JotCast | Klawchat 3/7/24

Klawchat 3/7/24

Keith Law

1:02

A little bit better than I used to be. Klawchat.

Bob Pollard

1:02

Do you think the Giants will have Harrison on an innings limit, or does that not even matter since barely any starter pitches even 180 innings anymore?

Keith Law

1:03

My guess is it will happen organically - he's not likely to work very deep into games anyway because he'll run some higher pitch counts with a lot of strikeouts and walks.

John

1:03

Keith, if you were Cleveland, as the top of the draft looks right now. Would you take the one of the top 3-5 players who was willing to sign for the least amount or do you think there is enough of a talent difference to set your sights on one guy.

Keith Law

1:04

I would probably shop a deal to 2-3 players, but you still want to figure out who the #1 guy is and maybe you offer him a deal for more than your #2 guy. I don't think this is the year you go full slot at 1.

Eric

1:04

Have you read any Dan Jones history books? I'm reading "Powers and Thrones" about the middle ages, and it is absolutely fantastic. Makes reading about what could be VERY dense subject matter very approachable.

Keith Law

1:04

the Da Vinci Code guy? I have not. I read that and woof, I was out.

Eric

1:04

Eury Perez: Future Cy Young winner?

Keith Law

1:04

Has the potential, but hasn't had the track record of durability yet.

Marcos

1:04

Love your work Keith, you're the primary reason that I maintain an Athletic subscription. Quick question about James Wood, I know that he has a decent amount to prove with his respect to making contact consistently at the higher levels of the sport, but to my eye, he looks like one of the 10 most gifted players in baseball at any level. Do you view him as having a De La Cruz type of ceiling, and if he puts it all together, do you think he's an MVP caliber type at the next level?

Keith Law

1:05

The power-speed-defense are all elite, but I think he's going to swing and miss enough to keep him from becoming an MVP-type player. He's got a huge strike zone and struggled last year with fastballs up in the zone and sliders down in or below it. It's hard for guys that big to cover that much territory - Judge is the great exception.

Paul

1:05

Brady House looks about as toolsy as they get, do you see All star level upside with him?

Keith Law

1:06

I disagree - he's not very toolsy at all. He's not a runner, he's not a great defender, and he's not all twitched up. What he does do, however, is hit the ball extremely hard, and I believe he has more feel to hit than he's gotten credit for.

Mike

1:06

AJ puk apparently stretching out as a starter, think he can be a solid mid rotation SP?

Keith Law

1:06

I do not. He hasn't stayed healthy for a full year since college.

Mike

1:06

Think Jared Jones breaks camp w pitt? Also, are you concerned with how hard he throws despite not being a massive guy?

Keith Law

1:06

I don't, and I'm not.

Dr. Bob

1:06

Excited to see that a Caldwell made the list. Maybe I can follow his career and find out if we're related. What's that? He's only 5-5 1/2? Never mind. We're not related to the Arkansas Caldwells anyway.

Keith Law

1:07

Pretty funny that he's listed at 5'8". He was measured at East Coast Pro last year. Just own it, Slade. Join us on team Fun-Sized.

Nick

1:07

If Justin Crawford lifts the ball more this year and shows plus raw power, is he in the top-5 prospect conversation next year?

Keith Law

1:07

I'd rather say he'll be much higher next year if he does that.

Top 5 depends on what happens with a whole host of other players, too.

Wallace

1:07

Robert Hassell physically looks stronger during this camp, do you maintain any hope that he can become an above average regular?

Keith Law

1:08

I'm more concerned with his contact quality and his swing decisions than how he looks.

Jon

1:08

Cleveland’s failed attempts to develop a young RH bat date back to the Matt LaPorta trade. In a draft that could be underwhelming, would it make sense to skew towards Condon given his profile and potential for a quick rise to Cleveland?

Keith Law

1:09

No, I'd just go for the best player on the best deal. I happen to think Condon's the best player, but I wouldn't say Cleveland should like him more for any specific reason ... that's how you end up passing on a better player.

Jack

1:09

Jeff Passan had some incredibly glowing things to say about Cole Ragans and his Spring Training performance, noting an evaluator likened him to a "left handed DeGrom" - is there real #1 starter potential with him?

Keith Law

1:09

I would have said #2, but I'm a big fan - I had him on my breakouts article last March. He's legit.

Eric

1:09

My 5 year old started t-ball this season. He loves playing, and I want him to get more interested in baseball as a whole. What would be a good entry point, other than YouTube highlight videos?

Keith Law

1:10

Isn't the best answer just watching more games? Maybe going to some minor league or college games near you, or watching archived games on MLB.tv, something to accommodate what I assume is an early bed time. I think baseball is a sport you learn to like through experience - one great play or moment probably doesn't convert a kid.

Jeff

1:10

How much of a make or break year do you think this is for Henry Davis with the chance to be the everyday catcher? The RF experiment last year was not great and some scouts wondered if he could stick behind the plate. If he struggles is his bat good enough to be an everyday DH?

Keith Law

1:12

I think he can catch, but I also think he has to show it this year. He's going to get a long look. Right field wasn't good, unsurprising since he had maybe 20 games of experience there total, but his value in the draft was that he was a catcher who could hit (and really, really throw).

Andy

1:12

This looks to be one of the worst drafts in recent history for true superstar players. Is the depth beyond the top 30 (or 100) good or is this just a year where you draft for a decent floor and look for ceiling elsewhere?

Keith Law

1:12

Nah, it's just not a great draft. The HS position player crop is way down from last year and below the norm, so I expect a lot of good-not-great college players will get pushed into the first.

Turner

1:12

Thank you for the chat! I'm no longer on twitter or X and that's how I used to know about your chats. I just checked your blog on a whim for today. What is the best way to find out about your chats in the future? Understanding that you don't schedule them far in advance.

Keith Law

1:13

I post them on Threads, BlueSky, Spoutible, and Facebook. I'll see about a more regular schedule once I have a better sense of my travel for the spring.

Van

1:13

For the 2024 draft, is a top tier starting to come together? Who's pulling ahead so far?

Keith Law

1:13

I just posted a ranking this morning.

Andy

1:13

How many times have you added a K to Mike Sirota's name?

Keith Law

1:13

It's when I say it. I want to call him Sirotka or just si-RAHT-uh.