Klawchat, 9/3/21.

Keith Law: Pain finds me everywhere. Klawchat.

Heather: If you don’t answer my question, I’ll give you a thumbs down.
Keith Law: Dammit, I’m already downvoted before we begin.

Guest: Keith, I am an RN who cannot seem to get through to my family members about the vaccine. What would you suggest is the best way to objectively reason with people who are listening to bad sources, or have we just lost a significant portion of the country to a cult?
Keith Law: It’s some of both, really. I had an argument with an anti-vaxxer recently – in person, of all things, and she wasn’t masked! – who trotted out every dumb anti-vax trope, from microchips to vitamin D to fake side effects. There was no getting through to her. But we are also prone to overweight highly memorable anecdotes, which skews us towards negative ones – if you see a facebook post that claims the vaccine has killed 5000 Americans (they haven’t, and the correct number is probably 0), that’s going to lodge in your mind, and it will take a lot of patient counterarguments to dislodge it. So I’d pick your battles here, find a family member who is hesitant but not refusing, and start slowly with them.

Pat: Glass Tiger? You’ve hit a new low!!
Keith Law: That song has been in my head for three days. I have no idea why.

Guy B: Just curious if you suffered any storm damage in your area of the country?  If so, stay safe.
Keith Law: We did not, but we were fortunate. If you’ve seen images of the Brandywine River overflowing its banks – it reached 22′, which is believed to be a record high – that is less than 4 miles from our house, and multiple roads near us were impassable. We also know someone whose backyard was damaged by the tornado up in Mullica Hill, NJ. We happen to live on slightly higher ground – nothing is THAT high in Delaware – and just far enough from the river here that we did OK. Thank you for asking.

Pj (Jersey City): What is wrong with cody bellinger at the plate? He looks completely lost.
Keith Law: My guess is it’s a lingering effect from the shoulder injury. He’s getting beat on fastballs. You don’t just forget how to hit a fastball.

ben: Hi, I’m the guy who said hello at the setbreak of the Hershey show. How was your Phish experience?
Keith Law: Good! And I’m glad you popped in here, because I have felt bad since then for failing to ask your name. Anyway, the shows were good, and I’m glad we didn’t get “Tweezer” but did get a bunch of the songs I know best from when I was in college. A “YEM” would have been nice, but I’m not complaining. I think I saw you at the second show, which had the encore of Trey solo stuff? That’s not really my cup of tea.

Joe: Nick Yorke’s bat seems to be living up to the Sox expectations. Have you heard any reports on his defense? Ave glove at 2B, below average, but playable or maybe a LF but the bat will probably play?
Keith Law: Heard raves on the bat and maybe 45 defense at second. More than playable as long as he hits like this. Maybe he was just underscouted because of the pandemic – I have still never seen him.

John: Daniel Lynch has been good his second time up. Is this what you expected from your Wilmington looks?
Keith Law: Getting there. I think there’s more improvement ahead of him, especially working more as a 3-4 pitch guy who doesn’t rely too much on the fastball (up to 99, regularly at 97, but plays below that because of lack of life/movement).
Keith Law: The Royals are going to get very interesting very soon. Next year they should have a better rotation, plus Witt, Pratto, maybe MJM.

Bob: How is the business of minor league ball? I’ve been shocked at how sparsely games I’ve attended have been and the crowd shits on MiLB.tv have been similar. Should we be concerned that minor league ball is something that never really comes all the way back?
Keith Law: I’ve noticed the same when I’ve been out at games this year. Nobody is drawing. It’s definitely a concern because that’s their main revenue source – and I don’t want a situation where more MiLB owners feel compelled to sell to MLB.

Bill S.: Keith, (accidentally hit send too soon, I’ll try again).  The Dodgers organization has clearly been successfully through the minors with player development.  However, does their perennial contender status actually hurt them with the final stage of player development – young players in the majors?  
Thinking about Gavin Lux, and to a lesser degree Zack McKinstry this year.  To finish their development young players need to play regularly in the majors.  Yet, the Dodgers divisional race makes it hard for them to roll out players who are not fully baked.  How should they handle Lux, as well as other talented minor leaguers that will eventually come up and need regular time?  Thank you!
Keith Law: It’s a reasonable concern, especially for players who come up at positions where the Dodgers have established regulars – Lux (Seager), Keibert (Smith, plus Cartaya behind). Easier on the pitching side because they can always work in those guys in long relief first. I think the Dodgers are among the top 2-3 organizations for drafting & development, but even they can’t ignore those structural issues and it may mean certain players don’t develop fully unless there’s an injury.

Bob: I think you mentioned some concerns about Michael Harris’ approach earlier in the year. His BB rate has improved some recently, have you heard if he’s made some real improvements there?
Keith Law: It’s not his walk rate – it’s his recognition of offspeed stuff. Be careful not to scout the stat line.

Derek: Has Kevin Made’s second half performance and tools he’s displayed elevated him to the same or near-prospect level of Ed Howard?
Keith Law: I mean, they’ve both been pretty bad. They’re really young & inexperienced for pro ball, so I’m not saying they’re no longer prospects, but I don’t know what you’re seeing here.

JJ: Red Sox failing to sign their high second round pick — is that on Fabian (and his “advisors”)  for way overvaluing himself, or on Chaim Bloom for not having a clear understanding of what it would take to get him to sign before making the selection, thereby wasting the 40th pick in the draft?
Keith Law: That’s 100% on the advisers and the player too. Failure to understand the market, to recognize what a bad year he had, and most of all, to get that it’s a draft – the system sucks for players, but this is the system. He’s going to be a fourth-year junior next year and pretty much has to go top 20 to beat what he would have made from Boston. When you go a whole spring and don’t make adjustments to the way pitchers are getting you out, you’re not a first-rounder.

Deke: So what’s your strategy to avoid feeling despondent about **waves generally at the entire world**? Because my strategies of late are not working.
Keith Law: I’ve avoided reading too much about a lot of the awfulness in the world. Texas turning into a fundamentalist theocracy, which has been coming for years, is beyond depressing, but reading more about that isn’t going to accomplish anything except reminding me of the high cost of low education.

Jackie: It used to be that 300 victories was the benchmark for automatic entry into the HOF for starting pitchers, but no one’s coming close to that number in the foreseeable future.  The 500 HR threshhold went out the door for hitters with Sosa/McGwire/Palmeiro.  Do you think there are any automatic statistical threshholds left?
Keith Law: There might be for some voters, but I don’t think there are any more.

C-Note: Best guess….% chance Bauer pitches in the MLB again?
Keith Law: It sounds like 0%, and I’m fine with that.

Robert: I’ve seen it said that Yoelqui Cespedes has some pitch recognition issues.  Can some of this be attributed to rust (not playing)?  Either way, is this a skill that can develop?
Keith Law: It is a skill that can develop, but it’s rare, and I think this is just what he is right now – a big tools guy without that core skill.

Stevo: I get that MLB pitchers spend all of their time focused on pitching which is why their hitting suffers but why haven’t we seen a pitcher/hitter like Ohtani before?
Keith Law: Ohtani strikes out in a third of his PA. Before the last 2-3 years, the industry would have considered that unacceptable and made him just a pitcher.

Joe Don: Keith, there’s a very loud contingent of Texas fans demanding that the team sign one of the soon-to-be big money free agents, specifically mentioning Trevor Story and Carlos Correa. Given how far the Rangers are from being competitive again, does it make any sense for them to dive head-first into this year’s free-agent pool?
Keith Law: I would say no – not that I’d oppose them doing so, because I don’t think there’s huge downside, but I think they’re a good 2-3 years from contending.

Mitch: Any thoughts on the Wingspan app?
Keith Law: It’s great other than the AI, which I think needs to be stronger. Anything below ‘hard’ is too easy. But it plays great on the iPad and I love how they’ve set up navigation of your tableau.

Josh: I think I remember you saying you wanted to cover Labor negotiations when you joined at the Athletic. That still a plan? I’d like to hear your (balanced) thoughts as this gets messy.
Keith Law: Yes, the pandemic and then some life stuff have all kind of gotten in the way.

Jon V: How does A. Rosario fit in the Guardians long term plan? More reps in CF? Move Ramirez back to 2B and see if he can play 3B?
Keith Law: If they trade Jose Ramirez, which I think is the right move for them at this point, I’d try Rosario at third … but just pick a position and let him hit. He’s finally turning into the guy he was supposed to be and I think it’s no coincidence that it comes 1) outside of Queens and 2) with more consistent playing time.

Guest: I’m 35 and in my lifetime the number of climate disasters has gone from once every 5-10 years to all the time. How can such a large part of the population be so blind to what is right in front of them and greatly impacting their lives?
Keith Law: Two reasons. One is so much of the messaging from the media and one entire political party tells them it’s not real, even though a lot of that is funded by oil & gas. And two is that I think it threatens a lot of folks’ blind faith in a deity who will protect humanity, even from our own mistakes. We’re going to make the planet uninhabitable. I don’t care what God you believe in – nobody is coming to save us from ourselves.

Nick: How concerned are you about Alec Bohm’s season?
Keith Law: Long term, I think he’s still going to be an above-average bat. But you can add him to the pile of Phillies prospects who haven’t developed. The player development changes were overdue. There’s a lot of lost value in players who’ve stalled or regressed after entering that system.

Jason: Austin Riley’s now put together almost an entire great year at the plate. In the past, you were skeptical of him having prolonged success because of his bat speed. And I also thought he couldn’t hit a slider. Is it now time to say we both underestimated him and he’s maybe going to be a borderline all star third baseman going forward?
Keith Law: I think he’s better than that. I’d put the over/under on his WAR next year at 5.5. He is absolutely an all-star.
Keith Law: I have more to come on that topic on Monday. My latest post was supposed to go up today but they’re holding it for next week instead.

Lara: My parents named me after the love theme from “Dr. Zhivago” — no offense to them, but that movie stunk out loud.  Is there a universally praised classic movie that you thought was unwatchable?
Keith Law: I couldn’t finish Unforgiven. I think An American in Paris is a boring plotless mess. I also couldn’t finish Tom Jones despite loving the novel.

David: What chance does CJ Abrams have of being the Padres’ starting shortstop in 2022, with Tatis moved to the outfield permanently?
Keith Law: I feel like that has become much more likely this year, although we do have to see how Abrams comes back from the knee injury.

Romorr: There are a few 2B options for the Orioles.  I’m more hyped for Vavra since he’s a LHB.  Any chance he’s a regular there?
Keith Law: If he’s a regular, that would be the position. I do like him – he’ll get the most out of his tools.

Chipper Jones: Should the Braves organization distance themselves from my crazy statements?
Keith Law: Yes. They should part ways with you, as the Nats did with Bob Boone.

Romorr: Have you noticed the Orioles approach in the minors?  Lots of guys putting up insane walk numbers.
Keith Law: Yes, and I’ve seen some of their prospects – it’s passivity, not selectivity. Maybe it turns into the latter in time, but it’s not the kind of quality AB I’d want to see.

Josh: The Orioles farm seems position player heavy from a birds eye view.  Does the team have any pitchers besides Rodriguez and Hall that can be mid rotation starters?
Keith Law: Maybe there’s someone in the Florida Man League I don’t know about yet, but I would say no, you have the two, and Hall has to get healthy.

Brett: What do you think of Vinnie Pasquantino as a prospect moving forward in the Royals organization?  He is mashing in AA but as an 11th round pick I’m just wondering if he has a big hole or weakness that will be exploited as he moves up further in the org and faces better competition.
Keith Law: Wasn’t he a side character in The Irishman? Does he paint houses? He’s too old even for AA and while his performance is great it’s not that meaningful given his age.

Doreau: The (Devil) Rays have the best record in the AL, yet the last three home games, they’re drawing 8500 a night, and half of them are Red Sox fans.  It’s been almost 30 years; when does MLB pull the plug on the market, and move to San Antonio/Portland/Vegas/Memphis/anywhere where people would show up?
Keith Law: It’s not quite that simple – there’s a lease involved, for one thing, and MLB isn’t letting any team move without a sweetheart stadium deal at the destination.

Guest: Do you think we lose any part of 22 before a collective bargaining agreement is reached ?
Keith Law: If MLB’s most recent offer is any indication of their stance, yes, definitely.

PJ (Jersey City): I read a rumor that the Orioles planned to use underslot money to pay Fabian. Would the Red Sox intentionally take Fabian to throw a wrench in another team’s draft strategy?
Keith Law: No, that would be pretty self-defeating – but they’re also under no obligation to adhere to a deal a player may have struck with another team, either.

Danny: Do you have any early observations/thoughts on Jasson Dominguez’s first season?
Keith Law: He’s exceptionally young for full-season ball. That he’s doing anything at all there is a good sign. But I do think for whatever reason – bad evals, the lost year – he’s not going to race through the minors the way some scouts/execs thought he might.

Chris: why did Deivi roll out of the Gas Station a lemon, and can he be repaired?
Keith Law: They lowered his arm slot. I have NO idea why.

Buck: Garrett Mitchell starting to rise up prospect lists?
Keith Law: No.

Andy: With the current scandal about a non-real football program playing games against high schools, is there any worry that the top high school prospects in baseball will leave their high schools and only do elite teams? I’m reminded of Kelenic who didn’t play high school baseball at all, though most kid’s parents can’t build a baseball complex for them.
Keith Law: That has been rumored for as long as I’ve been in the industry and it still hasn’t happened. In Kelenic’s case, he had a real reason to do so – his HS season was so short that it would have been hard for teams to scout him. You’ll always see a few cold-weather kids just do travel teams, and some will move south (like to IMG). But for most, the path of least resistance is to play for your high school.

Danny: Any notable observations of 2021 draftees in their first couple weeks of games?
Keith Law: That’s all SSS stuff. Just be careful.

Skippy: I asked in spring training and you were still skeptical so I was hoping to see what you think now, is Tyler O’Neill improvement at the plate real? He’s dropped his pull% about 5% while adding it to his center%. Still a high K guy but he’s held it steady at 31% and a 7%BB rate. .343 OBP and Slugging .503, is it real? Or just a talented guy who’s had a good season but still maybe isn’t sustainable longer term?
Keith Law: I’m taking the under on this.

addoeh: Patrick Wisdom is a great story but he strikes out a ton and he’s hit a lot of home runs (25) but not a lot of doubles (8). It just seems like he’ll be the opening day 3B, because the Cubs have a ton of areas to address, but by June that  might look like a mistake. Am I way off base here?
Keith Law: Nope, I would say exactly the same thing.

Leites: Hi Keith!  Thanks for doing these as often as you do.  Any reason for optimism for Bo Naylor’s hit tool?  or Jeter Down’s?
Keith Law: I really think the Guardians erred by bumping Naylor up two levels this year. Still a believer in both players, but they’ve been disappointing nonetheless.

Mac: Termarr Johnson is the best High School hitter since?
Keith Law: Depends on who you ask. One scout told me it’s the best HS hit tool he’s seen in maybe a decade; another said he thinks the way Johnson’s swing works will cause a lot of trouble when he gets to see better pitching.

Sean: Is Casas ready for opening day next year?  I know dalbec has shown some signs of life but it’s hard to see him ever being more than a fringe MLBer.
Keith Law: Dalbec is below replacement level. I don’t get why people keep trying to make him a thing – if he had a few more PA to qualify, he’d have the second-worst K% of any hitter this year. I think Casas is more of a second half callup.

Noah: Also, sorry, this is a second question from me and I don’t want to inundate you with too much, but as a Mets fan I have to ask: shouldn’t job one be to fire Sandy Alderson?  The guy has presided over an organization that has had multiple sexual harassers/abusers, an acting GM with a DUI, and men who have committed domestic violence.  I am really shocked that he has so far skated.
Keith Law: I can’t imagine he is still there by November. Whether he’s fired, resigns, or is just pushed aside, he’s been the one overseeing the mess you described. It’s not even about the team on the field.

Mike: Isn’t it horrific that the worst part of Trump’s “legacy” is his ability to turn SCOTUS into an extension of the Catholic Church that has obliterated the separation of church and state?
Keith Law: Yep. Also, I can’t believe Democrats still don’t get that a huge part of the GOP strategy is to put younger judges on the court so that they hold those seats forever.

Matt: I have a really hard time believing Bauer won’t pitch again. He may be suspended for all of next year and by 2023, I could certainly see some team hoping the public won’t remember what he did and take a chance on him because of the talent. If he was a lesser player, his career would be over, but I have to think some team will think it’s worth whatever PR hit they take.
Keith Law: I don’t think so.
Keith Law: He’s always been a headache. Now he’s a headache who has admitted in court to violent behavior towards women.

Nick: Guessing Greensboro is a pretty good hitters park but So it would it be better for Pirates to move up Nick Gonzalez and Peugero to get a better indication of progress ?
Keith Law: Agreed – and yes, it’s a great hitters park.

Todd Boss: Cade Cavalli now in AAA: based on your scouting reports earlier this seems kind of surprising perhaps?  Or is the promotion evidence of the team making him face guys who can actually hit 100 and force him to work on command?
Keith Law: Yes, I would bet that’s exactly their belief – and I agree with it. He did get hit around in his first AAA outing, and now he gets to make some adjustments.

PJ (Jersey City): Rosario has been good in Cleveland, Gimenez has….not. Is he just a 4A guy at this point? Or is he still too young to give up on?
Keith Law: More than a 4A guy but never that good a prospect for me. Classic case of a team promoting a guy who’d be young for his levels and look good for teams that rely heavily on models that take that into account. But I think he can be a good utility guy or maybe have a long career as a regular SS on teams that don’t have a better option around.

Buck: Aaron Ashby back of rotation type?
Keith Law: Really think he’s a reliever. Delivery and command point there.

Mrs. Webber: “2001” was so pointlessly boring — nothing happens for three excruciating hours.  But I thought Stanley Kubrick was incredibly overrated; he ruined both “The Shining” and “A Clockwork Orange” by straying too far from the books.
Keith Law: I didn’t find 2001 boring, but I also didn’t like how far it strayed from its source book. I still have actually never seen The Shining, though.

Brett: Vinnie Pasquantino is 23 years old in AA FYI
Keith Law: I am aware of that, thank you. He’ll be 24 in a few weeks.

Bort: Do you prefer Frelick over Mitchell?
Keith Law: Frelick has the higher floor, and yes, in this case I would take him over Mitchell.

Max: Is Matt Brash on the verge of surpassing Hancock and Kirby in the Mariners stable of young arms?
Keith Law: No, definitely not. A prospect, yes, but not better than those guys.

Dan: Just scouting the box scores, Bryson Stott has had a really impressive year. Have you heard or seen anything that suggests that his major league outlook has improved?
Keith Law: Actually have heard the opposite from scouts this year.

Mac: Can Andrew Vaughn be anything more than a mistake hitter?
Keith Law: Yes. Isn’t he already more than that?

Danny: Do you think we’ll have more prep pitchers in the 2022 first round because of the purported depth or do you think the industry’s recent aversion pushes a lot of those guys to later rounds?
Keith Law: Most teams don’t want to take that risk; we might see 3-4 HS arms in the first round in a good year, but teams see the opportunity cost and would rather take those guys in the comp/second rounds. Also I think the HS bat group for 2022 is pretty strong.

Stan: Brendan Rodgers. Your thoughts on his progression this year? Future outlook? Thanks!
Keith Law: Two things I am pleased about. He’s playing regularly, finally. And he’s actually showing power on the road, too. I would still guess he’s more likely to hit .300 than hit 30 homers, but this is still good to see. I loved his bat in HS, and have been disappointed that his eye at the plate hasn’t been better at any level in pro ball – which could be a side effect of playing in great hitters’ parks, or a player development issue. But this is a good start and I still think he becomes an All-Star at 2b.

Mike Sixel: Pick one to answer: What happened to Max Kepler? Is there any realistic path to the Twins starting the year with a good MLB rotation next year? thanks!
Keith Law: Aaron Gleeman had a great piece on Kepler’s low batted ball quality leading to consistently low BABIPs.

Matt: To everyone shocked about what’s happening in Texas, elections have consequences and if you were paying attention, you knew this was gonna happen.
Keith Law: Yep. But I also think a lot of Texans are extremely happy with what’s happening there. They want to live in a theocracy as long as the victims are someone else.

Alex In Austin: Is it appropriate to comment on the atrocious details Jonah Keri admitted to this week?
Keith Law: Sure. Fuck that guy. I hope he rots in jail for a long time. But white men tend to get lighter sentences, and I’m not optimistic he’ll get a sentence commensurate with his crime or the possible threat he still poses.

Thomas: It’s been like thirty minutes and you’ve already already suggested that three people (Bauer, Chipper, Alderson), who are accomplished in the game, should be removed from the sport. Who made you the hall monitor? Doesn’t this get tiring?
Keith Law: Bauer is the only one on that list who might be removed from the sport, and if you’re arguing against that, we don’t have a whole lot of common ground here.

Keith Law School: Before I ask my question, I want to say I enjoy everything you write about outside of baseball.  My question though, is do you ever get “outrage fatigue”? I get that there’s a lot wrong in the world, but I feel like it’s always been that way and it always will. Do you ever take a moment or two and just smell roses and feel content and happy at all?
Keith Law: Remember what I wrote earlier about overweighting certain anecdotes? You’re doing that right now. And making a really absurd inference about my overall state of mind from a superficial view of things I write and say online – especially in a forum like this, where people are asking pointed (and very good!) questions.

Trevor: Thoughts on a Mark Appel comeback?
Keith Law: Completely rooting for him. We have more track record of pitchers coming back after years away than hitters doing so. But he’s not even close to average control yet and that’s a big hurdle.

Ned: Who are you higher on long-term: Jake Burger or Gavin Sheets?
Keith Law: Give me Burger.
Keith Law: mmmm …. burger

Andy: Jose Barrero – guy or GUY?
Keith Law: GUY. Top 75 or so.

Guest: Is Drew Rasmussen a legit starting pitcher?
Keith Law: Two time TJ recipient with heavy use in college. Odds are against it.

Good Eye: How do you distinguish between being a hitter being passive and not selective?
Keith Law: I am not being flippant here when I say you have to watch the games.

Jay’s Dad: Tanner Houck seems like a possible future closer.  As a starter?  I’m not feeling it.
Keith Law: He has a great arm, but he doesn’t have a decent weapon for LHB and that’s going to be a problem in the long term. I think he’d be superb as a closer, but I also wouldn’t advocate moving him to relief yet.

Brett: Hey Keith – just FYI, I don’t think you’re an idiot and knew you knew Pasquantino’s age. Whoever that “Brett” is that added to my original question is not me. Weirdo.
Keith Law: I think Brett2 was trying to say Pasquantino wasn’t old for AA, but he is. Also, to be absolutely clear, I’m not saying Pasquantino is not a prospect, but that the extremely impressive production is not evidence that he’s suddenly a good prospect, if that makes sense. I feel like I should be rooting for him as a fellow paesano.

Danny: Luis Medina was great down the stretch in 2019 in A ball, was very good to start this season in high A, struggled for the better part of this season but has been much better as of late in AA. Has your opinion of whether he can stick in the rotation changed much this year?
Keith Law: I feel like you may be mis-stating my opinion on him. I was hoping to get him this week in Bowie but the storm threw everything off here. I’m hoping to get him in Somerset next week, maybe Wednesday if they hold to their current rotation.

Icarus: Do you think that Ha-Seong Kim will become an average hitter?  Should he be playing everyday in AAA instead of riding the bench in MLB?
Keith Law: I don’t think he’s going to hit here, so I’m not sure sending him to AAA will address anything. Maybe he’s just a nice bench player.

Ben: Casey Mize has taken a giant step forward this year… is he our future ace?
Keith Law: I think so – but I’d like to see him use his splitter more.

Josh: Are there any expected long term issues with Jordan Lawlers injury?  The DBacks can’t afford this.
Keith Law: Not that I know of.

Guest: How good is Julio Rodriguez going to be?
Keith Law: He’s going to hit for a ton of power. Maybe a 30 doubles/35 homer guy. RF only and he has some length to his swing that he’ll have to learn to work around.

Matt: Re: Rays. I was at the Reds-Cards game on Wednesday and attendance was ~10K. It’s just a different world right now and the Rays aren’t the only team failing to draw fans.
Keith Law: Also true. Pandemic, economic inequality, and the fact that MLB teams don’t have to draw fans to make money any more.

Matt: Interesting thing about 2001 – the book and the movie were written together by Kubrick and Clarke, so neither is really a “source” for the other.  There’s a terrific book about the entire creative process; I highly recommend it!
Keith Law: I did not know this. Thank you.

Paul: Has Tavares figured things out after spending some time in AAA and not having to work out his struggles in Texas?
Keith Law: For a guy who’s spent about 2/3 of a season in the majors, Taveras hasn’t hit as well in AAA (facing easier pitching) as I would have hoped. It’s more power, but less avg/BABIP.

Josh: I know vaccine mandates for 40 man guys have to be negotiated with the union, but could a team have a mandate for non-40 man players?  Would players have enough leverage to fight it?
Keith Law: Probably a better question for a lawyer.

Noah: I can’t believe some of the people here are suggesting that you talking about shitty people being removed from their jobs (in response to people like me asking some of these questions) makes you some kind of scold.
Keith Law: Me neither.

John: Is there a reason to have hope this country can ever get along?  Seems like a large portion would rather see it burn than learn the meaning of compromise
Keith Law: How do you compromise with people who don’t accept the reality of climate change? Who think vaccines are dangerous (but horse paste isn’t)? Who don’t want basic science taught in schools? Who think women are chattel? Who refuse to see hard evidence of racism in front of them? You can’t compromise with religious fundamentalists. We learned that in Afghanistan. Why is it different here?

Keith Law School: You totally misread my question. I wasn’t trying to be a dick, I was just stating that most of your links are regarding the problems of the world.  It was an innocent question asking if you do take moments to enjoy the good parts of the world.
Keith Law: If you mean the Saturday links, it’s because that’s where the best writing tends to be. But when I find great writing on other topics, I include it too.

Uncle Eddie: Was this strikeout rate from Jarren Duran expected?  I feel like he’s taking too many hitting tips from Bobby Dalbec.
Keith Law: Also his first go-round in the majors. The gap between the minors and MLB seems to be bigger than ever right now.

Matt: Did you see that Bobby Flay and Giada special on the Food Network where they travel to Italy? Man, Italy has shot to the top of my places to visit.
Keith Law: I did not, but I don’t think I’d want to visit Italy with someone who thinks you put heavy cream in pasta alla carbonara. Italy is my favorite place in the world to visit, though. It’s not just the food, although the food is incredible. Italy may be a mess in a lot of ways, but the entire ethos – that work is a means, not an end, and life is to be enjoyed and appreciated – should be our model.

Jesse B: Andy Pages is striking out 30% of the time albeit with big time power. Do you think that’s something he can improve or will he always be a 3 outcome player?
Keith Law: He’s striking out 24% of the time, and with everything else he does, he’s a hell of a prospect.

Paul: I think more than ever the Republicans have done a great job of making issues black and white. So if its vaccines, voting rights, climate change, reproductive rights etc. as long as it “pisses of the libs” it must be good. As long as the issues continue to get drawn that way I don’t see how we ever pull out of this death spiral.
Keith Law: I agree.

Matt: Johnny Bench just tested positive and won’t be at Hall of Fame induction. He was vaccinated and still got sick.
Keith Law: You can get vaccinated and still get sick – but you are substantially less likely to require hospitalization, to require intubation, or to die. And you’re contagious for a shorter period of time. My wife had a breakthrough infection, and she did get sick, with some lingering symptoms even two weeks later, but she didn’t have to go to the hospital, and my daughter and I, who were both vaccinated later than my wife was, never so much as tested positive.

Eric: I’m not anti-vax or pro-ivermectin or any of those things – but don’t you think it is counterproductive that I can’t read a mainstream news report on ivermectin that actually discloses it’s a legitimate safe drug for human use? Not recommended for covid, but it has legitimate uses. Instead, 99% of the coverage would leave the reader believing it’s only used for farm animals.
Keith Law: I’m wondering what the benefit of including that point would be. It does have legitimate uses for certain worm parasites in the GI tract, although, unfortunately, it doesn’t work against guinea worm disease. But in an article on IVM and COVID, that seems like it’s not germane.

Keith: will Colas immediately be the White Sox top prospect and what do you think his ETA and impact might be on the big league club?
Keith Law: No, and I’d really like to see him face some actual pitching first.

Stephen: Is it worth Witt Jr. and/or Pratto getting some time in the majors this month?
Keith Law: I think so. I know the business side would say no, but I’d love to see those guys get 50-60 AB and a month in the MLB clubhouse.

Dr. Bob: RE: Passivity vs. selectivity. I could tell the difference by watching like you can, but player’s comments are sometimes telling. Kolten Wong said that STL wanted him to take more pitches. He intimated that he became more passive as a result. Now he’s being more aggressive and it’s working for him.
Keith Law: Some guys just shouldn’t hit like that. Some guys shouldn’t try to change their swings to hit for more loft. There is no one size fits all approach to hitting. I fall into that trap sometimes too, downgrading players for aspects of their swings that might not work for the majority of players but might work for them.

Brett: Is it entirely plausible that Kristian Robinson never plays another game for MLB?
Keith Law: I think that scenario is unlikely, but sure, not entirely impossible. It would be a shame because this seems to be a clear case of mental illness.

Guy B: Also the problem with the folks sucking up all the ivermectin is that they are making it harder for people who actually need the product, it’s pretty simple really.
Keith Law: Yep. And these ding-dongs are now taking up space in emergency rooms because IVM can cause terrible side effects when taken in non-therapeutic doses.

Corey: This season has demonstrated a significant difference between AAA and MLB pitching ad we’ve seen most prospects struggle when they come up. That being said, what to make of Franchy Cordero ?  He’s an MVP in Worcester but awful in Boston.  Is he a Wily Mo Pena-esque AAAA guy or does he figure it out eventually ?
Keith Law: I think he’s a 4A guy.

Paul: When you go to concerts etc. are you masking up? Are you taking any Covid precautions? ie  Are you only going to shows that require proof of vax or negative test?
Keith Law: Haven’t been to an indoor concert but the plan/hope is exactly that – we’ll mask, of course, but stick to shows that require those things. Philly venues can do so – my daughter and I went to a restaurant that asked to see our vax cards last week – but not all have chosen to. I know Johnny Brenda’s is asking for proof of vax.

John: Fair point on compromise, and agree on all of those issues as not really offering opportunity.  However, even areas where there is need (infrastructure, health care) there is zero compromise for any improvement.  I’m not saying to compromise principles but there should be reasonable areas of common ground to build better roads, or is that all lost as well?
Keith Law: That is a better question for someone who covers the swamp, really.

Rick: Do you still think Gore can be an ace down the road or are the struggles he’s had just too much to fix to get to that level?
Keith Law: Ace upside, positive signs in his return, long way between AZL success and the majors. Stuff is still top of the line.

Wil: Wanted to ask something I don’t know if you’ve been asked lately and everyone should be asked – How are you doing?
Keith Law: I’ll end with this, which Wil asked at the top of the chat. All things considered, we’re good. The last few weeks weren’t fun, but we’re fortunate, and we recognize it. We’re just trying to be prudent about the choices we make. Things are good here, and I hope that most of you can say the same, if not right now then very soon.
Keith Law: Thank you all for reading and for your patience with my relative absence the last few weeks. I do have a column due up on the Athletic on Monday, and should be able to get to games & to write more regularly this month. Stay safe this weekend, everyone – not only because of the pandemic, but because Labor Day is such a heavy travel weekend. Thanks again.