Klawchat 3/4/21.

My ranking of the top 30 prospects for this year’s MLB Draft is now up for The Athletic subscribers.

Keith Law: Gold’s just around the corner. Klawchat.

Bradley: What do you think Sal Frelick’s potential MLB comp is?
Keith Law: I don’t like player comps, for various reasons. As he is now, he’s a leadoff type, high average/OBP, speed, defense in CF. Aaron Fitt and I discussed him on the podcast this week and he really thinks there will be more power in there. I could see that with some swing help.

JD: You said on the podcast that this seemed like a weak draft class. Same with 2022? Any particular standouts there already – Green, Johnson, someone else?
Keith Law: I don’t think I said that – it’s not a weak class, it’s kind of a good one. Strong in college RHP, high school shortstops, more catching than usual. Light on college bats – there may not be a college bat in the top ten – and left-handed pitching.

Tom G: Is there a comp for Lewis that you know of? 2 years off of baseball at such a young age?
Keith Law: Which Lewis?

Flavia: Do you have any concerns about the shape of Leiter’s curveball translating to MLB?
Keith Law: No. That’s … weird. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that complaint about a player.

Jared: Do Antonetti and Francona need to go?  Still some fact-finding to do, I suppose, but it reeeally looks like they knew and covered it up.
Keith Law: If executives know a potential employee has a history of the kind of behavior Callaway exhibited, and hire him anyway, yes, they should be let go.

Jason: Thoughts on the JBJ signing? I guess you can never have too many OF. Are we a pitching and D team, hoping to win 1-0?
Keith Law: What if you made the whole team out of centerfielders?
Keith Law: I actually love the deal. But i wonder if there’s a trade coming too – do they really need him, Cain, and Garcia?

David P: Who is the better pitcher? Grayson Rodriguez or Edward Cabrera. I’m torn but lean towards Grayson.
Keith Law: I ranked them both on my top 100, so the one I put higher is going to be my pick.

whyaremen: If I get the vaccine is there any reason for me to not attend games, from a public health perspective?
Keith Law: No, but wear a mask so you don’t spread the virus unknowingly.

David P: Any sense on who the Red Sox prefer at 4? Would they really draft a bat over one of the 3 pitchers?
Keith Law: WAY too early. Anyone trying to claim they know who’s drafting whom, or even who teams are targeting, is misleading you. I was with the Jays for five springs, and we never had anything narrowed down this early. This year it’s even less likely teams will do so.

Noah D: Hey Klaw, who do you see winning the Cleveland SS job between Gimenez and Rosario? Both were highly touted at one time
Keith Law: No inside info here, but I’d guess Gimenez is the regular SS and Rosario ends up playing multiple positions.

@RichCampbellPhD: I’ve had some fun watching ASU streaming games while waiting for April 1. How will the scouting of college players go for this year’s draft? Are word-of-mouth/network effects going to be even more pronounced than usual?
Keith Law: Teams are able to send scouts to most colleges right now. I only know of a handful of prospects who can’t be scouted in person right now, like Mason Black (who was scouted at Coppin State last week, but whose school, Lehigh, isn’t allowing anyone into games yet).

Barry: Will you be doing an Eagles draft preview this year? Seriously though, it would be fun if you joined The Athletics’s Eagles podcast as a guest at some point.
Keith Law: I don’t know how to define my Eagles fandom if I can’t complain about how Carson Wentz must be color blind since he never seemed to distinguish between his own receivers and the other team’s secondary.

Rocky: Do you think Gabriel Moreno has the chance to crack the top 100 prospects this year?
Keith Law: If you read all the way to the end of my Blue Jays org report, I answer that question directly.

Guest: RE SF Giants. Is this a draft class that allows the Giants to load up on arm talent? It seems the Giants farm system, while getting stronger generally, is lacking high ceiling arm talent.  Thoughts?
Keith Law: They’re definitely lighter on arms than bats. They could probably grab 2-3 quality arms in their first three picks, although I’d always advise best player available.

Adam: The Padres 5th OF job appears to be Brian O’Grady’s to lose going into Spring Training. More importantly, he is likely the primary back up to Trent Grisham in CF. If Grisham were to get banged up a bit, how much faith (both defensively and offensively) would you have in him starting for an extended amount of time?
Keith Law: I wouldn’t let him play there on more than an emergency basis.

Adam: Now that Fernando Tatís Jr is locked up for the next 14 years, would you project CJ Abrams as a CF or as a 2B long term? Which of the two positions is deemed more valuable?
Keith Law: He’s a shortstop.

Mason: Do you follow what’s going on in Independent ball much? Noticed some former 1st round picks will be coming to a city near me in Nick Travieso and Ty Hensley. Any chance they can break back through to affiliated ball?
Keith Law: Hensley’s main issue was health – and it wasn’t his fault. All depends on how hard they’re throwing, and in Travieso’s case I’d ask where his arm slot is these days.

Joe J: What is Franco’s ceiling? Can he be better than Tatis?
Keith Law: He’s not as dynamic as Tatis, or as fast, but he’s a better pure hitter.

Ben: Keith, why do you hate my draft prospect?
Keith Law: I hate all draft prospects equally.

Adam: Agree or disagree: Preller teaching himself Spanish and Japanese, never having an arbitration hearing during his tenure with the Padres, and not playing service time games with top prospects shows that he understands how valuable a track record of good faith is when you negotiate extensions. This is on top of building one of the best scouting and player development programs in the league. The man is simply a great executive.
Keith Law: That you, AJ?

Geordy: What has caused Luke Leto’s star to fall so far?
Keith Law: I don’t know how a high school player’s star could have “fallen.” When was he … whatever you think he was?
Keith Law: It’s not like we’re talking about a drafted kid who flopped in pro ball or something.

TomBruno23: I cannot bring myself to give a ____ about rules in spring training games. Am I ok?
Keith Law: They’re just practice for profit. I don’t get too worked up about it as long as no one does anything stupid.

Aaron C.: Have you ever written at length about pitcher usage in college (or high school)? Forgive my ignorance, but a hasty Google didn’t bring up anything.
Keith Law: Probably lost to the ESPN site re-design a few years ago.

Jon G: I’ve seen a couple of early mocks with catchers going to the Cubs. I’m not taking mocks very seriously at this point, but the team has given out a lot of its bigger bonuses in the draft and J2 market to catchers. Given the eventual shift to robo umps, how smart of a strategy would cornering the market on young, bat-first catchers be? Does a rule change mitigate the risk of targeting that demographic to any degree?
Keith Law: Don’t pay any attention to “early mocks.” They’re just guesses; no team has any idea who they’re taking now.
Keith Law: The risk of catchers isn’t related to framing. It’s related to the huge wear and tear of the position, as well as the difficulty of learning to hit while also learning to be a catcher.

Chris: How many negative reports on a prospect’s off-the-field traits does it take for you to be comfortable mentioning said traits about that given player? I imagine that would be a difficult situation to handle, you don’t want to besmirch a player’s reputations because some former coach or teammate didn’t like them for some reason. Guessing if you hear “man, player A is difficult to work with/is a nightmare off the field” enough times you’d be okay mentioning it in a story, just curious where that line is. (Apologies if my wording is clumsy)
Keith Law: I have to hear it from multiple, clearly disconnected sources.

John: Now with Triple-A being delayed, do the Mariners start Kelenic on opening day?
Keith Law: I would. The Mariners might. Kevin Mather wouldn’t have.

Tom G: Sorry Royce Lewis
Keith Law: That helps. Josh Hamilton did, and both were #1 overall picks (although quite dissimilar as players, and as people). Sucks for Lewis, though, because he had real swing issues he had to fix, and now he can’t really work on them for a least 6-7 months.

Guest: Hi Keith! What are floor and ceiling of the Braves Contreras? Who is the long term catcher for Atlanta, him or Langeliers?
Keith Law: Either. One ends up traded. Both are everyday catchers.

Thomas: Hi Keith; Thanks as always for these. You’ve been pretty vocal (which I agree with) about Cavan Biggio not really being an everyday player. However, given the front office has talked him up as being a core player for a couple of years now, do you actually envision them doing a 180 at some point, or do you think front offices feel like they’ve painted themselves into a corner when they make comments like these? (side note, it sounds like Montoyo is going to bat Springer leadoff. I was legit worried he would keep Biggio up there).
Keith Law: The signing of Semien told us far more than their words ever did.

Matt: Keith – I really love that you appreciate progressive metal.  I’m a huge Mastodon fan and have recently been getting into Gojira.  What other bands would you recommended in that genre?
Keith Law: Alcest, Pallbearer (doom), Toundra come to mind.

HH: Have you noticed any changes in the college ranks to how college coaches are (ab)using their top prospect starters? Are coaches doing it less? Are prospects & their parents avoiding coaches with such reputations?
Keith Law: Not that I’ve noticed.

Jeff: Which do you think is more anti-player, the draft or the international signing cap?  As I get older, I am really starting to understand how unfair a draft is to labor.  But is the international process any better?
Keith Law: They’re both anti-player and pro-owner.
Keith Law: Both shift money from players to ownership. Full stop.

Oscar: Klaw, what are the chances we see some fans in the CWS in Omaha? Also what’s the chance we see you come out for a few games?
Keith Law: Nebraska never even bothered with a mask mandate, right? And didn’t give two shits about workers in their meatpacking factories? They’ll probably allow 100% capacity by June.
Keith Law: I don’t go to the College World Series. In the past it was after the draft, so it was useless, but even now it’s not a good scouting environment.

Todd: Any thoughts on todays inauguration?
Keith Law: Just how many Great Disappointments can these people undergo before realizing they’ve all been duped?

TomBruno23: Thinking about whyaremen’s question as well…I am lucky enough to be getting my 2nd dose next Thursday, my favorite ballclub announced they are selling 15k per game…yet I am kind of like, “Nah, TV is fine.”
Keith Law: I can certainly understand refusing to support a team that is acting against the community interest, but once I’m vaccinated I will go to games, wearing a mask (or two), with little concern about catching the virus.

ATR: What do you think Willi Castro’s ceiling is?
Keith Law: Could be an everyday player.

Rob: Do you put any stock into raving spring training reviews of a young prospect’s work ethic and attitude?
Keith Law: No. I would put stock into a major league manager saying, “Joey Bagodonuts? He’s the laziest kid I’ve ever had. Rolls in at 5:30 for the five o’clock meeting, beer in one hand and cigarette in the other.”

Nelson: Didn’t see Huascar Ynoa on your Braves prospect report (maybe he’s ineligible, i am not clear), but do you think he can be useful at the MLB level? Think you were pretty high on him in your 2020 system report.
Keith Law: Ineligible. He was a prospect, will probably be a solid reliever for them this year.

Don: How does Ian Moller compare to other recent HS catchers?
Keith Law: Bat is well behind.

Pat: Assume Leiter is 1-1, Rocker is 1-2, who should Detroit take at 1-3? One of the HS SS, right? Lawler?
Keith Law: They should probably wait until July to decide, but Lawlar and Hill are the best choices right now.

Mike: Do you think Danny Jansen still has a shot to be an average regular?  I’m excited about Kirk, but if he’s starting, that’s sort of it for Jansen, no?
Keith Law: I’m leaning towards no on Jansen. No history of durability, for one major reason.

Guest: Who are the best local players?  Lonnie White?
Keith Law: Quite a few – Benny Montgomery, Solometo, Petty are all pretty close to me.
Keith Law: Black, if Lehigh opens its doors.

Jeff: Political prediction: do the Democrats “amend” the filibuster rules in some way to pass much needed legislation to combat the voter suppression going on in red states?
Keith Law: I sure as hell hope so, because you know the Republicans would have zero hesitation in doing so if it suited them.

Thomas: I’m a bit surprised to see Hajjar being mocked in the first round some places despite having close to twenty total college innings. Was he considered a legit draft prospect out of high school?
Keith Law: He’s not a first-rounder right now. That’s absurd. He could be one by July – I’m not going even hazard an opinion on that – but people saying he’s going in the first round are just making shit up.
Keith Law: Everyone’s a draft expert now.

Jake: Comparing the offspeed pitches from Leiter and Rocker – more that the Leiter’s curve is just that good or that Rocker’s slider may not have the same success in professional baseball?
Keith Law: Rocker’s slider is great against college bats, but multiple scouts told me they don’t think it’s going to be the same sort of weapon in pro ball.

Rob: At this point in his career, do you see Michael Chavis as having the ability to be an average every day player or is he a bench bat at best?
Keith Law: Bench guy more likely.

Drew: Do you believe that the Republican part is truly fracturing? I certainly hope so and the divisions do seem to be real and somewhat insurmountable for a rational human. But every time over the last 4-5 that I’ve gotten that feeling of “ah, this is where it end” I end up feeling foolish for believing it.
Keith Law: Oh I don’t think so. I think they’re quite happy with their newfound cohesion.

TomBruno23: I believe you were a Yankees fan growing up. Was Mattingly your favorite player? Any under the radar deep cut favorite players?
Keith Law: Willie Randolph was my favorite.

Patrick: Could Chris Rodriguez sneak into the Angels bullpen by the end of the season? He looked filthy in his spring debut
Keith Law: He has never pitched above A-ball and has 9 innings in the last three years.
Keith Law: Sure, teams do stupid stuff all the time, but you’d have to lay 1000-to-1 odds against a kid with his history getting time in the majors this year.

ProjectHanyo: I know this is gonna be a guy not on your list and more of a maybe top 5 round guy, but what have you heard about Ryan Bliss of Auburn? Thoughts on him?
Keith Law: Exactly – rounds 3-5 sort of guy, scouts may love him, can’t play short and doesn’t have real power.

Dougie Fresh: Andrew Stevenson a league average regular?
Keith Law: Platoon guy.

Important spring update: Taylor Rogers just yelled “It’s a spring training game, come on man” to home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez after getting squeezed like five times in six pitches.
Keith Law: Good for Rogers.

Ben: So…  Dylan Crews is pretty good, huh?
Keith Law: We should probably hold off until LSU plays someone decent. They beat the hell out of Nicholls, Youngstown St, and Southern the last five games.

Mike: It seems like a lot of A’s fans are perpetually excited about Lazarito being a future star, but seems like a bit of a long shot to me. What do you think?
Keith Law: Zero shot.

Drew: The Twins having their AAA affiliate 10 miles away in St. Paul is pretty cool as a Twin Cities resident but it actually feels like it would offer some real opportunity for the Twins brass. Do you think they push more players that might have otherwise been in AA up to AAA? Or is this as dumb as I’m starting feel like it is as I close in on the end of my question?
Keith Law: Could be a good business decision but not a good baseball one.

Matt: You were high on Max Pentcost right?   What happened to him?
Keith Law: Was I? I feel like I was a little lighter on his bat, but the truth is he just got hurt, a lot, and we’ll never know if he was any good.

Tom: Hey Keith, have you had a chance to spend any time at the Delaware beaches?  Any restaurant recommendations?
Keith Law: Really loved the Station in Lewes. Haven’t spent much time down there overall though.

Harry: Apologies if you have addressed this already, but what led you to leave Jud Fabian off of the top 30?
Keith Law: He can’t hit a breaking ball. Guys his age with that issue don’t go in the first round much, if at all, any more. Kam Misner is a good comparison – an SEC player who got off to a huge start, fell off when conference play began, and went in the comp round. Anfernee Grier was similar too.

Drew: Lewis Thorpe is in the best shape of his life by all accounts. If he’s back at 92-93 does that make him an appealing option for the Twins when Matt Shoemaker gets hurt?
Keith Law: Sounds like he’s in a better place mentally too. I think he’s at least a back-end starter if his velocity is back to where it was years ago, pre-TJ.

Aaron C.: I know baseball is BACK when my A’s-leaning newsfeed is filled with “Buddy Reed’s Done It Again” headlines. Jesus, people.
Keith Law: I know we’re a little more accustomed to fringe guys – Max Muncy comes to mind – changing overnight and becoming stars, but yeah, I’ll believe in Buddy Reed’s bat when he does this in regular season games. He’s a great athlete, 7 run, 7 glove, with some power, but his swing has always been a problem.

Justin: Do you think MLB has a full season lockout next year ?
Keith Law: I hope not but I think it’s a real possibility.

Guest: What’s the next project for you at the Athletic with the prospects overview complete?
Keith Law: Draft stuff, a couple of new feature ideas, and some labor commentary.

Claudio: What do you see in Braden Shewmake? Is he an everyday MLB shortstop and potential replacement for Dansby, utility guy, AAAA?
Keith Law: He was on my top 100.

Dan: Does Ronny Mauricio stick at SS?
Keith Law: Yes, no doubt.

Chris: Do you have a type of prospect that you find harder to scout than the others? Or is there a type of prospect that is more likely to “fool” scouts because they’re difficult to project?
Keith Law: Catchers are very hard to evaluate as amateurs. The hit tool is the hardest tool for hitters, command for pitchers.

TomBruno23: How long are we going today? I have a meeting in an hour and want to get a walk in while it is 65 outside. Asking for myself.
Keith Law: Till about 3:15 ET. Had to start late because I was recording something for my next podcast.

Dan: Any thoughts on NBA Top Shot and how MLB could get into the virtual collectable space?
Keith Law: I think that space is ridiculous. You don’t own a digital “collectible.”

Guest: In 2021, is there a phrase that is supposed to imply intelligence but in fact signals the exact opposite more than “I did my own research?”
Keith Law: Nope. That just means they have access to the internet, and no capacity to distinguish real from bogus information.

Robbie: Hi Keith.  Any sense as to MLB/Manfred’s reaction/response to the Callaway, Porter, Ellis situations.  MLB seem to have been mostly silent to date.  Would think MLB has a role to play in expunging this behaviour from the sport through fines, penalties, suspensions etc. to players/clubs.  Are you hearing that anything is in the works/being contemplated at the MLB level?
Keith Law: I know for a fact there are multiple MLB investigations ongoing.

JR: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am a little that the Suess estate’s personal decision to stop selling certain books has turned into “Biden and the Dems have cancelled Dr. Suess” lol. They made the decision on their own (and a very cynical person may even wonder if they did it in part to drive up book sales)
Keith Law: I’m more amazed at how many people on the left seem to see this as actual concern over “cancel culture” rather than obvious pandering to the base. It’s the same as the bills requiring trans athletes compete in the sexes they were assigned at birth. It’s not a real problem. Nobody actually cares about this issue. But it buys headlines, and appeals to the Neanderthal base.

addoeh: Split loyalties seemingly for you next weekend for Six Nations.  Will you cheer for Italy or Wales?
Keith Law: Italy has no chance in the 6N, so it’ll be easy to root for Wales.

Dan: Do you like backgammon?
Keith Law: Never got into it.

Don: Is Jake Burger a guy again after losing 40lbs?
Keith Law: I’m optimistic that he’s going to turn back into a prospect this year.

Anon: On a scale of 1-10, just how threatened is our democracy? The proliferation of social media disinformation, stupid people generally, and naked attempts at voter suppression have me afraid. Am I overreacting?
Keith Law: At least a 7. The media – and not just right-wing media, but most mainstream media – are complicit. Why are people who encouraged the Big Lie appearing on my television? Who the fuck is booking these people?

TomBruno23: Any thoughts on DC as a 51st state?
Keith Law: It is absurd that they’re not one. The same for Puerto Rico. Why should those American citizens lack representation in Congress? Because they’re mostly people of color?

Chris: Tatis, Soto, and Acuna – Between their actual baseball ability and the way they play the game, have we had a more enjoyable trio of young stars in recent memory? And that’s before you add in more established guys like Trout, Betts, Baez, and so many others!
Keith Law: MLB should be marketing the hell out of those guys already.
Keith Law: I’m sure we’ve had comparable trios, but those are the guys we have right now. They should be household names.

Frank: What are a few great baseball documentaries you’ve watched?
Keith Law: Pelotero.

Trevor: KLaw – Appreciate the draft prospect write-ups. Happy to see Bachman high on your list as a former Miami (OH) grad myself. No question just in agreement that the teaching of critical thinking to kids would vastly improve the educational system
Keith Law: It should be a major part of any state or local education reform.

Matt: I know this is a subjective question and open to interpretation, but if you had to pick the team that has the least amount of hope of being a consistent winner in the next decade, which would you pick?
Keith Law: I feel like Colorado is in the worst shape, because they don’t seem to have a clear direction for the major-league roster, the farm system is below the median, and that is the hardest MLB environment in which to build a team. They have to be 10% better than everyone else.

Guest: Seuly Matias has a ____ chance of being Joey Gallo
Keith Law: Zero.

Jason: How long until the other teams catch up to San Diego’s discovery of the market inefficiency in spending money to win?
Keith Law: Sssh. It’s still a secret.

Thomas: I might be one of those rare few people that actually read your prospect stuff entirely to apply to my fantasy league. I’ve won a handful of times so thank you for all your help. Well worth the subscription. Whose bat would you prefer long term, Jazz Chisholm or Brandon Lowe?
Keith Law: Chisholm has way more risk but way more upside. Your choice.

Alex A.: In Atlanta, 3rd appears to be the only position of any significant concern in the near term (assuming one of the two catching prospects hits).  Do you see a scenario in which Riley becomes a serviceable regular, or is the future Shewmake/outside acquisition?
Keith Law: Shewmake could end up there, or stay at SS, but I’ve never really bought Riley’s bat and we now have a year-plus of data showing he’s not able to hit enough to be a regular. His bat speed has always been an issue.

That guy: with regular season baseball still about a month away and this cold weather I’m looking for something new to play. Whats your favorite 2 player board game?
Keith Law: Favorite of all time is Jaipur. Would also recommend 7 Wonders Duel and Patchwork.

Greg: What player on a 10+ year contract would you bet is the first to leave their team? Most likely to finish their contractt?
Keith Law: I am all in on the Padres’ plan, but if I’m being realistic, the odds of both of their 10+ year guys staying in San Diego for the durations of their contracts are probably low.

Jase: What’s the best way to address competitive and/or financial imbalance in the game? Booting certain owners? How would they legislate that? Cap and floor? Or just shrug and accept it?
Keith Law: Tie revenue-sharing payments to some form of competitiveness. If you lose 110 games, you don’t get any cash.

Rob: Kyle Wright or Bryse Wilson? Who do you think has a better year
Keith Law: Leaning Wilson but not that confident in the pick.

Don: Is Andrew Vaughn’s lack of power so far in pro ball a concern?
Keith Law: He played for three months. After a full college spring.

Fernando G: Hey Keith, Hope you’re doing well. Do you have any insight into the front office culture across MLB right now? I am interested in getting started in the industry, but worry if the culture is more ‘traditional’ (i.e. tattoos and piercings are frowned upon). Sorry if that’s a bit of a loaded question, but it’s something I have been curious about and didn’t know where to look for any useful info on it. A traditional culture wouldn’t be a complete turnoff for me, but it would certainly be a negative that I would like to be able to take into account beforehand. Thanks!
Keith Law: If tattoos were frowned upon you’d never see a former pro player in any front office job.

Pat: Many of the local media around Detroit are saying Tigers need to take a college player at 1-3, so the timeline matches up closer with the “Big 5” prospects that are all supposed to hit within the next yr-18 mos..that has to be some of the worst reasoning ever, right? Pass up a potential star SS like Lawler because he may not debut until 2024-25?
Keith Law: Local media are probably not in a good position to make that call. Not that that ever stopped anyone. You take the best player available, period.

Jon G: Have draft evaluators (scouts, higher ups, public analysts) begun to incorporate seam-shifted wake into their lexicon as it relates to draft prospects? Would that make any meaningful difference from simply describing “late movement”? Has the concept as demonstrated changed the way you value certain pitch types?
Keith Law: Scouts don’t evaluate that … I mean, how could they? You can’t see it with your eyes. That’s why we have the technology. But scouts can see how hitters react, or how a pitch breaks in an unexpected way. SSW is just the hot new term – not saying there’s anything wrong or untrue about it, but it’s been in a few articles this week and now it’s the new toy. (EDIT: Just to be clear, I’m not diminishing SSW, or anyone writing about it, at all, but to argue against a sort of recency bias in ideas – the last new thing you heard isn’t necessarily the best thing, or even true. To answer the remainder of Jon G.’s question, I think SSW is different from late movement, or even movement; it describes a cause and an effect, with the effect a specific type of movement and the associated deception.)

Guest: I badly wanted the Yankees to draft Jack Leiter in 2018 (no offense to Volpe). How has he developed in the last 2 years?) Higher velocity, better command and sharper breaking stuff?
Keith Law: All of that. Filled out some too.

Tom: Is there any chance of Jon Gray becoming anything more if he were to move outta coors field?
Keith Law: I think so. Would love to see it.

Mike M: Any plans to make it to Bridgewater to see the new Yankees AA affiliate?
Keith Law: Of course, once it’s safe to do so.

Drew: Boy, the longer Cuomo stays in office despite his incompetence on COVID and multiple harassment allegations, the more he looks like a Democratic mini-Trump, huh? I feel like we should really not emulate the “shamelessness as a political superpower” on the left.
Keith Law: Agreed. I’m glad at least some Democrats have called for his resignation.

JD: What should be looking for in Andy Pages’ game this year?
Keith Law: Contact.

JD: Your writeup of Matt Allan was pretty much all positive, but I gather he’s missing something he needs to be a true ace. What’s that?
Keith Law: I said in the writeup that his fastball plays below its velocity. That’s his main drawback. He’s going to have to work more with his offspeed stuff than most starters.

Steve: You think Mondesi can be a star?
Keith Law: Career .284 OBP, .292 in the last two seasons if you want to give him a pass on the early call-ups. He has never developed an adequate approach at the plate, and I doubt he ever will. He can still be valuable because he does so many other things, but hitters with neither patience nor power have limited ceilings.

Green New Deal: I have a hard time seeing how we’re going to convert to renewables at the scale needed without more investment in nuclear energy.  The main arguments are expense and waste, but from the cost perspective, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to potential GDP loss from more natural disasters and overall instability.
Keith Law: Agreed. Unfortunately, the green energy crowd tends to be anti-nuclear because availability bias leads them to believe that it is more dangerous than it actually is.

Frank: Any reason why you do not typically include recent j -2 signings such as diaz and martinez in teams’ top 20 reports/other notables ?
Keith Law: Because they’re 16.

Adam: Would you give Pache more time at the Alt Site/AAA and trot Ender out there or start him in the Majors then re evaluate come may?
Keith Law: I’d play him now and get the benefit of his defense, but I won’t argue if they want him to go to AAA to work on pitch recognition.
Keith Law: Once AAA starts, that is.

John: Why bother keeping the filibuster anymore?  If protecting voting rights isn’t important enough to remove that nothing will ever be and unfortunately only one side sees that as a problem.
Keith Law: My question is why the filibuster ever existed. It seems antithetical to our system of government.

Nolan: I know it’s crazy, but I find myself hopeful about Anderson Espinoza. Seems like starter is out of the question, but could he be an impactful bullpen piece?
Keith Law: I don’t think it’s that crazy and I would like to see if he can start. Few guys do after two TJs, but there have been exceptions.

Mac: Was surprised Alex Binelas made the top 30. He’s looked horrible at the plate and they’re starting to play him at 1B more often because he’s been just as bad at 3B.
Keith Law: I said in the piece that he’s gotten off to a bad start, but the rankings aren’t just based on this year. He may very well end up in the second round or later, though.

Jason: Re: Puerto Rico, it’s unclear whether they actually want statehood.  In 2012, a bare majority wanted to even change its current status (and then was split between free association, statehood, and independence), and in 2020 statehood barely received a majority over independence (“no” meant a commission to determine the next steps toward independence)
Keith Law: That’s not really true; a majority of PR residents want statehood, with three nonbinding votes in the last 15 years showing that, but opponents have done a good job of casting doubt on that. Just another episode in our country’s long and shameful history of disenfranchising nonwhite voters.

Steve: How far along are you playing My City? We’re  4 episodes in, so Chapter 2, and enjoying it so far.
Keith Law: We hit the gold mines, which I think is about halfway? It’s fun. A nice light game we can play 2-3 times in a sitting. Put it aside for a while as my wife was extremely busy with work and I was plowing through prospect rankings.
Keith Law: That’s all for this week’s chat. Thank you all so much for reading and for all of your questions. I’ll try to keep these chats going weekly now that we have a season, depending on my travel commitments once those get starter. Stay safe, and go get vaccinated as soon as you can!