks like Duquette is going, Buck is staying. Thoughts?
Keith Law: Keeping Showalter, given their problems developing pitching under his watch, and thus saying the new GM doesn’t get to pick his manager, would be a big concern if I were an O’s fan.

Lumin: BP has Trout ahead of Betts in WARP, so a Trout vote is by no means wrong. However, that difference is not explained defensively – all 3 sites say that Betts has been roughly 1 win better in the field.

But I found your reasoning for putting Trout over Betts interesting, and it’s basically that KLawWAR is constructed differently than bWAR or fWAR, right? With high skepticism of current defensive quantification and high emphasis on TAv (true average)?
Keith Law: I try not to be too slavish to any single WAR because they all impart useful information, and some of the component stats (like defensive metrics) are still a little noisy. I don’t use the BP stats, though.

Kevin: Believer in Marquez? Should Colorado lock him up? Reminds me of the second half Arrieta had a few years ago
Keith Law: His year has been outstanding. I think he’s going to still have trouble with LHB and if he has a bad-luck year in that regard he’s going to lose a lot of value quickly.

Tracy: The Name of the Rose vs. The Hound of the Baskervilles. Go.
Keith Law: I’m in the tank for Sherlock Holmes. Sorry.

Skip: Any chance that Renato Nunez could be the long term answer at 3B for the Orioles? Defense was a real question mark but he’s looked pretty good there since he’s started playing every day.
Keith Law: Seen him a lot as a prospect and he was never close to playable at third for me.

Joshua: Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns is a masterpiece. And yes, the chat has now ended.
Keith Law: Let us go in peace to love and serve the WAR. Thank you all for all of your questions, as always. I’ll chat next week as well, likely Thursday again. Enjoy this final weekend and let’s hope we get a game 163 on Monday.