The dish

Subscribers to The Athletic can see my top 100 prospects ranking as well as all of my prospect content so far, which as of today includes the top 100, the ‘just missed’ column, and org reports for the AL East and Central. My ranking of all 30 farm systems will run on Monday.

Keith Law: Some kind of night into your darkness. Klawchat.

Spencer: What is your biggest concern with Luis Garcia (WAS)?  What does he need to do to get back into your top 100?
Keith Law: He was never on my top 100. What exactly is the plus tool there? What does he do well, other than being young for his level?

eric: are you worried about flying for your work (or pleasure) with the coronavirus threat? would you refuse to at any point?
Keith Law: If the CDC advises people to stop flying, yes, I would stop. I’m certainly aware of this possibility, and I’m not taking any undue risks.

addoeh: You like to joke that “no one ever reads the intro”. But when it comes to rankings and lists, no one ever reads the content. From “The Keith Law -> Show” episode you had with Longenhagen, and looking at what Callis and Mayo have described in their evaluations, you all said similar things on Madrigal, you just value his skillset differently. But because the rankings are different, people have their torches and pitchforks out.
Keith Law: The reaction to that, and to my exclusion of Drew Waters, was really embarrassing. If you take sportsball rankings that seriously that you feel the need to insult a total stranger online, you should probably log off and contemplate your behavior.

Hank: Do you think Anthopolous will explore locking up Soroka and/or Fried? Seems like the new trend is early extensions around baseball.
Keith Law: I wouldn’t lock up Soroka with his injury history.

Dave: Hi Klaw, I hope you’re having a good one. Two questions, the most important, do you think Jarren Duran has the talent to become a significant part of the Red Sox’s future? Second, can this country overcome another four years of the liar in chief?
Keith Law: Duran can be a regular in the right scenario, not a ‘significant’ player though. No, I don’t think we can – it’s the deterioration of our democracy and essential institutions that scares me.

Logan: How did Ozzie Albies only get 7 years 35 million? Even with his option years, it’s a 9/49 max deal.  When he signed the deal he already had 200+ MLB games under his belt and was an All Star too. Players who hadn’t even played in Majors yet are securing larger salaries and total possible payouts.
Keith Law: Terrible advice.

Greg: It’s refreshing to see a different perspective regarding Drew Waters. The BABiP is insane, tons of K’s. He’s got bust written all over him. Brave fans are completely over-valuing him.
Keith Law: I wouldn’t say he has ‘bust written all over him,’ but there are serious red flags, including his lack of any kind of approach and questions about his makeup.
Keith Law: Would he be so overvalued if he weren’t also from Georgia?

Amit: What would do with Marcus Semien if you were in charge of the A’s? I feel if they can’t reach a contract extension before the season starts they should trade him. Would hate for them to lose him after the year for just a draft pick and they do have some of in house options in Mateo, Allen, etc. Also feel Chapman and Olson are higher priorities for keeping long term.
Keith Law: Eh, if they think they can contend again, it makes sense to keep him this year and play it out.

Larry: How many of these college pitchers have a chance to grade out better than last years top college pitcher Nick Lodolo?
Keith Law: 3-5. It’s a great pitching class.

John: How do you factor in organizational success in developing or not developing certain positions when you do your prospect rankings?  I’ll use the example of Cleveland having success in developing starting pitchers (Bieber, Civale, Plesac, even Plutko to an extent).
Keith Law: The rankings are completely team-agnostic. Any player can be traded at any time.

Sean: Hi Kieth – is Vladito destined to be the Prince Fielder of Canada as a 1b/DH for the Jays, esp with Groshans on the way? Also, their outfield is terrible, should they sign Puig?
Keith Law: I think and have long thought Vlad Jr has to be a DH. I know Jays fans didn’t want to hear it a year ago but now that you’ve seen him at third you probably understand why i said that.

Jabroni: Vaughn or Torkelson?
Keith Law: Torkelson.

Dave C: With only 1 option left should the Mets throw Kilome in the bullpen or try to stretch him out post TJ? Ditto Szapucki
Keith Law: Not sure why the option plays into it here … the bigger question is whether he can ever start, and I don’t think he can.

Dave: Keith, wondering how Miguel Amaya stacks up versus other catchers on your list (obviously inferior based on NOT making the list)? He’ll be repeating AA as a 20-yr old with above average defense…is his meh-ish offensive potential holding him back in your view?
Keith Law: Amaya has never played in AA. He hit .235 last year in high A. He’s a prospect but I don’t understand why anyone expected to see him on the top 100.

Bruce: In your just missed segment, you said that Andrew Knizner was not a good receiver and may fit better in a utility role as a part time catcher. How likely is it for a catcher to be able to improve their receiving skills at this point in their career? Does Knizner still have the potential to be an every day MLB catcher?
Keith Law: Depends on the catcher – some just need more instruction, some will never have the hands to do it. I think Knizner is more likely in the latter category.

Bruce: The Brewers just signed Freddy Peralta to an extension. His success to date has been limited – flashes of brilliance followed by bad outings. Was that a worthwhile risk for Milwaukee?
Keith Law: It’s so little money relative to what an MLB team should spend that I think it’s fine. He’s just not the type of player I’d be rushing to lock up long term.

Frank: As a fellow democrat, do you share the “doom and gloom” of a seemingly-impending Bernie Sanders nomination (re: being unable to defeat Trump in the General Election)?  Could a Warren/Buttigieg or Biden/Clinton pre-convention announcement slow his momentum? Socialism will never “sell” in the red states.
Keith Law: No matter who the Democrats nominate, the Republicans will call them a “socialist,” and the media will happily parrot it, and 70% of Americans will believe it because they don’t know what socialism actually means and that not even Bernie is actually proposing policies that resemble socialism.

Stan: Hi Keith! Where would Martin and Torkelson rank on your Top 100 list if they were eligible? Thanks!
Keith Law: Other than saying they’d be on the list somewhere, I prefer not to answer that type of question, mixing amateur players with professional ones.

Ron: Hi Keith-Love all your work. And I am not one to complain if “My Team” prospect didn’t make your top 100 or is ranked lower than I think.  I don’t scout and I don’t talk to scouts, so actually how do I know what that prospect is like? Just like 100 % of the complainers of your work.  So keep it up. Just like you’re doing. One question: How easy will it be for the Twins to get Lewis back on track with his mechanics at the plate?  Thanks!!
Keith Law: I feel like it shouldn’t be hard to get a player back to where he was two years ago – not like you’re trying to teach him something totally new.

Tank: Not really as a blanket statement towards leaning towards safety in a prospect overall, just a specific instance here: am I wrong for being more confident in Gigliotti being an MLB regular in some form than that Wilmington trio (Pratto, Melendez, Matias)?
Keith Law: I don’t see the path for Gigliotti to be a regular right now.

Greg: Is an economy-tanking coronavirus outbreak the thing that might actually lead to Trump losing? And if so… worth it?
Keith Law: I don’t think anything would contribute as much to a Trump loss as a down economy, but I could never say the deaths of a few thousand Americans from coronavirus is a cost ‘worth’ paying to remove anyone from office.
Keith Law: I do think a disastrous federal response to a pandemic would also contribute to a Democrat win.

Paul: If Hosmer was a FA, what type of contract would he get? (Lol)
Keith Law: Less than 2 and $20MM.

Steve: What do you think of Patrick Weigel? Good bullpen arm for 2020?
Keith Law: Probably. NL East reports on Tuesday.

SeanE: I know you are skeptical that Oneil Cruz can stick at SS due to his height.   The Pirates seem intent on keeping him there…at least for now. Considering he is already at AA level  (and could see Indy this year)at what point do the Pirates have to make that call?
Keith Law: This would be the year for me. Maybe they could hold off one more year but why?

Jason: Most likely scenario for Trevor Larnach given his defensive limitations – (1) doesn’t hit enough to play enough every day; (2) is a league-average hitter for a corner OF but gives back most of his value defensively; (3) is an above-average hitter so his team lives with his limitations in the field
Keith Law: somewhere between 2 and 3.

Jim: Keith, Having lots of fun reading through the team-by-team writeups.  A couple of questions:  is there a particular reason you stopped including “Others of Note” after Boston’s?  And could you expand on your “willingness to compete” comment on the White Sox’s Matt Thompson?  Thanks!
Keith Law: I didn’t stop including them. I’m looking at Cleveland’s right now, for example.

EL: Besides Balazovic, any other Canadian baseball prospects I should follow?
Keith Law: Dasan Brown comes to mind.

Zach: Does Lodolo make a big jump in your ranking this year if he has a good year? Seems like ++ control and a good frame to develop.
Keith Law: Not about a good or bad year but about what he is. If he somehow adds velocity, sure, but I don’t think he has the frame for that.

JC: Isn’t it strange on a conceptual level how non-industry people can argue with your rankings? Granted you can’t just fall into the appeal to authority trap, but other than comparing it to other lists or looking at a prospect’s fangraphs page for 5 minutes, what exposure do 99.5% of complaining people have to the prospects?
Keith Law: Nothing. A local journalist decided to question my integrity this morning about a player he’s obviously never seen and who he said won an award that doesn’t exist.
Keith Law: Whatever, it’s part of the job, everyone’s an expert on everything now.

Rick Delaney: I’m midway through Gaddis, “A Frolic of His Own.” You’ve read him?
Keith Law: I read The Recognitions but I can’t say I really understood it.

Wait, what?: Do you think that a large part of Manfred trying to cover up the Astros scandal has a lot to do with preventing other team’s schemes from reaching the public?
Keith Law: I think a large part of Manfred’s response to the Astros/Red Sox is to try to prevent the other teams doing this shit from getting out.
Keith Law: And other teams were doing it. Not a lot, but others.

Kevin: I remember years ago you mentioned you that Severino was a bullpen arm most likely because of his violent delivery. Do you think moving forward after his recovery, should he go into the bullpen or keep starting?
Keith Law: Really depends on the injury and the rehab, no? He was hurt before the elbow tear, so this isn’t like, say, Michael Kopech, who had TJ but didn’t have a previous injury and will likely just step right back into starting.

eric: did you read quinn norton’s post about life after being “canceled?” i think the idea of that story is really interesting, but hers just read like “NOT FAIR! I’M A GOOD PERSON (even though i befriended nazis and made offensive homophobic and racist jokes)!”
Keith Law: No, after how she handled that controversy, I’m not that interested in anything she has to say.

Jack: Just to confirm – even at a prospect level, there’s nothing at all valuable when looking at box scores from spring training games, correct?
Keith Law: Correct.

Appa Yip Yip: If Alejandro Kirk does improve his conditioning, could he be an everyday catcher, or he likely a backup C/DH who can rake, like a short Evan Gattis?
Keith Law: Gattis could never really catch. Kirk can.

JSD: There is a thread on twitter asking White Sox fans if they would be pleased if Luis Robert’s career was similar to Rickey Henderson’s career.  Most ‘fans’ said no.  How is it that people don’t realize just how good Rickey was — it’s not the long ago.  Is it because he hung around and was basically an average player at the age of 42/43? Really, what gives?!
Keith Law: That was astonishing. If you don’t recognize Rickey is one of the 15-20 best players ever then, fine, just don’t participate in that kind of discussion.

Michael: I don’t think there has been a good explanation as to why “Carona” virus is worse than the bad flu that happened a couple of years ago.  Any insight?
Keith Law: The virus itself (or the resulting illness) isn’t worse. The incubation period is longer, however, so people are spreading the virus before they know they’re sick, which makes it much more likely to become a pandemic.

Andres: As a Mets fan, what should I expect out of Wacha? Maybe a 2-WAR season?
Keith Law: I’d be happy with that.

tim: how likely is it that we’ll see robo-umps calling balls and strikes in MLB and how will that impact how catchers are valued?
Keith Law: By 2022 I expect an automated strike zone and universal DH.

Torkelson: I will be drafted #1 by detroit, no doubt.
Keith Law: There’s doubt. Austin Martin is pretty damn good. I think it’s one of those two.

Chris: Will players play less hard this year given that they’re just competing for a piece of metal?
Keith Law: Only the ones who realize it’s just for a piece of metal.

Chris: How often will you podcast?
Keith Law: It should be every week, my schedule permitting.

Matt: Why is it so hard to draft good players? Mike Piazza was drafted in like the 956th round and a hall of famer. Brien Taylor was #1 pick and never made it to MLB.
Keith Law: OK, you picked maybe the two most extreme, ridiculous examples to make some kind of point here. Taylor never reached the majors because he got jumped in a bar fight, not because it was a bad pick.

John: I think I have food tastes that are somewhat similar to yours, but when it comes to coffee, I would imagine that you’d consider my tastes middlebrow.  I like Peet’s and Starbucks, especially their darker roasts.  Moreover, when I’ve had coffee from independent roasters, I’ve often perceived the taste to be a bit too bitter.  Can you explain what I’m missing and what your reaction is when you have coffee from a mainstream coffee outlet (but to be clear, still a place that focuses on coffeee… not like McDonalds coffee or something like that)?
Keith Law: That’s interesting because I believe the chemicals in coffee that produce bitter flavors are much more present in darker roasts and in coffees that are overbrewed (too high a water/ground coffee ratio). You may be detecting more ‘sour’ flavors in lighter roasts, which is true because those flavors tend to vanish or be overshadowed by longer roasting. But lighter-roasted coffee is not more bitter unless the brewer isn’t using enough coffee in the first place.
Keith Law: Also, I wouldn’t consider your tastes middlebrow. They’re just not my tastes.

Alex: 100 prospects/30 teams means roughly each team should have about 3 players on your top 100.  Is it fair to say that a team without at least 2 players in the top 100 is not really doing a good job managing their farm system?
Keith Law: No.

eric: do you have any tattoos? i’m thinking about getting my first, but still debating if, where and what
Keith Law: I do not. My girlfriend vetoed my “I HATE YOUR TEAM” upper back tattoo idea the other day.

Idaho Nuke: I’m about as far-right as you can get (I would never vote for Trump for a few reasons though) and I would like to thank you for always keeping our brief political discussions civil over the past several years on Twitter. It is nice to have short chats with someone who agrees with me on virtually nothing when both sides are respectful.
Keith Law: You’re welcome. Happy to talk to anyone who is civil in turn.

TP: Thanks so much for all of your hard work on the Top 100! Do you have any issues with blogs and websites that cover specific teams posting parts of your top 100 (i.e. names and rankings for players in the org. they cover)? From all of the content that is out there, you can actually reverse engineer your top 100 list (albeit just the names and rankings – not the write ups, although some sites have also posted portions of those…)
Keith Law: I have asked some people to take down screenshots of entire player capsules. That’s copyright infringement.

Appa Yip Yip: Patrick Murphy placed 14th on your Jays list despite his lengthy injury history. If he didn’t have that history and had just steadily worked his way up, where would he have ranked? Guess I’m asking what his ceiling is.
Keith Law: He might be a top 100 guy if he were completely healthy (or had just the one TJ on his record). Stuff is there. Gotta pitch some time, though.

eric: Bigger question: Torkelson or Turk Turkelton?
Keith Law: Chuckie Lee Torkelson.

Patrick: Thanks for the detailed write-up on the Royals.  Appears at the surface, the lack of position player prospects is holding down the system a little bit.  Fair assessment?
Keith Law: Agreed.

Bort: What would you say is the biggest level jump there is in the minors (besides AAA to the majors of course).
Keith Law: high A to double A.

Alex: Big fan of your work. First time I’ve caught a chat on time though. What are your opinions on Potential 1st rounder Ed Howard?
Keith Law: Seems like the kind of high-risk, athletic, maybe not that advanced player teams shy away from in the first round and overpay afterwards.
Keith Law: overpay = over slot, not pay too much.

Jackie: Assuming Clemens and Bonds never get the necessary votes from you the BBWAA  to get into the HOF, how do you think the Veterans’ Committee will look at them?  Do they sail in, or do the Joe Morgan types keep them out?
Keith Law: I think they’ll do worse with ex-players than they have with writers.

Guest: Anthony Kay was on your top50 midseason honourable mention, but wasn’t in the top 100 this go-around. Was this performance related, or did just too many guys jump over him? Thanks.
Keith Law: The lists are not sequential, and the honorable mentions aren’t necessarily guys 51-55 or something.

Jim L: What are you thoughts on Bloomberg for president? To me, he seems like he can work with both sides and can also counter Trump’s main boast of being rich and successful.
Keith Law: Hard pass. History of mistreating women, racial profiling, supporting right-wing candidates … nah, we’re good.

Dylan: Your annual breakout column is my favorite column of the year. Are you going to write one this year now that you’re at the Atlantic? Many fantasy baseball players (or at least the smrt ones) rely on your insights. Thanks for the great work.
Keith Law: No, but I plan to write one at the Athletic.

Jared: The Brewers owner said that they operated at a loss last year since they signed a couple free agents but also sanctioned a study saying how the stadium makes the city so much money. Seems like mixed signals to me. Thoughts?
Keith Law: It seems most likely that they are lying about all of it.

John: Can you explain why the general public does not seem to be embracing Elizabeth Warren? She is incredibly smart, prepared, progressive and pragmatic. Is 90% of the reason misogyny? 95%?
Keith Law: I’d say 80% misogyny, 20% that Bernie was ‘there’ first (from 2016).

Ben: I know you were in favor of the Giants effectively buying Will Wilson for $12M yet he didnt make your top 100 or near missed list.  So if $12M is a good investment for a guy who is not in the top 120 of all MLB prospects, doesnt that speak volumes to how undervalued and underpaid these guys really are?
Keith Law: Yes, yes it does.

Andy: I live in Madison, WI and go to a couple of Brewer games a year. I have spent probably $1000 in the Milwaukee area due to attending Brewer games, none of it in actual Milwaukee other than parking and things at the stadium. In fact, I’ve never once actually left the stadium towards Milwaukee. So you can add this to the anecdata about how Miller Park adds very little to the surrounding area.
Keith Law: Right? The stadium isn’t even downtown! It’s not like you can walk out of Miller Park and into a bar and stumble out of there into another bar (speaking of which, no one mentions the added costs of more people getting drunk in your city, so you need more policing, have more minor crimes, etc.).

Andy: Apparently for next year, your top 100 rankings should be your ranking of all the people who others have ranked in the top 100.
Keith Law: It is the only way to make some people happy. I would think that if you pay to read my work, you’d want my work.

Mitch: Re: Amaya. He had a 122 wRC+ as the youngest hitter in his league at the most demanding position with great underlying metrics. How can we not expect to see him on the top 100?
Keith Law: wRC+ is a useless stat for minor leaguers, in large part because it over-rewards walks. Chase Vallot had a 136 wRC+ in high A (same level and league as Amaya) in his age-20 season (same age as Amaya). He was and is a non-prospect.
Keith Law: Vallot was a catcher too, BTW.

lucas: Will Cavan Biggio ever hit enough to be a regular? The sky high walk rates make me believe he at least has a good approach at the plate?
Keith Law: No, I don’t think he will.

Jon: Do you think Clarke Schmidt could find his way into the Yanks rotation this season?
Keith Law: Yes.

Spencer: You’re right.  Confused the Luis Garcias again.  Hate when that happens.
Keith Law: There’s another one now, in Houston’s system, who might be the best of the three.

Mario: Tom Murphy or Sean Murphy – who is the better offensive catcher?
Keith Law: Sean.

DdogersDude: Tim Tebow…..  Why?
Keith Law: Hey, I feel quite confident that he is one of the 25 best baseball players in (checks notes) the Philippines.

Michael: Hey Keith- Not really prospect related, but do you think any of the candidates for the 5th spot in the Phillies rotation: Pivetta, Velasquez, Suarez – have a shot to develop into anything approaching league average (or better)?
Keith Law: Mayyyybe Suarez. Not the others.

Joe: Keith, is Kumar Rocker a generational type prospect like many fans are hyping him up to be, or is he just the most famous one at the moment?
Keith Law: Just the most famous. Would bet against him going 1-1 in 2021 right now (that is, I would bet on the field).

Michael: There is a great QB at Clemson who will be the #1 pick next year. I’m a believer that he should sit the year out because why get injured when you are playing for free.  Would that work in baseball with a great pitching prospect?
Keith Law: Yes. Hell, we take pitchers in the first round after they’ve missed their entire draft years due to Tommy John.

Andy: How could there be a disastrous federal response to the pandemic? We have Mike Pence on the case and he absolutely will do what the scientists say and is known for listening to evidence and quickly adjusting his thinking.
Keith Law: I heard he wants to send coronavirus to conversion therapy and turn it into a rhinovirus instead.

Alex: Does Kyle Isbels AFL performance help rebuild his stock enough that if he has a good year this year he’ll be considered for the top 100?
Keith Law: The AFL performance does not – tiny sample in a hitter’s league. However, he has some of the raw tools to be a top 100 guy in the future, if his wrist strength is 100% this year.

eric: if you were deciding between two pitchers, would you take the guy who throws 100 with ease, but not great command/control, or a guy who sits at 88-92 with pinpoint control?
Keith Law: The former. The guy throwing 88-92 is going to have a hard time avoiding hard contact. There aren’t many Kyle Hendrickses out there.

Jason: I know you’re a big metal guy, so I’ve always wondered your opinion on my favorite act of the 80s – GnR.  GnR obviously isn’t metal, but I believe hard rock is appropriate.  Yes, the star only shone for a few years, but boy was it bright.  Thoughts?
Keith Law: Appetite was a landmark. Use Your Illusion was an exercise in masturbatory excess.
Keith Law: Although I’m not sure Bob Guccione Jr. has ever really recovered from that.

Kevin w: How do you write?  Locked in office, on couch, music/background noise?
Keith Law: Kitchen table.

Jeff: Hey Klaw, how much is the Reds defense gonna suffer with Moose at 2nd and Castellanos playing any OF position?
Keith Law: And not a true CF on the roster. It’s going to matter. Bauer is going to throw a lot of baseballs into centerfield this year.

Mitchell: Not really a question, but wanted to say after months of holding off, your top 100 was the tipping point for me subscribing to the Athletic. Have to say, damn I’m glad I did it. Some amazing content.
Keith Law: It’s a great site. The app is really strong too.

John: Similar to one of your answers above, I’ve heard rumors that the MLB investigation uncovered six teams engaged in sign stealing beyond the usual cat and mouse game.  Without asking you to name names, do you have a feel for which teams those are?
Keith Law: I think I wrote that rumor, no? I have a list of the six supposed perpetrators. One of them seems totally wrong to me.

Paul: Hey Keith – how was the food on your ATL/Athens trip? Anything 60+? Saw your Five and Ten pic… man I miss that place!
Keith Law: That meal was off the charts good. Also ate at The Grit, The Globe (mostly for beer), 1000 Faces, Zombie Coffee + Donuts, then hit Pho Nam at Krog St when we got back to Atlanta.
Keith Law: oh and Spiller Park at Ponce City Market Sunday morning.

Foster: I seem to recall that you have a fairly strong distaste for the music of Vampire Weekend. Any specific reason for this?
Keith Law: The reason is their music.

Kevin w: Who is your preferred candidate (besides the obvious anyone who can beat trump)?
Keith Law: Warren.

Dr. Bob: According to a guy on NPR yesterday (missed the name), the SARS virus was arrested because the CDC worked with China and other countries to contain it. Trump has cut the CDC budget and banned them from working with China. I am more concerned with Coronavirus than the other diseases that didn’t turn into pandemics.
Keith Law: Excellent point. The gutting of the CDC was going to hurt us at some point. It has just happened sooner rather than later.

Joe: Have you ever considered turning your newsletter into a Patreon or Substack and charging for it (and maybe writing a little more often).  I always enjoy reading it.
Keith Law: I appreciate that, but I don’t think it would be right for me to monetize that. You folks pay for my content at The Athletic and I am compensated that way.

rick: do you use marijuana, thc, cbd products?
Keith Law: I have not. One thing I enjoyed about Pain and Glory was the scene where Antonio Banderas’ character jokes about trying heroin for the first time at age ~60. It me (well, I haven’t tried heroin, but you get the idea).

Dave: For someone like Riley Greene, who you expect to end up in LF, but the Tigers are playing in CF… how much cost is there to keeping him in CF for now?  Are Tigers losing something by not trying to develop him as the best LF he can be? Or is keeping a player as far “left” on the defensive spectrum as possible for as long as possible always worthwhile?  Curious about the underlying philosophy here.
Keith Law: Don’t think there’s a cost there, but there might be one to leaving a player at 2b or C too long due to injury risk.

rick: my mom is a hard-core republican, has been all her life. she said she watched the dem debates with an open mind, but hated how everyone came off in SC. but she said she likes tulsi, and is open to others like klobuchar. even though tulsi is an abhorrent candidate, should i cut my mom a break since she’s actually open to not voting trump?
Keith Law: If she likes Tulsi, then she was probably never voting Democrat in the first place.

Sammy Sosa: Remember when Obama was a socialist for pushing a Republican healthcare plan?
Keith Law: Yep, same one they want to dismantle because a black man pushed it.

Andy: My favorite reaction to your prospect list in the comments and on Twitter was asking if you forgot about x player. Yes, I’m sure after multiple editing processes and months of writing you just didn’t remember about this possible top 150 guy.
Keith Law: Someone asked a year ago if I forgot Luis Garcia (Washington). That person is nowhere to be found after Garcia posted a .280 OBP in AA. So weird, I was sure I’d get an apology.

Matt: Has here been any update on JT Ginn? Are you able to speculate on his draft ranking or is it too early?
Keith Law: He’s off the board until he pitches again.

JJ: As a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, I can tell you that nobody “embraces” Elizabeth Warren.  She’s usually the smartest person in the room, but she just doesn’t connect with voters on a personal level.  She lacks the personal likeability of a Bush 43 or Obama that one needs to be elected president.  To put in in scouting terms, “low ceiling, high floor”.  Her brains make her an acceptable senator, but that’s as far as she’ll go, and it has nothing to do with her gender.
Keith Law: Maybe she should smile more.

Jim: Regarding the “others of note”, I could have sworn they weren’t there for Cleveland and KC; sorry about that. They’re missing for Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago, but I guess not all merit the section.
Keith Law: Sometimes I struggle to get to 20 names worth writing about; sometimes I have closer to 30. But they are all over the team writeups.

Nate: Any hope Jonathan India ends up an above average regular?
Keith Law: Would like to see if he makes better contact this year with a healthy wrist.

Kevin: Just wanted to say first I ended my ESPN+ and switched to Athletic to day to follow you there (your old place is also not friendly to Canadians trying to subscribe, so made it easier).
Keith Law: Thank you. No idea why ESPN wouldn’t consider carving out an Insider-like option for international readers.

Steve: anecdotal, but one reason Warren might not be getting traction as a Bernie alternative among younger voters is the whole “identified as Native American” controversy, which I had thought was a cudgel limited to Trump & the right with “Pocahontas”. When I mentioned my Warren support, my very liberal college junior son and some of his friends dismissed her as another Rachel Dolezal.
Keith Law: Well that’s their error, isn’t it?

Warbiscuit: Besides Tanner Burns are there any other potential draftable Auburn guys you like?
Keith Law: He’s the only one on my list right now.

Matt: Jack Leiter vs. Kumar Rocker. Who are you drafting?
Keith Law: Aren’t they different draft years? 2022 vs 2021?

Guest: Hey Keith – wife and I are doing Asheville, Charleston, Savannah, and Atlanta in a month. Any restos we shouldn’t miss?
Keith Law: Husk in Charleston, Empire State South/The Lawrence in Atlanta. I did not have a great experience at Gunshow in Atlanta but it is a critics’ favorite.

Patrick: Keith, as I fade into this chat, oddball Q. You ever end up talking cooking/music/mutual interests with players/scouts/prospects? Things they know you are interested in?
Keith Law: Scouts, often. Players, just occasionally, although I am always happy to discuss a shared interest with anybody.

Kevin: Maybe one quibble about the prospect list – can you add DOB/age in the future? You do mention it in some write ups, but it would be good to have it right there next to the name.
Keith Law: Good idea. Those were in the headers when I wrote up the list at ESPN so I never had to add them myself.

Robbie: Not sure if you’ll have an article with predictions or if its too early into camp in your opinion, but who would you pick to play in the world series this year. Severino + Paxton news definitely impacts yanks chances slightly at least.
Keith Law: I was down on the Yankees in my predictions last year because I thought their rotation was too injury-prone. I guess I was a year early. They can still make the playoffs with what they have, though, with only one other team in the division actively trying to contend this year.

Joe: Based on the Orioles write up, fair to say that the Schoop, Britton, and Gausman trades were all a bust for Baltimore?  Not one prospect from those trades is on the list.
Keith Law: Yes.
Keith Law: OK, back to writing … I’m nearly done with everything, just one team report left and the back half of the farm system rankings. Thank you all for reading, and for subscribing. The AL West reports will go up Friday, following by the farm rankings Monday and the NL East-Central-West the three days after that. And then we sleep! Enjoy your weekends.

My top 100 prospects ranking goes up on Monday, 2/24, at The Athletic.

Keith Law: Somebody holds the key. Klawchat.

Jabroni: Are we going to get another 100+ prospect ranking this year?
Keith Law: I just answered that at the top of the post.

michael: Hi KLaw – if the giants wanted to look at another will wilson / cosart type of transaction – would trading either belt, samardzija, or johnny cueto (with us paying down a significant amount of the salary) bring any useful prospects back?
Keith Law: I doubt the pitchers would. Maybe Belt but his history of injuries might scare teams off.

a.j.: how would you sort out the detroit tigers infield prospects? who plays where?
Keith Law: I’m trying to figure out what there is to sort out there.

Moe Mentum: Barring injury, Scott Kingery will be in the Phillies’ Opening Day lineup. Care to guess which position he’ll be playing?
Keith Law: If he’s not playing second base, the Phillies have made a mistake.

Sammy Sosa: Should later state voters voter for their personal favorite or, if different, their favorite with a realistic chance at winning the nomination? A contested convention terrifies me for a number of reasons.
Keith Law: I’ll vote for my preferred candidate even if it doesn’t matter by that point here in Delaware.

barbeach: Ordered the new book–looking forward to digging in when it’s ready!  If you were the Yankees, what would you do about Miguel Andujar?
Keith Law: Probably bring him back as a DH and see if you can ease him into a position over time.

Henry: If you’re Manfred, what would you do to contain this Astros mess?
Keith Law: There’s no containing it now. The mistake was trying to downplay it from the start by giving players immunity from suspensions.

Wait, what?: Any inside info on the Theo/Maddon thing? Seems like the more Joe talks the worse he looks (in LAA eyes too.)
Keith Law: I have no idea. Not my department, nor is it something I’d ask about.

Salty: Tim Anderson – does he have the ability to maintain a high BABIP to help lift his AVG to the .280-.300 range, or was last year a total fluke, and he’s likely to head back towards the mid-.200’s going forward?
Keith Law: I think he’ll always be a high BABIP and low BB% guy but is talented enough in other ways to make it work.

Kyle KS: In thinking about Jose Berrios and his arbitration hearing, it’s obvious the team values a relatively small amount of money over the relationship with the player.  My question is how do the players view this?  Is it just part of the business or do they feel slighted?
Keith Law: Part of the business. There’s no evidence that, say, players treated well in pre-arb contracts or in arbitration later give teams discounts.

Mike G: Digging into Lux – I see a couple of golden nuggets in his (I, know SSS) MLB debut that I love – like his 20.9% o-swing & 52.9% hard-hit rate. Then when I compare that and look over his MiLB numbers – I get a Bregman offensive-vibe; plate discipline, sneaky power/speed, and strong hit tool. I know that’s a lofty comp + SSS, but is that the type of player he may grow into over his career? It’s a very neat skillset he possesses, and I’d love to hear your insight. Thanks
Keith Law: I would never draw conclusions like that from a tiny sample of September at bats. There is no way to distinguish the noise in there from the signal.

Gene: Keith, I am a bit of a traditionalist and am at a complete loss for what Manfred hopes to achieve by further diluting the post season with an extra tier of games with sites chosen in a BS game show format. Is the further erosion of the game’s dignity worth a few more shekels?
Keith Law: The owners want the extra cash. Manfred works for the owners. We are all deluding ourselves if we think Manfred will act in the best interests of the game when it is his literal job to act out the interests of the owners.

Epsthoyer: Who has the better chance to make the jump into your top 20, Brennen Davis, Miguel Amaya, Braylin Marquez or Christopher Morel?  Didn’t include Hoerner on this list as I‘m assuming he wont qualify.
Keith Law: For 2021? I’d be surprised if any of them made my overall top 20.

Tom: What do you think of Bryant leading off? Seems like a reasonable decision, as he is a good baserunner (not really steals, but first to third, etc.) Couldn’t be worse than Heyward!
Keith Law: Fine with me.

Jabroni: Your guy Cole Wilcox looked awfully good last weekend.
Keith Law: I’ll see him pitch on Saturday.

James: Royals competitive (above .500) again in 2023? Doesn’t feel like there is a lot coming through the minor league pipeline. The new owner could change that with some FA’s, but I’m not holding my breath.
Keith Law: Pitching will be there, offense will need outside help.

Querulous Quincy: The Rangers are looking at Nick Solak in CF this spring.  What are the odds he can be good enough defensively out there to be a realistic regular CF option for Texas in 2020?
Keith Law: I give that zero chance. I don’t think Solak really has a position, and if he does I don’t think it’s CF.

xxx(yyy): any new recipes that you have made recently that are added to your rotation?
Keith Law: Yes, this lentils & greens on fried bread recipe is the best new thing we’ve made (my girlfriend made it first and we loved it so much we made it again about a week later) in months.

Carter: What woould a plausible Braves package for Arenado include?
Keith Law: One of their top starter prospects/young major league starters, one of their catching prospects, Waters, and a lottery ticket.

Rob: Riley Pint: any reason for hope, or is an MLB cup of coffee even too much to ask for at this point?
Keith Law: The odds are we don’t see him in the majors.

Dylan: What went wrong for white sox prospects at Birmingham? Rutherford, Adolfo, Basabe, Gonzalez, sub .700 ops, Gavin sheets sub .800? Was it a product of the environment (coaching as well, Omar visquel?) or is it indicative of who these prospects really are?
Keith Law: Basabe and Adolfo were hurt. Sheets and Rutherford just aren’t very good.

Darin: If you were commissioner, how would you try to manage the player response to the Astro’s scandal?
Keith Law: Well, I can tell you I wouldn’t be confrontational with reporters. An open approach, admitting that the options before him each had problems, and a full reckoning was likely impossible without cooperation from players that was not forthcoming, would help matters.

Dylan: top prospects list coming out soon?
Keith Law: I feel like I answered that at the top of the post.

Alex: Do you see Mitch Keller as a high 3s ERA guy and sustaining the K rate?
Keith Law: Not without a viable pitch for LHB. Or even to keep RHB from waiting out the breaking ball to sit on the FB.

Jon: How many Astros players make the all star game? Will any players/coaches vote for any of them?
Keith Law: At least one, because that’s the rule.

Kelly: Forgive me if you’ve said previously – do you think the 2017 World Series title should be vacated, and what is the primary reason why?
Keith Law: No. Revising history is absurd. The Astros won; you can’t unwrite that. And frankly I think people who whine about vacating titles are just being crybabies.

DW: Keith, what’s your take on JD Davis? Is he a legitimate masher or BABIP lucky? Should he be a DH? or do you think he can hack it anywhere in the field?
Keith Law: BABIP spike. Could play first base but the Mets have two better options there.

Ben: What was your main takeaway from last night’s debate?
Keith Law: My main takeaway from last night’s debate is that I didn’t watch it.

EL: Where does calling the trophy a “piece of metal” rank in all time baseball commissioner gaffes?
Keith Law: Not that high, because Selig was commish for a long time.

Mark: I am subscribing to the athletic just because of you
Keith Law: I appreciate that. You’re about to get a lot of words for your money.

Mark: Pecota has the Mets winning the NL East this year with 88 wins. Buying it?
Keith Law: No.

Eric: If you were gm of a club ans found about a clearly illegal sign stealing scheme what would you do
Keith Law: I’d report it to my owner first, and then to the league. I suppose there’s a risk the owner says not to report, but I would feel obligated to do so, even at the cost of my job.
Keith Law: I also recognize that 1) most people wouldn’t do that and 2) it is easy for me to say this when I am not actually in that position.

Jeff T: Does Jonathan Stiever have mid-rotation upside?
Keith Law: You’ll see in the team reports.

Mike: Do you learn new songs by ear or specific website to find the chords ?
Keith Law: Either. Depends on the song and how patient I am.

XBL: XBL similar what XFL done with NFL,- Xtreme baseball league, its time for new league? how much start up cost to make new league because Manfred’s incompetence as commissioner of MLB and no punishment from players? XBL – stereoid and stealing signs  are allowed. Hitting 500 feet homeruns= scoring 3 points instead 1.  You should be Commissioner XBL Keith? thoughts?
Keith Law: No, thank you.

UH: Thoughts on Balazovic?  What is ceiling?
Keith Law: You’ll see the answer to that in the top 100.

xxx(yyy): about how long do you typically spend “on the ground” in Spring Training? Are you looking for anything particular?
Keith Law: Not too much time. I find it’s not that productive for me until the minor league games start.

Will: Keith, will you be doing less MLB Draft coverage now at the Athletic?
Keith Law: No, it’ll be the same.

Bob: I think Luis Urias will be a .320 hitter, is that a reasonable projection?
Keith Law: No, that’s not a reasonable projection for any hitter, really. Do you know offhand how many guys hit .320 last year?
Keith Law: I’ll answer that in a minute.

Ben: Franklin Perez is supposedly healthy and looking pretty good early this spring. Even when he was healthy with HOU, he really never had thrown nearly as many innings as you would think for a pitcher AA. With that in mind, and his last two years of lost time, what does a successful, healthy 2020 look like for Franklin Perez?
Keith Law: I’ll believe that when I see it.

Adam: Hey Keith. Did you watch the Academy Awards?? If so, any thoughts on the winners or anything else that you found entertaining or lame about the show.
Keith Law: I did. Thrilled that Parasite won, and that the audience reacted so positively to it. Thought Wiig/Rudolph were the best presenters, the Martin/Rock duologue went on too long but had its moments, the Cats bit was really funny (if a bit mean), the Janelle Monae number’s honoring films that weren’t nominated was clever, Zellweger’s speech was cringeworthy, and the fact that people of color are apparently allowed to be the show’s entertainment but not to win the awards is appalling.

Mike: Does the 2020 Draft still shape up as a “Top 4” or is it too soon to day that?  Asking as a Blue Jays (#5) fan.
Keith Law: Not a “top 4” draft. That’s a false dichotomy.

HH: How much movement is there between college coaches to the minor leagues? You’ve identified programs that almost always improve players (go Vandy!) – do teams ever throw a bunch of cash at such a staff to develop their guys in the low minors?
Keith Law: It’s happening more now than it has in my career, for the better, I think.

Kevin: Shouldn’t teams like the Red Sox or other big market teams try to “buy” prospects by taking back bad contracts? Seems like a no-brainer to me
Keith Law: The Giants did this.

Lee: What kind of ceiling does Alex Verdugo have?  A lot of Sox fans are pretty down on the Betts deal but seems to me that Verdugo could be pretty valuable over the next 5 years.
Keith Law: I think what you saw from him in 2019 over a full season – assuming his back injury is resolved – is about right.

AndrewB: Hey Keith, I appreciate all that you do to keep shining a light on players accused of/guilty of DV and not allowing the deeds to fade into the background, as happens far too often. My question is: What’s an appropriate punishment for such crimes? We all know that outright banning for life will never happen, so what’s a next-best option that will feel in any way satisfactory as we watch awful people make millions upon millions of dollars and be feted with adulation?
Keith Law: Domestic violence suspensions shouldn’t be about feeling satisfactory, although I think they often are aimed at that end. They should be about prevention, preferably done in tandem with evidence-based education programs for (in MLB’s case) the athletes themselves.

Aaron G: Jack Leiter…I know it was just one start but whoa. Possible 1st round in 2022?
Keith Law: He was a first-round talent last year if he would have signed. Nothing has changed.

Steve: There have been talks of Tatis moving to CF if they get Lindor.  Would that be wise? Even if they don’t get Lindor, is Tatis a SS long term?
Keith Law: No. Tatis is a SS. Wastes his talent to move him.

Todd: better chance at making the Yankees rotation? Garcia or Schmidt?
Keith Law: Schmidt is probably the safer bet even though Garcia is closer to the majors.

Dylan: Ed Howard is a local kid, part of the white sox intercity program (ACE), could they look to take him at 11?
Keith Law: Maybe, but the fact that he’s local should have absolutely no bearing on their choice. You don’t get extra points for winning with local players.

Colin: Help me understand why you say saves don’t matter. The best pitcher in the bullpen will be getting the save, so obviously you can use it to show who the best relievers are. What am I missing?
Keith Law: “The best pitcher in the bullpen will be getting the save” is a false statement. I assume you’re trolling.

Matt: Evan White has a bit of a confusing profile for a 1B, but seemed to start hitting the ball with some authority last year. Do you see him as a guy who could ever hit 30 HRs, or is he just never going to hit for that much power?
Keith Law: I would bet the under on that. I think 20 homers with a solid OBP and ++ defense.

HH: Since rule changes are in the air: what’s one rule in baseball (on the field) you’d like to change, and how?
Keith Law: Aside from the automatic strike zone? I’d like to see an end to hitters who lean over the plate getting first base when HBP.

Evan H.: Do you see 2020 lhp Dax Fulton still going in the 1st round despite TJ surgery?
Keith Law: No.

Todd: The arrogance of the Astros players, Correa and Altuve especially, is really embarassing. They both seem so out of touch with what happended or just truly dont care.
Keith Law: They don’t feel remorse. There is no guilt there, and trying to shame them isn’t going to work.

Tbang: Is there any shot for Florial or is he just not good
Keith Law: I have never thought he was good enough to make my top 100. (And I got pilloried for it by Yankee fans two years ago.)

Marc: Do you think Cole Tucker can be the Pirates answer at SS, and would you move Kevin Newman to 2B?
Keith Law: Other way around.

Matt: I’d be curious to get your thoughts on Jose Urquidy. While the ceiling may not be high, he seems like a SP3/4 type already, and that’s what you dream a lot of your pitching prospects become. Despite that, I don’t get the sense that he’s viewed as a top 100 prospect. Do you think he is worthy?
Keith Law: I won’t answer the top 100 part now but I agree he’s a fourth or fifth starter right now. He might be a five-and-dive type but isn’t that what fifth starters are?

John: One of the arguments I’ve seen for the proposed playoff format is that it holds fans’ interest later into the season because they have a chance at a playoff spot. I don’t buy that basic premise. Teams maintain fan interest by being good and fun to watch. A boring, mediocre 80 win team that backs into the 7th playoff spot isn’t any more fun to watch than an 80 win team that misses the playoffs.
Keith Law: I agree. Someone – Sheehan? Calcaterra? – pointed out that this format would have put 79 win teams in the playoffs in the last few years. Hard pass, thanks.

John: Is anything exciting happening at The Athletic on Monday 2/24?
Keith Law: Nothing. I’m taking the day off.

Michael: Fact or fiction.  Most teams are cheating in some way similar to the Astros and Red Sox?
Keith Law: Most, no. Many, yes.
Keith Law: I have heard, without real confirmation, that at least six teams were caught doing something. One of those teams … let’s just say I believe it, but would require evidence to say it, if that makes sense.

Gary: Thanks for chatting Keith. I’m curious about your thoughts on college players and if you think there is a maturity they gain vs HS kids who come out and seem to stumble or have less success. Do you see a large benefit for kids to go to college instead of turning pro?
Keith Law: I do not. For some kids, yes, but for most, no.

Uli Jon: Am I an insular left coaster or does that lukewarm piece of toast that was on the stage last night have any chance of beating Trump? Yes, the money helps but at a certain point he has to open his mouth and that seems…not so good.
Keith Law: I did see the clip of Warren eviscerating Bloomberg on the NDAs, and, well, bye, Mike, you DINO.

Jim: Does Carter Kieboom have enough thump to be an asset at 3b?
Keith Law: If he ends up a regular or more at 3b, it’ll be by hitting .300+ with lots of doubles, but not with big HR power. He’s just not that kind of hitter.

Tbang: Do you think Manfred does anything else about the astros or do you think he rides it out
Keith Law: What more can he do? I think his hands were partly tied by the owners, and he tangled them up completely by handing out immunity to players.

Michael: No snark. When the Betts trade happened there were at least seven Athletic articles on it.  At ESPN you were often the only one. Do you get worried about being lost in the noise over there?
Keith Law: Nope, i can see stats on my articles and y’all are still reading (for which I thank you).

Will: Sneak peak for next week?  Has Sixto Sanchez moved significantly since your MidSeasob Top 50?  Up?  Down?  I cant get a good read on his projection.  Thanks
Keith Law: You will see the answer next week.

Tommie from Nebraska: Hey keith, when does your next top 100 come out? Thanks.
Keith Law: 2021.

Dark Johnny: Will Michael Baumann be in the O’s rotation by 2021-22?
Keith Law: Reliever for me.

Lee: After the last 3 years, how can it be that there’s a good chance that Donald Trump will be re-elected?  Even if you’re a conservative that likes the policies he’s put into place, why would you be accepting of a complete immoral lunatic in charge of our nuclear arsenal.  Has 50% of our country lost their minds?
Keith Law: Only takes about 30-35% of the electorate to re-elect him. I think there’s a realistic chance of it, in part because of the Democrats’ general incompetence as a party, and in part because a lot of Americans secretly agree with an Administration that pushes racist, Islamophobic, anti-science, anti-environment, anti-LGBT, and anti-woman policies.

Greg: Huff not getting an invite to the Giants 10 year celebration- Good thing, or great thing?
Keith Law: Right thing. Also, you get no points if you correctly predicted that gun-masturbating ding-dong would bring up the First Amendment in his response.

Dick Diver: Considering your upcoming labor focus with the Athletic, how do you feel about opiod testing for players? I am not sure if you have commented before, but while we do want to prevent use and tragedy, it seems a bit nanny state-ish no?
Keith Law: Yes. I don’t think players should be tested for drugs of abuse unless they have a prior incident.

Todd: Thoughts on Yankees lower farm arms Yoendrys Gomez and Alexander Vizcaino? Is TJ Sikkema a legit lefty reliver prospect?
Keith Law: They’ll be in the Yankees’ report. I’ll tell you now, since I said this previously, Sikkema is a starter prospect.

xxx(yyy): The odds that Jeff Lunhow has a GM job again are: 0% – 1% – 2% to 25% – 25% to 50% – 50% to 75% – 75% to 100%?
Keith Law: Zero.

Henry: I know each team operates differently but do most GM’s have to get approval from their owners to make trades or get free agents even when they’re operating under a standard operating budget?
Keith Law: Yes.

John: Long term Plesac or Civale?
Keith Law: Plesac. I like both.

Idaho Nuke: What do you think an appropriate punishment for Astros players should be?
Keith Law: Any player at the center of the scheme should get the same suspension Hinch and Luhnow got, if not more.
Keith Law: They were just there when it happened; no one has accused either of them of contributing to the scheme. So why do they get lengthy suspensions but the players who actually did this shit get off scot free?

Eric: Finally got to play Wingspan for the first time recently and loved it.  Thanks for your great review of it last year.  I just purchased the European expansion and was wondering if you’ve played that one yet?
Keith Law: I haven’t, mostly because I feel like the original has so much replay value.

Alex: Just got an airfryer.  Do you have one?  Any good recipies to share?
Keith Law: I don’t. When I fry food I use oil, because that’s what it means to fry something.

Greg: Give that MLB still has its anti-trust exemption and given that the MLB commissioner is now basically a cudgel for the owners and has not been a “steward of the game” since Faye Vincent… Should there be some kind of special case where a non-owner/congressional body picks or vets any new MLB commissioner?
Keith Law: How does that work? MLB is a private business. Do you want the government picking the CEOs of other private businesses?

Pei: What do you think of the Altuve walk-off strange behavior controversy? Seems to me that the evidence of any buzzer stuff is flimsy at best but it is apparent to me that he probably wanted to hide something (that isn’t a tattoo)
Keith Law: Not a fan of conspiracy theories.

Josh in DC: Do you think it could EVER be plausible for fans — facing a situation like Boston’s fans in this off-season — to organize a boycott, however minor, that would get an owner’s attention? 40,000 unsold tickets, with $100 of spending per fan, is $4 million in lost revenues.
Keith Law: No, it’ll never happen. I’m not sure the typical owner would even notice $4 million in lost revenues.

Altuve’s Lower Back Tattoo: Of Noelvi Marte, Orelvis Martinez and Erick Pena, who’s the best player 2023 and beyond
Keith Law: One is on my top 100.

Kretin: How bad is the injury to JT Ginn?
Keith Law: We have no idea yet, but 1) it was a high-effort delivery in HS and 2) this is another example of why HS pitchers drafted high should take the money.
Keith Law: I don’t even think Mississippi State misused him – it’s just that pitchers get hurt, even when handled carefully, even if their mechanics are (supposedly) “clean.”

Keith too: You ever watch WWE, UFC or Boxing?
Keith Law: LOL.

Rocker: 1) Austin Martin
2 Spencer Torkelson
3 Nick Gonzales
4 Emerson Hancock   This my rankings in baseball draft 2020? which one has highest upside?
Keith Law: Gonzales isn’t in that group if we’re talking upside. Martin definitely has the most upside of the group, and he’d be 1 on my draft board right now, but that doesn’t necessarily make him the best player.

Vincent Adultman: Do you think Eziquiel Duran can stay at 2B? If he can’t, can he move to third?
Keith Law: He can stay at 2b.

Dark Johnny: Any chance Frankie Montas breaks out to be a frontline starter?
Keith Law: Never saw him as a starter.

Don D: Keith, I’d love to hear your take on Jordan Walker, I’ve seen some HUGE comparisons but others have him pegged as a mid-1st. What do you think of him?
Keith Law: Have not seen him yet but I do not hear mid-first on him at all.

Dark Johnny: Can you be a good MLB starter without a viable changeup in the arsenal?
Keith Law: IMO, no. Changeup or splitter.

Eric: Would you vote for Bernie Sanders against Donald Trump in November?
Keith Law: Yes.

UU: Do you ever wonder if these chats are like a few100 people just using different names?
Keith Law: I can see it’s not, but even so, that would be fine.

Lane: Do you always read the intro?
Keith Law: I do. I may not read the middle, though.

Deke: If you’re Texas, what are you doing with center field this season?
Keith Law: Probably passing a law to eliminate abortion rights.
Keith Law: Oh, did you mean the Rangers?

addoeh: What are your Girl Scout cookie rankings?  For me, 1. Samoas 2. Tagalongs  3. Thin Mints (especially frozen).
Keith Law: Samoas and Tagalongs are 1-2 and that’s it. I don’t eat any of the others. I can eat an entire sleeve of Thin Mints and feel like I didn’t eat anything, which I think is really weird.

Bill: Will you be doing an extra (or just early) chat on Monday? I believe that’s when you top 100 prospect rankings comes out.
Keith Law: Not Monday but some time next week. I will still be finishing the NL West org reports Monday and also I have some life stuff to deal with that I’ve been putting off to finish the prospect rankings.

Jay: Klaw, I get the sense that “socialism” is going to be the scare word of 2020 and despite the average American not understanding what it means, it will cost Bernie the election. I much prefer Warren but I don’t see her winning the nomination. How do you feel?
Keith Law: It’s been a scare word since the 1980s, most Americans do not know what it means, and I don’t know if even Bernie is an actual socialist. The fact that so many Americans glom on to “socialist” as a pejorative term for Democratic candidates is a huge indictment of public education in this country.

Matt: Fwiw, I’ve really dug the European Wingspan expansion. It adds a bunch of cards that increase interaction between the players, which is maybe my one (minor) complaint with the original.
Keith Law: Good to know – thank you.

Rob Manfred: Even if I suspended some of the players, I would lose each and every case with the arbritrator, true or false ?
Keith Law: Mass suspensions would probably have to be negotiated with the union ahead of the announcement. In that case, there wouldn’t be arbitration.

John: If Kumar Rocker was eligible to be drafted in the upcoming draft, would he be in consideration for the top pick?
Keith Law: No.

Ken: In all of these article concerning the Mets and their potential sale of the team it just seems to be reported as fact the the Mets lose $50m annually. 1) This is B.S. right? 2) Why do reporters go along with it so easily?
Keith Law: 1) Right. 2) Because it’s easy. Same reason so many writers uncritically quoted that bought-and-paid-for marketing report that claimed Miller Park generated over $2 billion for the city of Milwaukee, which is pure bullshit.

Guest: ATTENTION EVERYONE:  Don’t let the 2/24 Top 100 Release (on the Athletic) overshadow the 4/21 Book Release (where ever books are sold)
Keith Law: Good point, thank you.

Caleb: Do we ever get to a point where strikeouts go down and average goes back up?  Or has that ship sailed?
Keith Law: Sure. Raise the bottom of the strike zone.

Jeff: Will you be publishing the “usual” supplements to your top 100? Breakthrough players, top ten by org, etc.
Keith Law: Yes, just missed list + org reports (20+ players per) for all 30 teams.

Jason: When you complete your top-100 lists, how often are you surprised at where players end up compared to where you thought they would be at the beginning?
Keith Law: Never surprised, but it does change a lot.

Sam: Shed Long, good enough to be an everyday 2B?
Keith Law: No. Poor defender.

BrittanyMars: Why are circle-changes and palmballs rare/going extinct?
Keith Law: Circle-changes are going extinct? I don’t think that’s true.

Ken: Is there anyone you wouldn’t vote for over Trump? If the Dems actually managed to nominate someone more vile than Trump would you just sit that one out or actually vote for the lesser of two evil? I assume you’d just go 3rd party at that point.
Keith Law: Probably would sit that one out.

Sammy Sosa: Last night Bernie — who isn’t even a socialist — was called a communist by Bloomberg and Mayor Pete talked up Denmark as the best place for the American dream. Do these people even listen to themselves?
Keith Law: No, they don’t. Or they do, but they don’t care, as long as the comments land.

Jay: Is O’Neil Cruz the most unique prospect you’ve covered? Is he the Pirate MiLBer with the highest ceiling AND lowest floor?
Keith Law: He’s up there – he would be the biggest shortstop in MLB history. Only Joel Guzman has been that height or taller and played shortstop, and of course he was terrible (at short, and in general).

Alex: Thanks for the San Diego restaurant picks a few chats ago (I went to Rovino and Mission).   Is it too early to evaluate at the Mike Elias” player development in the minors so far (pitching seems to have gotten better; hard to say with hitters)
Keith Law: Yes, just one year so far.

Bob: You are absolutely correct about Thin Mints!!
Keith Law: Thank you. Thin Mints are only good when crushed and swirled into ice cream.

Michael: Bloomberg funded Toomey in 2016 and GOP house candidates in 2018.  What is he doing here?
Keith Law: Hence, DINO.

Idaho Nuke: Why does Bernie keep mentioning Denmark when they are capitalist?
Keith Law: “Capitalism with a strong social safety net” doesn’t have a great ring to it, but that’s what Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands offer, and it is the kind of economy in which I want to live. Free enterprise can still exist and thrive in such an environment, but people who are less fortunate, who are born with disabilities, who fall ill, etc. would still be protected. There but for the grace of God, people.
Keith Law: OK, I have to get back to writing. Thank you all for stopping by for the chat. If you haven’t heard, my top 100 prospects will appear on Monday, February 24th, at the Athletic, for subscribers only. Enjoy your weekends!